Apollo's Muse

Candice (A Friend) XIX

                                                           ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄

Candice woke late that next morning, her head splitting with a pounding headache. She weakly propped herself up on her boney elbows, blinking against the thin sliver of sunlight that streamed through the gap in her curtains.

What a night.

She yawned widely, squinting at her bedside clock.

Eleven thirty? Woah. Why didn’t Mum wake me?

She tiredly slipped from under her covers, ignoring the cramp of hunger in her belly as she pushed her arms through the sleeves of her dressing gown, heading for the shower.

He’ll be over some time today, she remembered foggily. 

Ahhh, my poor head.

The hot water beat down upon her thin shoulders, and she reveled in the comforting warmth seeping into her bones. She rubbed shampoo into her scalp, and rinsed, her arms shaking with the effort it took to hold them above her head. She conditioned the ends, and meticulously shaved her legs, avoiding scratching open the previous razor cut. 

I don’t heal well.

The cut was still red and tender, and she frowned at it.

Ugh. Yuck.

After rinsing the conditioner out and scrubbing her face and body with Mum’s exfoliating gel, she stumbled out of the steamy little haven and toweled dry as quickly as she could, before the chill could settle on her skin.

“Candice?”

“Good morning, Mum,“ she called back through the bathroom door.

“You have a visitor, the neighbors’ boy. Lykos?”

Ahhh! So soon?

“Oh, right, coming,” Candice quickly donned her dressing gown and hurried to her bedroom to get changed. She slipped on a pair of black skinny jeans, a pastel pink cable knit jumper, and her furry pink slipper boots, before doing her ‘two minute make up’ - a dab of foundation, blush, mascara, and a hint of contour. She left her hair wrapped in a towel, and quickly made the bed, plumping up her pillows.

“Hello?”

Lykos’ deep voice sent her heartbeat into overdrive, and she took a few deep breaths to calm herself.

She opened the door, and stared.

Wow. 

He looks so good…

Lykos’ thick hair was styled into semblance of neatness, but his curls still twisted rebelliously. He had a cream marl knit cardigan on, and dark blue distressed jeans, over a loosely unbuttoned navy shirt. For some reason he hadn’t noticed his height much until now. He towered over her, looking down at her with those dark, dark eyes.

“Hi.”

Her voice squeaked like a mouse’s.

Nooooooooo!

That didn’t just happen.

God, I hate myself.

He smiled a little, and she blushed from the roots of her hair. 

“Have you had breakfast yet?” he asked.

“No, I just got out of the shower,” she said, unnecessarily.

Of course I did, the towel’s still wrapped around my silly head.

“Come on, then, your Mum’s invited me to eat with you, and I’m starving.”