Uncovered - H.S

Six. Breathing Bubbles.

Play "Better Off" - Jeremy Zucker

Harry. His name is Harry.

After he timidly responded to my question of what his name was, I panicked at my sudden forwardness and fled from the car. I don't know what came over me, but considering I did want his name answered my own question of wanting to know more about him. Even though I do think that's highly impossible due to my incapability to socialise or relate to any other human being, mainly because I don't talk to people about anything, so no one can really know the real me.

Also I wasn't blind and couldn't deny that he is very good looking- in a mysterious way that I haven't seen be possessed in the qualities of another man before-but I couldn't see him looking at someone like me that way. So I now think good acquaintances is the title to stick too.

Ridding my brain of these weird thoughts I decide to have a bath. I pour the honeydew bubbles into the steamy hot water and breath deeply as the golden liquid turns into white sparkling foam. Baths have always been my little escape, relishing in the warm blanket of water and delicious scents being my only 'time out card' that I could easily access within the walls of my own home.

Tying my now frizzy hair up into a messy bun, I gently slip into relaxation, leaning forward to turn of the running tap only to slide back and rest my head tiredly on the cool surface of the bath edge. I close my eyes whilst my hands absentmindedly swirl over the soft bubbles, then listen to the sound of evening traffic as it flows through the open bathroom window.

Letting my mind drift for just a second, I start to unwillingly think of cold bitter memories that wove there way skilfully into my subconscious.

Beads of smashed glass glittered as it cut through the air, sounding like the soft breeze blowing through a weathered wind chime. Everything just seemed slowed down, normally I would be grateful for the change of pace, never liking how fast life seems to go, but right now I didn't want anything more than for time to speed up. I didn't want to see them being crushed by the metal walls of the car surrounding us, I didn't want to watch their faces as we roughly skidded down the road of nothingness into the dark abyss-

A loud car horn from outside ripped me away from the shuddering memory. I opened my eyes only to find a blurred collection of light in front of them. Then I shot up, coughing and spluttering the soapy water once I realised I had just been sinking deeper into the bath.

Gripping the sides tightly I scrunched my eyes and shook my head, still lightly coughing at the burning sensation of water that had managed to break into my lungs. Suddenly the calm atmosphere had dissolved into a dull hue of bitter reality, I didn't want to stay in the bath anymore.

The one though that crossed my mind as I climbed out and wrapped a welcoming towel around me was that I actually could've drowned. And I wondered, why didn't my brain think to pull me out whilst I got lost in my head.

Maybe I really didn't realise I was slowly delving deeper into the warm pool of bubbles, and that's why I didn't react straight away to get myself above to the oxygen. Or maybe subconsciously, I knew exactly what I was doing whilst quietly sinking, and I wouldn't bring myself to stop it.

And I couldn't help but think it was the latter.

- - - - - - -

I didn't sleep last night, not because I couldn't, but because I refused to slip away and give my my mind full access to my dreams- or nightmares. So I guess you could say that I'm quite slow this morning.