I probably stayed in the shower a little bit longer than I should've, but I couldn't help it. My mind raced, thoughts pounded against the inside of my head like a drum. The shower was a good place to slip from reality and allow my thoughts to consume me.
After I scrubbed out the lingering stench of mucky pond water, I stood under the spray and stared at the plexiglass, blinking out the droplets of water from my eyelashes.
I didn't know why I was hesitant to face Lloyd. New, unfamiliar emotions, so so strong, flooded through me. I didn't know how to handle them.
It kind of scared me.
Still, I had to face him. May as well be sooner than later.
The clothes Lloyd lent me were huge to say the least. I was glad that the summer-worthy shorts he leant me had a draw string, though I may as well not even be wearing them considering how long his damn shirt was.
It wasn't cold enough to wear a hoody so I just hugged it as I held my damp, gross, pond-watery clothes in my free hand and stepped out of the bathroom.
I met Lloyd in his room, where he was freshly scrubbed and void of nose-scrunching smells. He was just checking his phone when he heard me enter. He glanced up before faltering, cheeks flushed.
"What?" I asked, hovering at the entrance. Lloyd cleared his throat before averting his gaze, returning his attention back to his phone. "Nothing."
I sent him a scrutinising stare as he shoved his phone back into his pocket and approached, nervously holding out a hand. I dismissed my suspicion and slid my hand in his instead.
"Want a proper tour?" he asked as he led me out of his room. I nodded as we sauntered down the hallway, hand in hand.
"These are the others' rooms," he said as he gestured to the closed doors surrounding Lloyd's room. "That one's obviously Jay's."
He pointed to a door with stickers of lightening bolts and Fritz Donegan on it. I grinned.
"Of course," I mused. Lloyd gave a huff in amusement.
"Here's the laundry," he said, gesturing to a door beside a ranch slider leading out into the garden. "I can wash your clothes, if you want."
I glanced down at the damp clothes in my hand.
"Are you sure?" I asked, frowning slightly. "I don't mind."
"I do," Lloyd insisted with raised eyebrows as he grabbed the clothes from my arms and deposited them in the laundry sink that also had his. "You washed my hoody, anyway."
I sent him a look.
"Yeah, because I hit you in the head with a bloody skateboard," I reminded incredulously. He just shrugged it off, making me roll my eyes at his nonchalance.
"Anyway," Lloyd directed my attention back to the tour. "The rest are just guest rooms."
I wanted to ask why they had so many, but I just guessed it would be for when they all had family to stay. I'd imagine Christmas would be packed.
We exited the wing, before Lloyd directed me out from the connecting, open-to-the-elements pathway and onto a small stone trail leading around the corner of the building and into the garden.
"What's this?" I asked as we passed a slightly steaming, rectangular pool situated on the outskirt of the cultural garden, surrounded by red-leafed maple trees. It looked so tranquil and relaxing, like some kind of spa. The water was clean, but super cloudy. So cloudy that if you sat in it, all you would be able to see was the parts of your body not in the water. Lloyd glanced over before huffing in amusement.
"It's a Japanese onsen," he replied. "For bathing. The water's pumped up from springs, so it's full of minerals. Mainly for tourists, but we sometimes use it, too."
I quirked my lips in consideration.
"Sounds better than the pond," I joked. "Can we go in it one time?"
Lloyd turned his gaze to me, raising his eyebrows.
"You have to bathe nude."
My cheeks heated.
"Let's- let's not do that." Curse my lack of knowledge about his culture.
Lloyd laughed, pulling me along, taking a path into the tidy vegetation.
"Tourists?" I asked as we walked along the stone steps, going deeper into the garden. "How often do you guys have tourists? Wouldn't you be too busy with your ninja-stuff?"
Lloyd shrugged as I slipped my hand out of his and continued on ahead, fed up with his slow pace. My curiosity was on a high that I wouldn't come down from any time soon. The garden looked like something from every classic Samurai movie, with bamboo water features, blushing cherry blossoms and moss-coated granite rocks poking up at random intervals. The whole monastery looked like a backdrop to Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon. But where it was lacking with Samurai, it made up with ninja. It's easy to see how the sensei's remained so chilled all the time – surrounded by manicured nature at its finest.
