35 ᴍᴍ ꜰɪʟᴍ ᴀɴᴅ ᴀ ʙʟᴀᴄᴋ ᴄᴏꜰꜰᴇᴇ I 🎀 𝒢𝓇𝒶𝒸𝒾𝑒 𝒜𝒷𝓇𝒶𝓂𝓈 [𝑔𝓍𝑔] 🎀

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟐𝟒: 𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 [𝐓𝐖/𝐌]

ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ 24 [ᴛᴡ/ᴍ]

The bathroom was heavy with steam, the air thick and warm, making it hard to breathe in the tension that still lingered between them. Gracie stood motionless for a moment, her eyes fixed on Charlie's silhouette behind the foggy glass. Her mind raced as she watched the outline of Charlie's body—her head tilted down, shoulders tense, her back turned to Gracie like she was retreating into herself.

Gracie's heart pounded. It always came to this, the quiet aftermath of their arguments, where neither knew how to cross the growing divide. But tonight felt different. There was a weight in the air, a suffocating pressure that made Gracie want to reach out, to touch Charlie, to pull her back.

Without thinking, Gracie reached for the hem of her dress, slipping it over her head and letting it fall to the floor in a soft heap. The cool air hit her skin briefly before it was swallowed by the warmth of the steam, and for a moment, she hesitated. Was this what Charlie needed? Or was she just grasping for something—anything—to fill the silence?

Her hands trembled slightly as she unclasped her bra, letting it drop to the floor before stepping out of her underwear. The tiles were cool beneath her bare feet as she took a step closer to the shower, her breath shallow and quiet. The water droplets on the glass clung like scattered stars, obscuring Charlie's form but making her presence all the more haunting.

Gracie gently slid the shower door open, the sound almost swallowed by the rushing water. She stepped inside, the heat wrapping around her like a second skin. The water cascaded over her instantly, soaking her hair, her body, as she moved closer to Charlie, her footsteps almost silent against the wet tile.

Charlie didn't move. Her back remained to Gracie, her head still down, the water pouring over her shoulders and running down her back in rivulets. For a moment, Gracie stood there, unsure of how to bridge the space between them. The soft patter of water filled the silence, a rhythm that mirrored the uncertainty in her chest.

Gracie swallowed, her voice barely a whisper. "Charlie..."

Charlie's shoulders tensed at the sound of her name, but she still didn't turn around. The steam swirled between them, making the space feel both intimate and distant at the same time. Gracie took another step forward, close enough now that she could feel the heat radiating off Charlie's body, see the droplets of water sliding down her back.

Slowly, tentatively, Gracie reached out, her fingers brushing against the damp skin of Charlie's back. Charlie flinched, just slightly, but she didn't pull away. Gracie's touch was gentle, a quiet plea for connection, for something more than the unspoken words that always seemed to hang between them.

For a long moment, Charlie didn't react. She just stood there, the water falling between them like a barrier they couldn't seem to cross. But then, almost imperceptibly, she sighed. It was a soft, broken sound, as if the weight of the night was finally catching up to her. Slowly, she turned her head, though she didn't fully face Gracie. Her profile was barely visible in the haze of the steam, her expression unreadable.

"Why are you doing this?" Charlie asked quietly, her voice thick with something Gracie couldn't quite place. "You should be mad at me. You should hate me right now."

Gracie took a breath, steadying herself as she moved a little closer, the warmth of Charlie's body now just inches away. "I don't hate you," she said softly. "I could never hate you."

Charlie let out a bitter laugh, but it lacked the venom it usually carried. "You should. After everything tonight... after every night. You deserve better than this. I just...think you should."