Anywhere With You • {J.C.}

||Twenty-Eight|Just One Night||

"The signals don't seem right, it lasts for just one night"
-Trying Your Luck

Two beers down and Harlow was still in the shower. The alcohol had taken the edge off, but it didn't stop Julian from getting antsy each second that passed Harlow was in there. He had lost the concept of time; he was unaware of how long Harlow had even been in the bathroom—long enough to finish two beers.

He stood from the bed, finishing off what was left in the can, setting it on Harlow's dresser. He trailed out of the room; each step more worrisome than the last as he approached the bathroom door.

Julian imagined the worst—Harlow slipping and falling while he was outside, the whole time she had been lying in the tub, dead, while he drank the night away, waiting for her to come out. His stomach turned at the thought, causing all apprehensions to vanish as he pounded the side of his fist on the bathroom door, calling her name.

"Harlow!"

"What?!" She yelled back, the sound a relief, but also a kick in the chest. He was startled by her voice, not realizing that he had scared her as well. Truthfully, Harlow thought Julian had left.

"You've been in there a while... you alright?"

"What?"

"Are you okay?"

"I- I can't hear you! You're gonna have to come in!" Harlow spit in the tub—water getting in her mouth from speaking directly into the stream.

Julian twisted the knob, entering the bathroom. The mirror was fogged, the smell of femininely fragrant soap clinging to his clothes. Julian averted his eyes from Harlow's figure through the transparent shower curtain, standing at the front of the tub.

"You alright?" Julian asked again, staring at the back of his own hand, bracing against the wall next to the curtain. He couldn't look at her; although he'd seen her naked more times than he could remember, seeing her now felt wrong. He wasn't drunk enough for this—he wasn't as drunk as Harlow.

The clear curtain whipped back, the sound causing Julian's head to snap in the direction. "I'm okay... are you okay?"

"Yeah."

"Look at me." Harlow's wet hand went to Julian's cheek, forcing him to do as told. "Are you okay?" She giggled, seeing a small smile sprout across his lips. Her hand wasn't as warm as he was expecting, but he couldn't seem to pry his eyes away from her azure ones to comment.

"I'm good." He smiled weakly, letting Harlow hold his face.

"Take your clothes off."

"What?"

"Take your clothes off- come take a shower with me." Julian laughed nervously, placing his hand over hers as he backed away slowly. "Wha- are you shy? Come on, it's nothin' I haven't seen before." Harlow reached out, grabbing the sleeve of his jacket and pulling him back to the shower. He was laughing now, but only because he couldn't seem to fathom her forwardness.

Chewing on his bottom lip, Julian slinked out of his jacket. He let it fall to the floor, kicking it to the side with his shoe, stuffing his hands in his jean pockets. Harlow smiled, tugging at his shirt, trying to cajole him out of that next. He took a step back away from her wet hands, taking his shirt off from the back, pulling it up over his head. When he started on his pants, Harlow took it upon herself to help with that, too.

Julian snickered, undoing his jeans and trying to keep her occupied with his lips—kissing her water soaked mouth while he scuttled as fast as he could out of his pants before she got those wet, too. He had no time to protest as her arms went around his neck, pulling him into the tub partially clothed. He had nearly forgotten all about his shoes until the toe cap of his worn converse caught the rim of the tub.

This was actually happening—Julian told himself that it wasn't going to, and there he was, climbing into the shower with her. Perhaps he was drunk enough now; perhaps this was ethically acceptable. But Julian couldn't help but to feel guilty—he was giving Harlow false hope.

He managed to kick his shoes off outside of the tub, all the while Harlow was dragging him in, planting kisses along his mouth and chin until Julian stood before her under the cascading water, staring up into his eyes. He was holding her face, looking down at her pitifully.

The water was colder than he imagined—she had been in the shower so long that the hot water had ran out, but Harlow didn't seem to notice.

"What do you want from me?" Harlow asked, taking his face in her hands.

"I want you to get outta this cold fuckin' shower- it's not doin' good things for me." Julian glanced down between them, the cool water growing colder by the seconds, hitting his back.

She laughed. "It's not that bad."

"Yeah... yeah it is. You're just too drunk to tell. You're gonna get hypothermia."

"Wow." Harlow snickered, moving her hands to his chest. "I didn't think that word was in your vocabulary."

"Ha." Julian turned, reaching for the shower valve to shut it off.

"Wait, don't you wanna... you know."

"What?" Julian spoke, completely oblivious.

"Do me in the shower. I've never done it in the shower before, so you'd kinda be taking my virginity." Harlow was pulling Julian's hand away from the valve, her other hand at his hip. "That'd make you stay, wouldn't it? That'd make you want me- if I gave you everything, right?"

Julian ignored her, cutting off the water supply. He appeared to have not heard what had just been spoken, but inside, Julian was torn. There wasn't a single thing he wanted from her that he didn't already have.

"It's time to get out." Julian mumbled, stepping out of the shower. "Towel... where's a towel?"

"I know you heard me, Jules. Why can't you just tell me what you want-"

"I want you to tell me where to find a towel."

Harlow followed Julian's lead, stepping out of the tub. She shot him a scowl, snatching the pink robe hanging from the hook on the back of the door. "Look in the closet." Harlow slinked into her robe, throwing the bathroom door open, storming out.

He cussed profanities at himself in a whisper—naked, wet and cold. He found a towel, wrapping it around his waist before trailing out of the bathroom. He froze in the doorway of Harlow's room when he saw she was lying on her back—her robe open, exposing the whole left side of her bare body.

He slowly crept into the room, sitting down at the end of the bed carefully as he silently prayed Harlow would just fall asleep, so he could leave.

He stiffened at the touch of her hands moving up the length of his back to his shoulders. Harlow had wrapped her arms around him, pulling him down into the bed on top of her—his back resting on her front.

"One night, Jules. Just for one night... let it happen. Then we can go back to being whatever you want."

"You wanna be my girlfriend for one night?... Is that what you're sayin'?"

"Yep... and then I want you to look me in the eyes and tell me that it's all the same. I just... I just want you to love me. I mean, how much rejection am I supposed to take?"

Julian realized that Harlow had forgotten what he had said—that he loved her.