The Beauty in Time

24

೫𝙴𝚕𝚒𝚜𝚊೫

Dizzy has this weird habit of throwing up in the bathtub when she's mad at me. Only problem is, almost everything makes her mad.

Empty bowl? Puke in the tub. Left outside for too long? Let's go to the tub. Was told not to rip up my couch? Big ass hairball that breaks some kind of record in my fucking bathtub.

So, I end up a few minutes late by the time I'm done cleaning out my bathtub. I figured I'd shower really quick before I leave to meet Matt in the hallway. Unfortunately, Dizzy's bowl was empty for about an hour today. By the time I'm ready to take my shower at three, I come to realize I pissed her off enough to earn a hairball.

I leave my front door wide open. I hesitate to do it. Every instinct in my body tells me not to leave the door open or unlocked, but I leave both the bathroom door and the front door unlocked. Only the bathroom door is shut behind me.

Matthew would hear me if I screamed. He'd come running too. I know deep down I'll be perfectly fine, so I leave the door open to invite him in if and when he ends up in the hall when I'm not ready yet.

It turns out to be a smart move, because about five minutes into my shower, I hear the knocking on the bathroom door that I'd been waiting on. "Hey, Elle?" He calls through the door. I hear the quiet squeak of it when he cracks it open. Probably because he knows we can't have a conversation through both the door and the running water.

I stick my head out of the shower curtain, being sure to pull it back to close just under my chin. Matthew blinks a couple of times at me like he expected me to be anywhere else but actually in the shower. "Hey," I greet on a deep breath. "Um...I need a few more minutes."

He smiles. "Do you? I really like those suds on you. Maybe you should keep them."

"Ha. Ha." I dryly return. I hate the freaking suds. "But seriously. I need to use the conditioner still, so I'll just meet you at the car." I'm confident we at least won't be late for Morgan or the movie. I'm just late for Matt.

He opens the door a little more and leans up against the doorway so causally, it's like this is normal for us. Almost like he's getting ready for me to invite him in with me. It's tempting. "All right." He accepts simply.

I quickly slip away from the curtain, shutting it behind me. "Hey, Dizzy's still asleep on the couch, right?" I ask curiously.

"Uh-huh. She's fine." He assures. "I shut the door behind me." He adds as if it's an offhanded comment. It's not. It's his way of telling me where we're at right now. I can either take it or tell him I don't want it this way.

"Would you mind, um...staying?" I ask, not daring to peek out at him again. I just told him I'd meet him in the car, but that doesn't actually save us that much time. He'll still be waiting for me either way. The only difference is the trip downstairs wouldn't be made by just me.

"No." He answers without a second's hesitation. As if he expected me to ask. "I have no problem standing here until you're done." He decides kindly.

I laugh. "Yeah. You just like staring at my panties." I accuse. I know what's thrown about my bathroom floor right now.

"Well, that's just a plus."

"I'm going to kick you out as soon as I turn this water off." I warn him with a laugh. I hear him hum in acknowledgement. His hum tells me he knew that already. That he was going to leave on his own anyway.

In the meantime, I keep talking to him while he guards my door as if anyone is really going to storm in here in the middle of the day. To do what? I don't know. It doesn't matter—Matthew won't let whatever it is happen.