One Plus One

Chapter Two

"I'm coming!" I shouted in response to the loud knock on the front door.

I was still brushing my teeth as I opened the door. "Hey, Lily, two seconds." I mumbled through the bristles, adding in the hand gestures just in case she couldn't understand.

I rinsed my mouth out in the bathroom and ran back downstairs to join Lily for our walk to work. I had already mentally prepared myself for the inevitable questions about Harry. I could see that she was itching to ask. Her hands kept fidgeting by her sides as we walked and every time we finished a topic of conversation, she would look at me inquisitively as if thinking whether to ask or not.

"Lily, if you're gonna ask about last night will you just do it already?"

"Ok fine. What happened? I saw him take your phone and put it back in your pocket."

"Well he took my number from it and texted me. I then bumped into him on my way out."

"No way. What did he say?"

"He offered me a lift home."

"Did you take it?" Her eyes were full of hope.

"As if I did!"

"Marlie!" a tone of whining tinged her voice.

"What? I was not about to sit in a car with someone who'd just tried to feel me up."

Lily shook her head in disapproval as I pushed open the dance studio door. I held it open for her to walk in first which allowed her to extend her disapproval of my actions of the night before to a glare.

*****

After what was an intense day of rehearsals for an upcoming showcase, I craved a hot shower to soothe my aching muscles. I walked into the usual showers to find that they weren't in use and we were being forced to use the ones in the gym next door. I huffed knowing that the only ones that were functioning were the ones in the male changing rooms. Despite my reluctance, my mental disgust of an imagine of me walking home in my sweaty dance gear was not an image I wanted to transform into reality.

Luckily as I walked in the changing rooms were empty. I placed my bags down and took my towels and fresh underwear to the shower. My skin tingled as the warm water hit me, my tight muscles instantly relaxing. I turned off the shower and dried off before quickly slipping on my underwear and walking back out to my bags.

"Hey." said a deep voice.

The towels and shower gels clattered to the floor at the sound of another person in the changing room. This said person then bent down to help me collect up what I had dropped before speaking again.

"You know, we really should stop meeting like this."

As we both rose to our feet I realised who I was in the presence of.

"I told you I'd seen you again, Marlie."

I blinked and then blinked again. I then realised I was standing in front of him in nothing but my underwear. I desperately dragged my t-shirt and shorts on as Harry chuckled at the sight of a flustered girl.

"Usually I'd have to get a girl back to my flat to see her in her underwear."

I glared at him, his comment sending shivers down my spine. I picked up my bags and tried to hurry past him but he took hold of my shoulders and pulled me back.

"You know, if you hang on, I can give you a lift."

"I think I'll walk. It probably takes a lifetime for a pretty boy like you to even get in the shower. You're too busy admiring yourself in the mirror."