Counting Raindrops

Chapter 21 of Counting Raindrops

Staring at the pasty white of my bathroom walls a thought rippled through my mind like a small pebble being dropped into a settled pond of water.

Though I couldn't quite answer the thought I didn't mind it flowing around my conscious as I adjusted the water to the heat I wanted it to be. It wasn't a bad thought, nor was it a thought that you'd go jumping around with joy either.

It was a mellow thought that set my mood into a certain type of serenity. I felt warmth within me, and not because of the steam rolling wildly from the hot water that continued to stream down from the shower head. Releasing my hair from its rubber captor I let it fall in loose waves against my back, running a few fingers through its silk to ease any tangles it may have caught. Before hopping under the spray I slipped out of my shorts and shirt.

I didn't even put music on before climbing into the shower of heat; cascading down my body to soak my skin and blonde hair.

Immediately closing my eyes I just stood there and enjoyed the warmth being absorbed into my body.

The sight of a jungle painted itself in my mind as I popped open my woodsy citrus body wash and scrubbed it onto my arms.

Hot water fogging the bathroom I was having a tough time seeing through the haze, the water scorching my skin as it ran down. Even having the ability to burn my skin, it still wasn't the same burn as Jayce's touch, nothing could compare to his heat. It was weird thinking of Jayce being the one that I liked, he wasn't supposed to be under that title in my book, he was supposed to always be my enemy.

With that in mind I went back to the night he kissed me. We hadn't kissed since and it made me wonder if that was the only reason he did it; to prove that I liked him. He still came over and we hung out, but it wasn't like we were together . . . Did I even want that?

The feeling that I felt as he kissed me was indescribable, I felt my insides squeezing, but it wasn't bad . . . Not at all. It made me feel special because he hadn't tried to move anything further aside from simply kissing me, he didn't even attempt to deepen the kiss. He was very sweet for our first kiss, he respected me, and to say that I was shocked when he took my hand would be an understatement, I mean, the whole fact that he even kissed me was shocking, but he had never held my hand before . . . It just gave me a fluttering feeling, I guess.

After scrubbing my hair with shampoo I moved back under the spray to wash all the soap out, being careful not to get any in my eyes. I had just opened the conditioner when I thought I heard my phone start playing a song, but after the few seconds of me not breathing I confirmed that I hadn't heard the song at all. That didn't mean I didn't want to hear it though, so instead of risking getting my phone wet with all the water droplets that continually dropped from my fingertips I just hummed it instead.

Once I had conditioned my hair and shaved my legs I hopped out of the hot shower and wrapped a thick towel around my body to stop the dripping of water down my skin. Drying myself off I quickly dressed and dried my hair before tying it up into a ponytail.

"Be my baby,

Oh, oh be my baby, I'll look after you . . ." I just barely sang above a whisper while I padded down the hall to my room so I could toss my clothes into the hamper.

I softly closed my door behind me and started towards the stairs to go downstairs, feeling my stomach wanting to growl hungrily.

"The city spins around,

"You're the only one who knows, you slow it down.

"Oh, oh-"

"Be my baby, I'll look after you." I instantly froze in my tracks, my voice drying in my throat at the sound of someone else besides myself. I slowly looked up, crying on the inside when I saw Jayce leaning against the couch with a small smirk on his face.