Serenity Falls(19)

I step into the shower, and quietly sing Adele’s One and Only while I wash my hair. My fingers rake through my long locks to rinse out the suds. Just as I begin to apply conditioner, I hear a click and my mouth snaps shut.

“Please, don’t stop.” Wes.

With my eyes screwed tightly shut, I hope and pray that I’m still asleep and that this is not the most embarrassing moment of my life. But no, I’m not that lucky. I peel my eyes open to find that I’m still in the shower and warm water still sprays down on my naked body. Self-consciously, one arm flies across my breasts while my free hand covers my nether region.

“What are you doing in here?” I snap. I cannot believe he would come barging in here. He had to have known someone was in here taking a shower. How could he not?

“I thought you might need this.” My eyes drift to the top of the shower where a towel dangles above me.

“And how did you know I needed a towel?” I ask, my tone flat, refusing to grab the towel.

“Because I pulled the last one out last night. Remember, when I brought you one after you danced in the rain like a mad woman?” I know he has a smirk on his face. I can hear it in his voice.

With my eyes still staring at that damn towel, I retort, “You know, you can set the towel on the vanity. I’m not reaching up to get it from you. By the way, how do you know your mom didn’t replace the towels this morning after she got up?”

“Because I’ve been the only one downstairs. She didn’t come down until about ten minutes ago.” He removes the towel from above me.

I huff in frustration because I didn’t think of that and because I’m acting like a bitch when he was just trying to be thoughtful. No, screw that. Who just barges in on someone in the shower? My teeth clench while I bite back my annoyance and try to gain control of myself. “Thank you,” I reply, feeling like I just swallowed acid.

“You’re welcome.” Pressing my ear against the shower curtain, I focus to drown out the sounds of the water pelting against the bottom of the ceramic tiled tub floor. I listen for the sounds of a door opening and closing, but nothing comes.

I inhale deeply, realizing that if he could see me, he would know how ridiculous I look right now. “You can go now,” I say, with an exasperated sigh.

“You can continue singing. I really do like your voice.”

I hear the familiar click of the door closing, and my retort dies on my tongue. What would be the use anyway?

When I finish my shower, I pull back the shower curtain a smidge, and look to make sure Wes is really gone before I step out and lock the door. And there it sits. That damn towel he just had to bring me. As much as I want to be upset, I can’t. It beats standing here drip-drying. Wes was trying to be nice, even though I’m pretty sure that he had some sort of ulterior motive.

I dry off and dress in record time. I flip my head over, pulling my hair into a tight messy bun on the top of my head, before gathering my dirty clothes and toiletries. As I flee the confines of the bathroom and steam, I head to my room to deposit my things in all their respective places. I make a mental note of the need to head into to town to pick up a robe. I can’t keep trying to dodge everyone, praying they won’t see me in my sleep clothes.

A light flashes on my phone from the nightstand and catches my eyes. I flip it open and stare at the missed call from my Aunt Brenda. I know it’s hard for her to be in Conroe with my not coming home. Just as I press the send button to call her back, a knock resonates on my door. When I pull it open, Wes stands there about to say something, but I point at my phone silently asking him to hold on.

“Hey, Aunt Brenda.”

“Hey, Sweetheart. How’s it goin’?”

It’s obvious to me that she just wants someone to talk to because she’s lonely. When my parents died, she dropped her whole life to move in and take care of me. I’ve told her that she needs to meet someone, because eventually I’ll grow up, and then what? She truly is a magnificent woman; she deserves to love and be loved back wholeheartedly.

“Not much. I’m just about to go eat breakfast and then see where the day takes me. How are you?”

“Oh you know. Livin’ life and all that good stuff,” she replies with a chuckle.

“All that good stuff, huh? You’ve been playing too much bingo, haven’t you?” My laughter rings through the phone. Now that I’m gone, she keeps herself occupied by playing bingo, gardening, and trying out new recipes for Sunday dinner at church.

“You know it, but I just wanted to call and see how it was going over there in Cameron.”