Survivor - Connor x OC

I've Grown Accostumed To Her Face

Dean Martin – I've Grown Accustomed To Her Face

Rachel's story had certainly dropped. Taylor had almost forgotten about it, but Sunday was normally a slow news day. The story exploded onto the presses. In the wake of the hearings taking place with Congress, it was all anyone was talking about.

For her part, her social media accounts had been blowing up with messages all morning. Her part in the story was miniscule at best, but because of her role as ambassador to the deviants, people were unduly focused on it. Taylor had also been fielding phone calls and text messages.

Everyone wanted to know more. The story was having its desired effect, she supposed. Sunday was meant to be a day of rest, however, and tomorrow she would have to be right back on the floor, arguing with Ronald Berkley and the rest of Congress. She didn't want to spend her last day off immersed in this as well.

No, Taylor would have preferred to spend the whole day hiding under the blankets with Connor, ignoring the wider world. As it was, he wasn't even here right now. He had gone out to get a brace for her wrist, insisting that she needed to keep it immobile to let it heal. That terrible, worried expression he gave her every time she winced made her eventually give in.

Now she was alone in the hotel room. Rachel had texted her positive messages all day after she let her know that she and Connor had made up. The brunette woman said she would certainly win another award for this article, especially if Taylor was successful in winning citizenship for deviants.

Alex had been quite giddy over the press as well. Her celebrity had been quite muted in comparison to her acting days. Social media celebrity was different than Hollywood, and while she had a steady stream of cameos, interviews, and sponsorships, Alex was certainly welcoming the change of pace.

She didn't know how she felt about it. She had never started this for the fame that it would garner. She wanted to help deviants. She never wanted attention for it.

Sighing, Taylor decided that maybe a hot bath would distract her. At least it would be a valid excuse to ignore her phone for a while. Maybe it would also ease the soreness in her wrist, which ibuprofen and the ice that Connor had forced on her were doing little to alleviate.

The bathroom had a decently sized jacuzzi tub, so she started the hot water and stripped off her clothes while she waited for it to fill. Phone in hand, she placed her earbuds in and started some music, silencing her notifications. Finally, she put her hair up into a bun and sank into the hot water.

She nearly groaned with pleasure. She didn't realize how tense her muscles had been until the water was over her shoulders, easing it away. A sigh escaped her lips, her head falling back against the rim of the tub. She just wished she had some Epsom salts and candles, then it would have been perfect.

As the songs shifted on her playlist, she found herself humming along. Before long, she was singing the words, too. She could vaguely hear her phone still vibrating with messages beside the tub, but she was ignoring it, immersed in the music as much as the water.

When she finally opened her eyes again, she didn't expect to see Connor standing just inside the doorway. Her skin was already flushed from the heat of the bath, but she sunk down lower into the water, embarrassed. Not because she was exposed necessarily. He'd seen every part of her multiple times over the last week.

No, she hadn't expected him to be there, staring at her so intently with his mouth slightly open. She scrambled to silence the music on her phone, splashing water over the side of the tub. In the answering quiet, she peered up at him again uncertainly.

The box containing her prescribed wrist brace was clutched in both of his hands. His eyes were still transfixed on her face, but he'd managed to close his lips. Both of his cheeks were tinged with a slight blue, but she couldn't fathom why he was embarrassed.