Upstairs was just as pristine as the rest of the house. The landing was bare, apart from a few artistic frames on the walls and a large rubber plant. I noticed, with an edge of discomfort, that though there were plenty of photos dotted around the house, none of them were of their family.
It was sad, really. I was suddenly hit by homesickness, remembering the vast collection of photos of me that my mum had on display. I used to call it the ‘Wall of Shame’ when I was younger and still living with my parents, but seeing such a sterile home made me immensely grateful all of a sudden.
I pushed down the uneasy feelings that began to creep under my skin. Rowan was a father and husband, just like my own dad. I was in his family home. A few paces further and Rowan opened a door silently. The room was cold, and as expected, impossibly clean. I shivered and instinctively wrapped my arms around myself.
“Towels are folded over there.” Rowan gestured to a tall wall cupboard with one hand, whilst reaching to pull the cord for the light.
“Thanks.” I glanced at the shower itself. “How do you turn it on?”
“It’s easy. Pull the handle around anti-clockwise to get the water going, then the little dial on top is for the temperature. It’s probably already set fine though.” He pushed the shower curtain back to show me clearly and I nodded.
“Okay, great,” I replied. There was a brief silence and for a second, I wondered if he was waiting to be invited in with me, but before I could voice the interesting idea, Rowan turned away.
“I’ll be downstairs if you need me. Would you like me to make you anything? Food, drink?” he asked, shooting me a polite smile but I noticed he seemed awkward and edgy. My gut churned with concern.
“Nah, thanks though,” I said, turning my back to him in case he could see the worry on my features.
He smiled and quickly shut the door on me. I stood, stock still and silent for a moment listening to the faint thudding of his feet on the carpet as he walked away. Immediately, my thoughts jumped to the worst conclusion. I should never have done this. Coming back here, to hishouse? What was I thinking? I screwed my eyes tight shut and ran a hand through my hair, making a silent vow to never drink ever again.
Had I done something? Not done something? I reached into the shower and turned the handle Rowan had indicated to me earlier.
“Ah, shit!” I leapt back in surprise, my emotions put on hold when the back-spray off my arm in the shower covered me in icy water. I turned and sat heavily on the shut toilet seat, listening to the sound of the water hammering against the metal bath.
As soon as I saw billows of steam rising from behind the shower curtain, I stood, ripped my boxers off and quickly hopped over the rim of the bath into the spray. As I turned my back into it, I couldn’t help the small, pleasured groan that escaped me. And I thought Becca’s shower was good...
I stood still, enjoying the hot water pounding at the surprisingly sore muscles in my shoulders and forced my mind to go blank. I’d worryafterthe most amazing shower of my life. What was it about Rowan? Everything related to him felt so good. I felt a jolt of distress even thinking about not being around him anymore. Deciding to distract myself, I dipped my head under the water and held my breath for as long as I could – just enjoying the feel of the hot water running down my skin.
Suddenly there was a knock at the door, and I flinched, nearly slipping and reaching out to the cool, tiled wall to steady myself.
“Shit,”I breathed, before clearing my throat. “Yeah?”
“Just checking you’re okay in there – got the shower working?” Rowan called through the door.
“Um, yeah I got it fine thanks!” I shouted back, pausing. It couldn’t hurt to ask, right? “Rowan? Want to join me?” There was a pause before I heard the squeak of the handle as the door opened.
“Sure,” Rowan replied, and I listened to him getting towels out ready and taking his own boxers off. I turned my face up into the shower and waited for him to join me, heart pounding loudly in my ears. I jumped when I felt fingers trace the back of my neck, over my tattoo and I smiled. Fingers turned into a flat palm, and I shivered.
“You’re cold,” I stated, turning my head slightly to the side.
“Move over then,” Rowan teased and took a step closer. My breath caught in my throat as he squeezed his body tight to mine to sneak under the hot water too.
For a while, neither of us were actually concerned with being clean. Rowan ran his hands all over me and when I felt his nose nudge gently at my cheek, I eagerly turned into the invitation to kiss. He was gentle, mouth soft and warm against mine.
Before long, the water began to run cool, the hot water supply beginning to dwindle, and we broke our embrace to actually use the shower for what it was intended. Rowan reached over me for a sponge whilst I located the tall bottle of expensive looking body soap. He held the sponge out and I squeezed a generous amount out onto it. Rowan lathered it up quickly and used his free hand to push against my shoulder.
I took the hint and turned my back to him and smiled to myself. Rowan pressed the soapy sponge against my shoulder blades and began to scrub. I closed my eyes and sighed as I let Rowan wash me. Once he was satisfied, he ran the soapy sponge over himself, and we stepped back beneath the jets of the shower to rinse off.
Rowan turned the shower off and nodded his head at me to get out. I carefully stepped out over the edge, cautious to not get water on anything but the shower mat in the pristine room, and grabbed a large, fluffy towel off the cabinet where Rowan had laid them out. He followed close behind and smiled when I handed him the other towel. We both dried ourselves in silence and I found myself wondering what he was thinking about.
I reached for my boxers, grimacing as I realised they had gotten wet. Rowan laughed, drawing my attention.
“I’ll get you a spare pair of mine. Come on.” Rowan pulled the door open, and I shivered as the cool air assaulted my skin, ripping away at the warm, humid environment. Back at his bedroom, Rowan opened the door for me. With the small side lamp on, the room was cast in a warm inviting glow, and I yawned sleepily at the sight of the large, comfortable bed.
“They’re in the second drawer down.” Rowan pointed to the bedside table. “I’ll be right back. Are you sure you don’t want a drink or something?”
“A glass of water would be great, thanks.” I nodded, running a hand through my wet hair. Rowan smiled and nodded before disappearing out of view. I stood still, listening to his footsteps fading away.
Alone, I could finally start to process everything that had happened. It felt like a million years ago that I had been at Juice with Becca. I grabbed my jeans from the floor and pulled my phone from the pocket.
