ASSUMPTIONS [H.S.]

chapter 36

Harry Styles

I didn't know there even existed such a thing as a shower curtain of a cat riding a horse in the galaxy... until I set foot into Amber's bathroom.

I mean, sure, I knew certain parts of her apartment were decorated in an... unique way, but it wasn't until my alarm rang at 7 am, and I had to go shower, that I realized her bathroom is the most interesting of them all.

I try to be as quiet as possible stepping out of her shower, my feet touching the 'Twilight' bath mat. I try not to wince when my toes touch Edward Cullen's nose.

This early in the morning, I really don't want to wake Amber up, considering her work at her studio starts much later than mine does. It's going to be hard to fit our schedules together, but, hopefully, we'll figure something out.

I thread my fingers through my hair to comb them in a way that doesn't look too tragic, pulling on my boxers and jeans. I feel a water droplet slide down my shirtless back, as I wipe the condensation drops from the round mirror with the palm of my hand. My sight falls to my face in the reflection, tracing the darkened circles beneath my eyes.

Surprisingly so, this is the best sleep I've had in months; if not years.

More curiosity crawls up my spine to see what other decoration she's got in this very room. It certainly takes a lot of trust for Amber to let me freely walk around her apartment while she's asleep, so I make sure to avoid any action that may be considered snooping.

My eyes simply trace around the few shelves she's got beside her sink, scanning over the few bottles of skin-care products, until stopping on an eccentric collection.

It takes just a second and a touch of my fingertip to conclude that it's a collection of soap figurines.

About a dozen shapes are laying on the wooden shelf, and at least 10 of them look like they're store-bought. Somehow, I get the feeling they're not actually meant for washing hands, considering they were so high up.

They're very pretty, each shaped in a different form, yet looks like the majority was bought to match or mask one particular piece that caught my attention.

The one I'm looking at right now stands out from the rest. Taking a closer look, I take a wild guess that it may have been hand-carved.

It takes a deeper inspection for me to realize that it's a butterfly figurine. A beautiful one, at that — its lines are rough like it wasn't done professionally, yet still classy enough to know the person's had some practice.

I make a mental note to myself to ask Amber about the rare collection some other time. I carefully place all the pieces of soap onto the elevated shelf, making sure they're back in the places they originally were on.

Remembering that my shirt's worn by Amber right now, a splurge of excitement creeps up in my chest, realizing I've got the opportunity to wear something from her closet.

Sneaking my way into her bedroom to retrieve a clothing article, I catch a view of Amber laid out on her bed, her arms wrapped tightly around a pillow. One of her legs is tucked underneath the duvet, whilst the other is out.

She's got a pink glow on her cheeks, her rosy lips slightly open as she murmurs small sleep-like phrases with each breath she draws out.

She has such nice hair.

I blink my thoughts away, realizing I've stood in the middle of the room for over a minute. I turn to open the closet door, my eyes dropping onto the compartment Amber allowed me to grab anything out of.