antidote | h.s.

34 - love is a battlefield

harry styles

The door is unlocked, and the shower is running. 

I shouldn't be surprised. 

I've told her a key under the mat would suffice. I'm a big boy and can figure out how to unlock a door, but she continues to leave it open for me. 

I can hear her music playing from the bathroom, and I smile to myself. She's taught me about the importance of her shower music, as well as the science behind it. 

She has playlists curated for the exact shower mood, and they fit perfectly every time. The three I've come to learn about so far are the "sad shower," the "cheer-up shower," and the "happy shower," which I can tell is playing right now as I hear the song switch from ABBA's Honey Honey to Blister In The Sun. 

It warms my heart when I hear her singing along, just like she did in the car after the wedding. That was the first time we really connected, and of course, it was over music. It's our love language for sure. 

Woah. 

Not 'love'. I didn't mean 'love' language. 

Just... the way we express... ourselves... to each other. Yeah. 

Regardless, it's endearing to think that this is the song she put on when she felt I needed a cheer-up, and it's also on her "happy shower" playlist.

The butterflies that I feel whenever I think about my time with Ashton invade my stomach as I step over her threshold and lock the door behind me. I hear the scratch of nails across the hallway floor and am met with Nova, running full force at me and sliding on the hardwood when she reaches my feet to sniff at them. 

"Hi, sweet girl," I coo, crouching down to pet the fur on the top of her head. I replace my hand with a kiss before standing up and finding my way to the living room, setting my presumptuous overnight bag down as a piece of paper on her coffee table catches my attention. 

I reach to pick it up, my eyes running over it once, then twice. Three times for good measure.

for you ♡

My eyes trail back down to the table, seeing a shiny silver key resting on it that sends a pang to my heart in the worst and best way possible. 

No way this is the key to her apartment. She wouldn't... right?

Before I have any more time to overthink, the shower water is shutting off, and not long after, the door is opening. Ashton emerges from the steam, red splotches staining her skin from the heat of her shower. She has a towel wrapped delicately around her body as well as one twisted into her hair and resting on top of her head. Her smile makes my shock subside a bit and turn to an eagerness to kiss her, but I hold off. 

"Hi," she breathes, coming closer to grant my silent wish for a kiss. 

"Hello. You know it's dangerous to shower with your door unlocked. You trying to be the new Janet Leigh?" I joke, my hands wrapping around her wet body to pull her closer. 

"Who?" her cute nose scrunches in question. 

I shake my head. "It's an old horror movie, Baby. But I'm serious. You can't be doing that anymore."

"I left a key," she innocently shrugs.

I narrow my eyes, biting my lips to hold back a smile. "See, it doesn't work very well when you leave the key inside of the apartment and the front door open."