Basketcase

Chapter Twenty-One

"Ry..." muffled voices sounded, foolishly knocking at my brain. Ignore it... it's not real... "Ry!!!" It grew, pushing against the black walls. Okay, it's real but ignore it anyway. A force clung and my body energized with movement and tingles of touch. Why... "Eh..." I moaned, squinting my eyes as the motion stopped.

She spit clustered words, "Guy! Shower! Face!"

"What?" I spoke up, shielding my eyes as they struggled open. "What are you saying?"

"Someone's in the shower!" She bursted, yanking her arm to point somewhere.

My head careless shifted, gazing at the partly opened bath door. "Eh..." I went on, continuing to squint at the door. "What shower?" I asked.

"Our shower! What shower! Who else's shower?" She yelled, shifting her openly judging body language.

I peered into the bathroom. Eh. Looks empty. I turned over, clasping the blanket, capping it over my shoulders. "Don't look like it." I yawned.

"Huh? What? Are you going back to bed?" She whined, "Someone is in the shower! Aren't you the slightest bit curious?"

"Tired."

"What!" her voice cursed shivers down my spine. "Never mind."

The room fell silent. My breaths became conscious, releasing and filling. My eyelids now forced closed. Muscles softening with each exhale, sinking in.

"Ryan!" My head twitched in fright. Silence gone. Sensation flooded from my fingertips and toes, tingling up arms and legs. My eyelids slit, casually opening to the reaching sunlight. "Niall's in the shower."

Okay. "Niall's tied up in the shower." Oh.

Rubbing my arm over both eyes, I threw the cover off and slid to the floor.

"Oh shit."

"Mmm?" I acknowledged with a lazy stare.

"Dude he's freaking ice cold! Shit! The water is fucking ice cold!"

I yawned staring at the ground, "What?" I mumbled.

"Ryan go fill the kettle and turn it on!" She called.

Glancing the bath door, noises continued to call. I fisted my eyes and lifted off from the bed, my second step forward catching my weight. Walking into the kitchen, I filled the kettle and turned it on.

"Geez..." she called again, "Ryan I think we're gonna need a lot more hot water... or at least warmer water."

Looking down at a kettle, my eyes fell to the cupboard below. Opening it, I closed it almost immediately, glancing around. Pan... My head turned to above the stove and I slowly open two more. Pots... Taking down three, I moved them into the sink, filled them and heaved them onto the stove. Turning on the burners, I looked back to the kettle. "Got it," I called back.

"Ah, Ryan! Great!" She greeted, her arms wrapped around a tall figure dressed in several towels.

"Woah..." I commented looking down the throbbing red and paleness showing near their feet.

"Yeah, I know. Idiots right?" she went on, rubbing her hands up and down on the towels. "Just dump it in and get more okay?" Nodding, I emptied it in the tub and hurried into the kitchen again.

Hugging my knees, I tucked my feet away from the rim of the toilet seat. So it was Niall... His hair is different...

"Hey, Ry." I lifted my head in response. "I think he might be coming to regain his regular body heat. Do you think you got a sweater for him? And like... pants maybe?"