Those Who Remain

Chapter 32

"Everything is fine," I whispered to myself in the mirror low enough that the water would cover up my words, "I will figure this out, and it will be fine."

The paper laid folded on the counter next to the sink. A paper that made my stomach drop. I knew I couldn't hide this from Ridge. It meant that they knew we were here, and we needed to make a plan with Lee about the best course of action.

Before I could really let everything sink in, a knock came at the door. "Gem, can I come in?" Ridge asked, knocking lightly again.

I went over and unlocked the door, swinging it open, gesturing for him to come in.

"You're not in the shower yet?" he asked as he shut the door behind him.

"I was about to be," I said distractedly, as I walked back towards the shower, "What did you need?"

"I wanted to brush my teeth. I think I have something stuck," he said looking in the mirror. He tried to see what it was but gave up with a shake of his head and turned to look at me.

I'm not sure what look was on my face, but I'm sure it was dazed. "What's wrong?" Ridge stepped forward and took a hold of both my shoulders.

I turned my gaze to the folded piece of paper next to the sink, and Ridge followed my line of sight. His eyes narrowed at the paper and he reached out a hand to grab it.

Before he opened it up fully, I squeezed the hand he still had on my shoulder, "Just be prepared."

His eyes flickered to me before going back to the paper. As he began to read, I laced out fingers together, and turned my attention back to the shower. The water was lukewarm, which was the best temperature we got anymore, not that anyone was complaining. It was a luxury we were thankful to still have.

The grip on my hand tightened, which caused me to turn my head back towards Ridge, who now had a similar expression to mine.

"We will figure this out," I said to him with a gentle smile that I knew didn't reach my eyes, "We have to."

"Ya, we will," he said with more confidence than I felt, but it was nice to know we were going to do this together.

After a few beats of silence, I decided to get in the shower. Still a bit dazed, I took off my shirt not thinking about the fact Ridge was in the room until I heard his faint gasp. His gaze shot towards the ceiling.

A small giggle left my mouth, "You can look. You've seen me without a shirt before, and I trust you enough for you to look."

His eyes slowly moved back towards mine. "I can leave you know." He deliberately looked back into the mirror and picked at his teeth. To his dismay however, it took him a very short amount of time to get whatever was stuck in his tooth out.

The redness in his cheeks deepened in his embarrassment, which added to my amusement. "Ridge," I said softly, turning his head towards me, "do you want to take a shower with me?"

"Are you sure?" he wrapped an arm around my waist.

"Of course," I said automatically, "but only if you are too. This is a joint decision."

He kissed my forehead and stepped back pulling his shirt over his head. Once it was folded and on the counter, I ran a hand from his shoulder down to the waistband of his shorts causing a shiver to run down his back.

"I'm always down to do what you want," he said leaning his weight into me, "You don't have to ask for permission."

"You don't have to ask me either," I replied, hooking a finger under his shorts, "I'm always game as long as it's you."