@deetz-n-beej
Jacques was indeed a nice skeleton. He had a heavy French accent, a pencil-thin mustache that Lydia was pretty sure was drawn on, and a spider-girlfriend named Ginger that Lydia simply adored. Together they kept her entertained until she fell asleep in his arms. Even then, he continued to carry her, whirling her through the quickly dispersing crowd until one by one they all went home and the castle was theirs again.
Life returned to exactly as it was before the ball. He was even more affectionate, in fact. For three mornings in a row, rather than making her travel to the table in the corner so far, far away from the bed, he served her breakfast in her sheets while she layed in like a precious thing meant for spoiling and fattening.
She couldnât remember the last time she washed her own hair. He shampooed and conditioned it for her whenever it was in need. More than that, he tended to everything else too; rubbing every inch of her down with a sugary scrub that sloughed away any dead skin, drying her delicately once it was time to get out, then fashioning her damp hair into braids so it would dry wavy the way he liked.
Lastly, he would have her lie out nude on the bed so he could massage her neck to toe with a divine smelling skin balm that made her oh-so soft. He would make her turn over and do her backside as well, always with the most disciplined, evenly weighted strokes.
But then, when she would embrace him after and try to entangle him in kisses, pull him further down the burning path he had stoked, heâd stop. Dress her as he liked, tell her he loved her, and then pull her into bed with him to sleep without any sex whatsoever.
Every single night. For a week.
Lydia was ready to sob. The bath was almost over. Rather than a pile of mush in his hands, Betelgeuse found his bride wide-eyed and skittish, gaze flickering from her own nude body, to him, to the bed, and then back to herself over and overâ as if she couldnât quite figure out which of these things was failing her.
Tonight she would seduce him. Put more effort into it. He loved her. He wanted her. Didnât he?
âIâm ready to get out,â she gulped, hating the way her voice wavered. Why did she sound like she was lying? Doing something wrong? It wasnât fair.Â