Mobster Boy

8

Soon, it's too dark to stay outside any longer. Chance leaves his boots and jacket outside so he doesn't track too much sand in, but he's still dripping wet, and so am I. "I'm going to sleep well tonight." Chance leads the way to his bedroom. I follow him mostly out of instinct, but he stops me at the door with a surprised look. "Wait outside. I'm using my shower first." And then he closes the door in my face. 'Ughhh.' I jump and turn around when I hear loud laughter, seeing Hideyoshi hanging about the hallway with his arm covering his eyes.

"Oh, my god. Sorry he's like that." I chuckle too.

"I feel like I should be used to it by now, but he still manages to surprise me." Grinning at me, Hideyoshi gestures for me to come down to his floor, one below Chance's.

I'm shivering when he steps aside, gesturing to follow him to his room. "Come on. You can use my shower instead of waiting for Chance. I promise I won't even peek inside." Winking at me, he leaves the door open and trots downstairs, whistling loudly. I can hear him as he travels to the other side of the house, still whistling, and shake my head. 'I doubt he would be happy with what he saw if he did peek...I know I'm not.' 

Hideyoshi's room is strikingly different from Chance's. Like his brother, he has a personal, expensive collection decorating the walls. But while Chance's room is geared toward music and motorcycles, Hideyoshi's has priceless wall scrolls, and several sword racks. I step closer to the bookshelf, seeing more than a few titles in Japanese. 'He's serious about trying to reconnect to his culture.' I realize I'm snooping and rush inside his bathroom, determined to keep my nose out of his business.

The hot water is a blessing, and I stay inside longer than I should. It's only when I reach out to grab a towel that I realize I have made a grave mistake: All my clothes are still in Chance's room. 'Oh, great...' I really don't feel like getting back into dirty, wet clothes, even if it's just for a second. 'Well, Hideyoshi's room is just one floor down from Chance's, so...maybe I can make it without being seen. Fat chance of that happening in this house...' With my wet clothes bundled in my arms and a towel wrapped firmly around me, I race from Hideyoshi's bathroom back to Chance's room in a flash. Humming, I open up the door and hop inside, glad to hear the water still running. Except Chance isn't in his bathroom. 

Stripped nearly bare, Chance stands with a clean shirt in one hand. "Oh! I thought...you..." 'Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god...' "I-I forgot clean clothes when I-"

"I did too." He gestures with the dry clothes in his hand, and nearly every muscle in his sculpted body ripples with the movement. Painfully aware of my inadequate body on display as well, I wrap the towel around myself tighter and grip my bundled clothes to me like they're a shield. I expect him to yell or make a snarky comment, but Chance's expression doesn't shift at all. "You can change in here. I'll give you five minutes." I let loose a huge sigh of relief as Chance walks back into his bathroom, closing the door firmly. My head feels like a colony of bees moved in. Disoriented, I change as quickly as I can. I shake my head at my own body, tracing the scars that litter every inch of my skin.

True to his word, Chance exits the bathroom only five minutes later, dressed as usual. I yank my shirt down the rest of the way as he does, hoping he didn't see what I already knew he saw earlier. I feel suddenly dry-mouthed. Swallowing once, I try to speak. "Chance, I'm really sorry." He quirks his head to the side, curious.

"For what?" I purse my lips in a frown.

"You told me the room was yours, and not to come in...I broke the rules..." My frown deepens.

"Oh." He shrugs. "Forget about it." Nodding over to the doorway, Chance walks outside. "Come on. It's dinner time." It seems as far as he's concerned, the discussion is over. In truth, I'm still flustered, but I want to keep up appearances as well. 'If he's going to pretend it never happened, then I'll do the same.'