After Life

23

I closed my eyes, exhaling loudly, as if making the exerted effort to exhale with more force than necessary would actually help relieve some of the tension I felt. I sunk deeper into the bath, until the water rose over my shoulders, touching just below my jaw. I tried to submerge myself as much as possible without actually saying 'fuck it' and drowning myself.

The moment the door had closed in Harry's wake, Mia went on a tailspin of questions.

"Oh my GOD!" she blurted, literally dropping the groceries she had been pretending to put away while shamelessly spying on us. "That's him, right? Shit, he's hotter than I thought. What was he doing here? My God, why didn't you text me and tell me to stay away, or leave a tie on the door or something. Give me some sort of warning!?"

I merely closed my eyes against her bombardment, raised my hands in a silent defense, and retreated into the bathroom. The moment the door closed, I turned on the taps to the bathtub, filled it with every random scent and bath bomb and bubbles I could locate in my distracted state, before stripping down. The tub hadn't even filled completely before I couldn't wait anymore, and climbed in.

Usually, I would have my relaxing baths in the evenings. This was my escape and my solace, my little place away from the real world that haunted me. I used it at the end of a good day as a celebration, and at the end of a bad day as a comfort. Today, however, was a little bit of both.

Actually, I had no fucking idea what today was, which was why I could barely even enjoy the bath at all. I was too wrapped up in my own thoughts, at some time around four in the afternoon, hiding away from the world.

I had no idea how long I had been laying in the water, the only sounds in the room being that of the tiny popping bubbles that shielded me from view in the bath. It could have been minutes, or even hours. The latter was more likely, since my hands were pruney and the water was starting to turn cooler. You would think after being in the bath this long, some of the tension and confusion I felt would have dissipated. Nope. Not at all.

I opened my eyes again, finding that no matter how many times I closed them, thinking it would be different, I still saw Harrys face behind my eyelids. No matter how many times I tried to think of something, anything, else, he was all I could think of. Where before I had been pensive and curious about this confusing and temperamental man, now I was entranced and captivated in a way I hadn't expected.

At no point during our exchanges before today had I ever considered, even for a moment, of our relationship or whatever it was turning to something more. Not that he wasn't attractive, because lets be honest...Jesus Christ. But that wasn't what drew me to him. That wasn't why I wanted to know him, or talk to him or spend time with him. He was intriguing and enticing and thought provoking on so many levels to me. Beyond my interest in him for my assignment and his suitability for my project, the more I got to know him and the more time I spent with him, the more I seemed to want to be around him. When he wasn't being moody and snippy, he was interesting and funny and charming. When he wasn't yelling at me or pushing me away, he was smart and engaging and made me think of things in a different way.

At no point had I ever considered anything else. And until now, I was quite confident Harry felt the same. He was always so guarded, so trapped within the fortress he built around himself, I guess it never occurred to me that he would let down his walls enough to let anyone in. Let alone me. Not that he had let me in, mind you. But in those few brief moments he let those walls falter, I saw a vulnerable side of him that he never let show before.