Open Arms

Chapter Twelve

Hot water dripped from the ends of his hair, running down his cheeks and into his mouth. He wiped his mouth with his hand, spreading more water around. Strands of hair, absent of curl, stuck to his forehead, covering his eyes. Pushing them out of his face, he squinted, noticing something rather...off. Perhaps he'd never paid attention, but with not much else to look at, he couldn't help but stare at the marks on her side, like scars from a wound.

"What are those?" he asked, bluntly pointing at them. 

Hannah turned in his direction, keeping the shampoo out of her eyes. "What?"

"Those marks on you, like some sort of..." His words cut themselves off as he couldn't think of how to describe them without sounding vulgar. Unless he completely wasted himself one night and she had been too ashamed to remind him of whatever events took place afterward, he was completely clueless. "...who did that to you?"

"No one." He raised his eyebrows. "They're birthmarks."

"No, are ya' sure?" he asked, taking a step closer. She pressed some fingers to her skin to stretch it out, getting a good look herself. The marks were dark in color, in stark contrast to her pink skin. Not worryingly dark, but certainly noticeable surrounded by scenery as plain as shower walls and shampoo bottles. They practically littered one side of her body, running from her hip to just under her chest. She turned around, giving Angus a view of the same spots running along her back. 

"I've had them for years," she explained, running her hands under the water. "Not since birth, but a long time."

"I've never seen those before," Angus said, still curious as to why she had so many of them, and why they were so big. 

"I have one on my leg too." Angus reflexively turned his head away, as if she was about to show him the mark on her leg. Rather she continued to push the shampoo through her hair, closing her eyes as some stray water drops hit her face. No one said anything for a minute. "What did you think they were?"

Either the bathroom was too hot, or the embarrassing question gave his face a strong flush, and he shrugged his shoulders, his words a stutter.

"I-I jus' th-thought..." He cleared his throat when his voice cracked. "They really don't look like-" He swallowed. "like birthmarks."

"What do they look like then?" Hannah almost had a smile on her face, one of teasing. He shrugged again, looking at his feet.

"...they look like hickeys." His face flushed again when she laughed at him. "What's so funny?"

"Do you remember any incident at all that that might have happened?" she asked waggling her head. 

"No! That's what had me so curious, I don't remember givin' those at all." He accidentally stared at them, suddenly and inexplicably relieved they were not what he thought they were. He started laughing in spite of himself. "Had me goin' for a minute."

"I'm not the biggest fan of them," Hannah said, wrinkling her nose as she inspected them again. "I know they're benign but I don't like the look of them. There's too many." Angus stepped a bit closer, giving her the smuggest grin he knew how to muster.

"Would you have liked them more if I had given them to you?" he asked, now her face flushing bright red. 

"Uh, I uh-can't really-I don't know," she said, easing her way around him, the shower wall awfully cold against her shoulder. "I suppose they'd go away, wouldn't they?"

Angus shrugged. "Perhaps. An' I'd have to give more of them then, eh?" He laughed at her expression, joyfully getting her back for scaring him senseless, especially when he was naked. Some excess water still dripping off his hands, he flicked his wrist at her, the drops flying off and into her eyes.