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I stand up with difficultly, shooing away Reef’s offer of help, even though I look like Bambi when he first learns to walk. Feel like it too. Cove and Bhodi both seem surprised to see me up when I stagger past the kitchen, heading for the stairs.
“Where are you going, little dot?”
“Bathroom.”
“Oh no, you don’t. Not like that anyway.”
I don’t even get the chance to ask what he means or protest that I’m fine, when he’s scooping me into his arms and we’re already halfway up the stairs before I know it.
He carries me into the bathroom and stares expectantly at me through our reflection in the mirror.
“Well?”
“Well what?”
“What do you need?”
“I’m good now, thanks. You can put me down.”
“Malia, just tell me what you need.”
“I need to use the loo, and maybe take a shower.”
“Okay.” He nods and puts me down right in front of the toilet. “Is a shower a good idea? Can you stand for that long? I can run you a bath instead.”
“I’m good.”
His gaze darkens, and a stubborn frown settles over his features, but he does turn the shower on for me. “Let the shower heat up while you use the toilet. But I’m coming back in when you’re done. I don’t think you should be left alone right now.”
Again, before I can protest, he’s stepping out the door and closing it behind him. I’m so embarrassed I have to play music on my phone. ‘Believer’ by Imagine Dragons plays nice and loud. I relieve my over-full bladder and wash my hands and face, then use the glass beside the sink to drink water from the tap. It immediately clears the remaining fuzz surrounding my brain. I brush my teeth too for good measure, and then use some mouthwash. It makes me feel human again.
“Knock, knock,” Bhodi says, opening the door without actually knocking. “You good?”
“Yeah, I just need to get in the shower.”
“It should be warm enough now.” I wait. He stares at me. I tut. “What?”
“You can go now, I’m fine.”
“I’m not goin’ anywhere.”
“Are you always this stubborn?”
“More so, usually. I’m being nice to you because you’re unwell. Get in the shower, little dot, before all the hot water’s gone.”
I huff in frustration because a hot shower feels like exactly what I need right now, and I know I’m going to have to give in to Bhodi’s demands. They’re not even unreasonable. If he was feeling the way I’ve been feeling for the last few days, I wouldn’t want to leave him unattended either. I don’t even know why I’m baulking at the idea of getting naked in front of him. He’s literally seen it all before. But still…as stupid as it sounds, this feels way more intimate than stripping to have sex.
I pull off the sweatshirt and sweats that Cove gave me. Yes, I have my own things now, but nothing is as comfy as someone else’s sweats, so I just sort of kept them. I don’t look at Bhodi as I strip myself bare before him and climb into the shower.
I groan under the hot spray as it kneads the knots out of my aching muscles, and the heat breathes life back into my tired limbs.
“What are you doing?!” I squeak when the curtain is pulled back and Bhodi appears, naked. He grins at me and climbs in, and I have nowhere to go or hide. I briefly contemplate wrapping the shower curtain around me for protection, but it’s cold and wet and it would feel gross stuck to my body.
“Relax, little dot. I heard you moan. I just wanted to make sure you’re okay.”
“That was a groan of pleasure, not a moan of pain,” I snap.
“Oh you must be feeling better if you’re pleasuring yourself in the shower while I’m right on the other side of this flimsy, magically sound-proofed curtain,” he quips with his gaze heated.
