Glimpse

Chapter 37: Shayne

Water warped Courtney's nude silhouette as she curled atop his water-logged torso. Blonde-spiraled clouds skimmed the bath's surface, ends dancing across its stagnant depths. They followed the slight billows that the rise-and-fall of his chest produced. Soft and rhythmic, it informed Shayne of her slumber, which both relieved and unnerved.

After watching her toss and turn the entire night, the risks of falling asleep in the bathtub paled in comparison to the relief that her relaxation brought. Plus, she had him to protect her. At least for now.

Ripples broke the soapy film accumulating on the water as a faint whimper split her quivering lips. A far more pleasant sound than the wailing Shayne had woken up to. The aftermath of her Glimpse extending into the subsequent day. Searing pain. The reason for her inability to sleep that had left him with deep trenches carved under his eyes. Exhausted from watching over her. He now split his strength between tending to her and containing Alternate Shayne's instincts and mannerisms.

Though foreign jealousy still seethed within, grating his self-control into smithereens. Now, only a mesh screen of inhibition remained. Its microscopic holes allowed foreign to seep in, little black tendrils bidding him to claim Courtney and show her who she belonged to.

For now, he prisoned the urge in the far depths of his mind where a fortified dungeon held the other assorted remnants of Alternate Shayne. One of the few benefits this new lack of fear allotted. The ability to process and sort through what did and didn't pertain to him. It just required mental energy on his part.

Another sleepy whine spluttered into the water, but eyelids still concealed her greens. Courtney rotated into him, balled up fists latching onto the sparse hairs littering his pecs. Hush now. Calloused fingertips leaped from vertebrae to vertebrae, a hovering touch too timid to administer pressure. The peaceful repose softening her features twisted into a wince.

"Hey, it's okay, I've got you. It will go away." The words floated off his tongue. Empty and weightless. Though concern subjugated the hurt her transgression had caused, it still plagued him, still dehydrated his emotional reservoir until a lake of dirt remained. A skeletal husk. A wireframe built on love but coated in conflict. Bare-boned emotions pulled on either side, opposing entities ripping him in two.

Love played judge and executioner, though concerns regarding its owner had started to emerge. Tints of foreign overlayed devotion originating from Shayne. For now, it stayed too insignificant to intimidate and too trivial to enact a bias to this competition of emotion.

On one team, betrayal and heartache staked their claim while on the other, her honesty and remorse joined forces with personal dilemmas.

How can I be mad when it's only a matter of time before I do the same? Before I'm forced to.

With the pieces of Alternate Shayne's soul equaling to and almost even outnumbering his own, time constituted the sole determinant for when his role as Alternate Courtney's caretaker began.

Suppose this is good practice for that still...

Courtney breaching the platonic stipulation of their unwritten proposal presented a new qualm - the worry that Alternate Shayne's request would now encompass more than babysitting. That he percieved her violation as them agreeing to more than they desired.

We haven't even formally set boundaries.

After placing a delicate kiss to her soaked noggin, Shayne nestled his nose in her freshly washed locks. His scent masked her unique fragrance, one of the many signifiers that differentiated Courtney from her Alternate.