Where did you go?

2

My side smacked against the ground and the wind was officially knocked out of me. I gasped, breathing in air to cool the white-hot pain searing through my arm and shoulder and I clenched my eyes shut, rolling onto my back. I held my shoulder with the opposite hand and turned my head so that my cheek was pressed against the cool tile and that's when it hit me; I'd been knocked over. I snapped my eyes open, staring at the wall next to me, and slowly rotated until my eyes met his.

'What...the...fuck?'

~•~

All I did was stand there. I just stood there like a big dumbass literally watching this girl breathe on the bathroom floor. What was she even doing in there? It's a men's room. For men. She is, evidently, 100% woman.

I could tell when she realised what had happened. She tensed and a pair of sapphire pools locked onto me. I tried not to hiss out a breath 'cause...wow. I know how it sounds, I do, but I was just...gobsmacked. This girl, this girl was trouble. And she had no idea.

'What...the...fuck?' She didn't seem happy, otherwise I would've assumed she was about to start fangirling.

She was wearing a yellow floral sundress that hugged her in all the right places - score - and her blondish hair fell over her shoulders and pooled around the tops of her arms, gravity doing its job, otherwise I estimated it reaching her waist. She was still lying down and all.

Her mouth opened but she must've decided not to proceed with whatever she wanted to say because she snapped it shut a few seconds later.

Shit.

'Hey...you good?'

I'm such an idiot.

She didn't reply, just kept staring at me in shock. Thirty seconds must've passed before she finally spoke.

'You...' I waited for that moment of recognition, '...fucker.' Not what I was expecting.

~•~

'M—I—' He was struggling to form a response.

'You pummelled me!'

'You're a female!'

'Go figure.' My tone was harsh, catching him off guard again.

'What're you doing in here? Is there a guy in here with you?' He grabbed the door I'd just come out of and peered around it.

'No? Why would I be in here with...' I trailed off. 'You motherfucker.' I spoke slowly in a low pitch.

He held up his hands in surrender. 'My bad,' he said.

I let out an incredulous laugh.

'Look, let me help you up.'

'No.' I tried to sit up but winced and grabbed my shoulder, lowering myself back down.

'What's wrong?' I felt his breath fan across my face and my stomach lurched. I shook my head and opened my eyes, totally embarrassed.

'It's fine. I'm fine.' I shook my head again but he'd figured it out.

'Your shoulder—'

'—is fine. I'm good, really. I need to get back to my fr—'

'Let me help you up,' he said again, and this time I let him.

He took my hand and gently pulled until I was sitting and he was kneeling in front of me. Okay, he was fit. Properly hot. From this close I could see all of the different shades of brown in his eyes, gold in the centre. Yeah. Not good.

'I hope I don't stink of piss now,' I said with a half laugh, it wasn't really funny but I wanted to make him stop looking at me like that. It was far too intense for me, thanks.

'Vanilla,' he said, his tone serious and his eyes focused. 'You smell like vanilla.'

My lips parted, unsure of how to respond, then shut again. I decided to keep on the funny track.

'And you smell like leafs. Leafs and every men's deodorant ever.' He smiled down at me and I held back my own one. Then I remembered where I was and what was going on and I narrowed my eyes.

'You know this is your fault, right?'

He reared his head back and gave a confused laugh but stopped before saying, 'You're literally in the men's toilets. You came in here. You threw yourself in front of me like...like...'

'Like what? Huh? Like I just couldn't resist getting a feel of your big chest?'

'You've got bony shoulders, you know that?' He rubbed at the middle of his chest and I faltered.

'Sorry,' I looked away.

'I'm curious to hear this explanation of yours,' he said with a grin, his hand still holding mine.

'Explanation?' I asked.

He splayed out a palm, hinting at our location.

'Oh! Yeah, so, uh...' I coughed. 'I really badly needed...to go... and this was the only place I could find.'

His eyebrows pinched.

'That's it. That's the explanation,' I stated since he looked like he was expecting more.

He started laughing. 'That's it? You just... needed the toilet? So you came in here?'

'Well, what did you think I was doing?,' I asked incredulously.

'I don't know, stalking me or something.'

I pulled my head back. 'Wow...I couldn't even hear that statement, your head is that far up your ass.'

'Wh-'

'Do you need a snorkel to breathe or...?'

He scoffed. 'Shut up.'

I shrugged, forgetting about my shoulder and I couldn't help but say, 'Ow.' He noticed.

'I can help?'

'Seriously, I'm fi—'

'Seriously, you're not.'

I narrowed my eyes. 'Stop interrupting me.'

'Stop deflecting.' He was fully ready to compete with me but I sighed and looked away.

'Is your chest okay?'

He grinned. 'It's fine.' I couldn't help but smile back at him, it was infectious.

'If it wasn't, it would be on you. Not my fault that you're just...speed walking around a bathroom.' We weren't really arguing anymore, it was more teasing than anything else.

'Hey, you're the one that basically burst out of that stall. Total wild card move, by the way.' He playfully smacked my good arm with the back of his hand.

'I thought you'd left.'

'You were trying to avoid me?'

I paused and shot him a confused look. 'Not you specifically...' I narrowed my eyes and tilted my head to the side. 'Sorry... do I... know y—'

'No,' he abruptly cut in. 'Let's get you off the floor.'

Before I could respond, he had me up on my feet with my shoulders in his hands and my back pressed against the sinks. His eyes lit with something unreadable and he seemed to mentally pause for a beat before stepping forward, closing the space between us.