Return III

Chapter 4

Natalie's POV

The warm water feels amazing against my tight skin. I cannot remember the last time I had had a home-comforting shower where I was able to take my time and relax. Most of the time that I have been in here, I have just been allowing the steam to open up my pores and soak into my body.

Just as I move to squeeze shampoo into my hand, three knocks at the door make me flinch and drop the bottle, forcing a loud thump as it hit the floor of the bathtub.

"Nat, hey. Can I come in?" my twin brother's voice sounds from the other side of the bathroom door. I cover myself even though he can't see me, and wonder what he wants so badly that he cannot wait another few minutes until I'm out of the shower.

"No, Blanket. I'm in the shower!" I yell out of embarrassment. "I won't look, can I just come in?" he asks again and I roll my eyes. "Fine, whatever. Close your eyes and face the wall." I demand. "Okay." The door opens and shuts quickly.

Blanket flips the toilet seat down, then plops himself down onto it. He sighs and says nothing, making me feel nervous. I slowly apply shampoo and conditioner into my hair and scrub my scalp with my fingernails.

"So..." Blanket says, his voice trailing off.

"What do you want that's so important it can't wait until I'm dressed?" I blurt.

"Nat, I don't know what to do. I'm stuck. I know this is the worst timing for a conversation like this, but I just need to get some things off my chest."

"You know what mom's gonna say if she sees or hears you in here with me at the same time?" I ask and Blanket sighs.

"You know what, I'll just—" Blanket says and I hear the door open. I quickly poke my head out from behind the shower curtain and open my mouth to stop him, but by the time his name comes out of my mouth, the door is closed and he's in the hall way. I sigh and close the curtain, allowing the heat from the inside of the shower to replace the cool from the outside. I quickly wash up and dry myself off, get dressed, and wrap a towel around my wet hair before exiting the bathroom in search of my brother.

I first walk down the hall way and look in the guest room. Of all places, he might go there because it is the most plain and isolated room in this house. And when I see that he isn't there, I look in my bedroom. I find that he is not in there, either. I then make my way down stairs and look for my mom. I hear her voice along with Paris's in the kitchen, and follow them in there. Their conversation comes to a halt as soon as I walk in to the room.

"Hey, there's my squeaky clean baby!" Mom says and Paris and chuckle.

"Hi. Do you know where Blanket is?" I ask timidly and Paris sighs.

"Um, yeah. He's waiting outside for Prince to pick him up," Mom says and my eye brows furrow. "is something wrong?" I shake my head and walk backwards out of the kitchen, into the hall, to, and out the front door. I gently shut it behind me, in hopes to not startle my brother. He turns around the second he hears the door, and when he sees me, he turns around once again.

"You're not mad at me, are you?" I ask, taking slow steps toward Blanket. He shakes his head and says nothing, continuously staring out into the open.

"Why are you going home?" I ask. He doesn't answer me. I sigh and glance down at the ground, then back up at the horizon. The sun is still burning bright, but by the feel of the breeze, I can tell that we only have a few hours before sunset.

"Listen, I'm sorry if I sounded rude in the bathroom. That was kind of an awkward timing and—"

"That's what you think this is about?" Blanket interrupts, turning to face me with that glare of his and a hint of sympathy. My breath catches, and I think to myself that I need to choose my next words very carefully in hopes to not upset him any further.

"No, I know, but. . .look, I—"

"No, Natalie. You don't know." he blurts. "Nobody knows. Everyone thinks they know, but they don't. They don't understand anything."

"You're not that hard to understand, you know." I say softly, glancing up at my twin brother, then out into the sky again. Blanket sighs, obviously not knowing how to respond to what I had just said.

"Says you," he finally says after a few moments of silence. "sometimes, I don't even understand myself."

"Then why don't you tell me what this is about?" I ask in a very soft, mild voice. Blanket breathes out a heavy sigh, and looks down at me. His tongue darts out to wet his lips, but he says nothing. I smile down at my feet and look over at his hands in his pockets. I step sideways closer to him and wrap my left arm around his right and rest my right hand on the top of his wrist. He looks over at me, but I don't look at him. I rest my head on his shoulder and pull him closer to me.

"I love you." I say silently, making my heart sink.

I have never told Blanket that I loved him, because still, to this day, nearly a year later, I still cannot believe that he, of all people, is my brother.

Blanket opens his mouth to speak, but just then, Prince pulls up in his truck and parks directly in front of us. He rests his elbow outside of the window and stares between Blanket and me. Blanket then begins to walk forward, forcing me to release my grip on his arm. I stand back and watch him walk toward the truck without turning back, and begin to feel horrible—as if I had done something wrong or made him feel uncomfortable.

Then suddenly, he stops walking and turns around, taking a few short steps forward. He presses his lips into a straight line, then sighs.

"I don't think you should do it, Nat." he says almost too quietly.

"Do wha—" I begin, but stop when he turns around and speed walks back toward Prince's truck and slides into the front seat. Prince says something to him and he shakes his head. He says something that I cannot make out, then Prince waves at me and backs out of the drive way. I watch as he pulls onto the road and speeds away.

A/N

Hey guys, I'm really sorry if the story is boring so far. To be honest, I don't know exactly where I'm taking it yet, but I'm trying really hard to keep it interesting so that you guys stay tuned in, because I know how much you all loved the first two books. So please, stay tuned, I SWEAR it'll get better- I just need some more time to think about what I want to happen in this book and if this will be the last one in the series. Looks like we'll see :) I love you all, and if you have any ideas/suggestions, PLEASE message me. I'd love to hear them!