His only reason (Emblem 3 fanfic)

His only reason (Emblem 3 fanfic - Chapter 9)

The hot water was beyond relieving. I stood under a large shower head, letting the warm liquid stream down my body for what seemed like forever. My once tense muscles eased, and the steam healed my aching temples.

The shower was completely porcelain, with small flower shaped soaps lined up on a large windowsill and a variety of shampoos and conditioners lying across the corners. At home, we usually washed with whatever brand the dollar store had on sale that week, I’ve never really had to decide whether to wash with ‘Pantene Pro-V Curly Hair shampoo and conditoner’ or ‘Garnier Fructis curl sculpting shampoo and conditoner’. I ended up siding with the Pantene product. It took a while to work through my hair, but once I got it rinsed, my hair fell straight down my chest, soft and smooth. I also assumed the products were ‘Keaton’s, because from what I’ve seen of Wesley and Drew, their hair was no where near curly.

As for the soaps, I decided on a lilac colored flower which smelled of daisies and gently swept it over my body. I was captivated by the scent-- the only scented soap I’ve ever used was irish spring, but only when my father used to buy it for his own use. I wasn’t used to this pampering. Occasionally my aunt would bring over some coconut scented bath salts, but that’s about as luxurious as my household would get. I exhaled, letting the steam rise onto my face, as my own personal exfoliation. But while I was finishing up with the soap, I heard the bathroom door creak open.

My eyes shot towards the shower door, which was cracked open, to the point where I could peek my eyes out without being seen. I leaned back against the tiled wall, eyes darting across the floor. I could see red sneakers slowly entering the room, but the farthest I could see was the waist of my visitor. He was wearing dark blue jeans, slightly ripped in the knees, which hung loose around his thin figure. After a few seconds he was facing the large mirror which sat opposite the shower, toppling over three marble sinks, and a counter full of different facial products. He was shuffling with something in his pocket, but eventually ripped it out, and set it up on the table. I shifted my position, but accidentally hit my elbow into the glass shower door, sending a loud thud to be echoed throughout the room.

“Damn,” I cursed, shaking the pain out of my arm. The feet froze however, and turned to face the shower, hands immediately dropping to their side. “Hello?” They asked, feet slowly tiptoeing towards the shower door. There wasn’t a curtain- I had nothing to hide behind except this slightly translucent piece of glass separating us.

“Who’s in there?” They repeated, voice slightly raspy. They had a sore throat, or possibly even a cold. It was winter though, so I couldn’t tell if they had naturally sex appealing vocal chords or if it was the works of Jack Frost.

“Who do you think,” I muttered, grabbing at a few shampoo bottles to shield my face as a hand crept towards the shower door. It stopped though, and a hand print lingered on the glass where it hovered. I put my finger to the glass, drawing a quick smiley face above the hand, smirking. The hand stayed in tact, but with the other hand, the stranger drew a heart back.

After a few minutes of drawing small pictures back to each other, forgetting I was  still under the shower hose, his hands reached for the handle, and he slowly ripped the door open. Out of pure shock, my hands scrambled back for the shampoo bottles, shielding my face. “What the-” I completely froze, my heart beat racing. “Nadine?”

I bit my lip, lowering the shampoo bottles from my face, nodding. “Hi,” I said to the newly revealed stranger. It was Keaton, green eyes nearly popping out of his head, his left hand stuck in the midst of his curly dirty blonde hair. “I didn’t mean to walk in- I, I know I should’ve knocked I just-” He stumbled over his words, searching the bathroom tiles for an answer. He began to step back.

“What were you doing on the counter?” I questioned, re-meeting his eyes. He gaped his mouth, but his eyes slid down to my neck, and they widened even more. “I’ll talk to you after you finish your shower, I didn’t mean to interrupt I’m so sorry,” He exclaimed, turning back and nearly running out of the bathroom, slamming the door shut behind him. I looked down, realizing my whole body was exposed, and the only thing I had covered was my face. “What a great first impression,” I muttered, turning off the steaming hot water.

I stepped out, grabbing a snow white towel from the floor, and wiping my water-logged skin with it. The fogged mirror cleared up, and I stared at my reflection. The black makeup I smeared last night was now running down my face, gathering at the bottom of my eyes. My posture was slightly bent as the cold air rushed against my bare body. I redressed in my clothes from last night, which were now slightly wrinkled, and threw my hair up in a loose sock bun.

I walked towards the bathroom door, inhaling deeply before opening the door. Keaton was perched on the couch, watching what looked like a reality tv show I’ve never heard of before. “Keaton,” I started, and his head slightly turned towards me. “If you need to get dressed I’ll get out it’s fine, just let me-” I stopped him mid sentence. “I’m clothed, now.” I whispered, ending the sentence with a small giggle.

He looked back now completely, taking in the aspect of the outfit he first met me in. “Oh,” He laughed, waving his arm for me to come and sit next to him on the pleather couch by the coffee table. I walked towards him, eyes set straight towards the spot I was lying in before with Drew. I sat in the corner, and tossed the wool blanket towards him, which he accepted with a nervous laugh. “I’m really sorry about before, I really am. I shouldn’t have opened the door I just thought it was Wesley, we pull pranks on each other which I know is wrong but- I’m just really sorry.” I uncomfortably smiled at the ground, “It’s okay. I’m sorry for your disappointment.”

I looked back up at him, and he uncomfortably responded. “No I wasn’t disappointed trust me-” He stopped, as I raised an eyebrow, smirking. “That’s not what I- Did you see what I left on the counter?” I shook my head, and his eyes fell back to the ground. “Well, I should probably go look for Wes, he’s probably back out in Times Square. You’re welcome to come find us if you like, but since your hair’s wet I figure you’d get cold and I don’t want you to get sick.” I smiled, thanking him for the invitation, but declining softly. He got up, and slowly walked towards the entrance of the door, but looked back once he met the door place. “It was nice seeing you again,” he insisted, before exiting the room.

I nodded, getting up from the couch, and walking towards the bathroom. Whatever he left on the counter when I was showering, must’ve drawn him to exit my presence.

Author’s Note: Keaton’s back, what a shocking chapter. if you wanna see the boys reunited keep commenting! The 200 reads was a bit much for the last chapter, just please do continue leaving feedback it encourages me to continue writing :)xx