The Turn of a Page

Chapter 12

Chapter 12

            Creeping into the porch and hallway part of the house wasn’t exactly as easy as I was expecting. It was about eleven and I had just got home after going for a small drive round town to help clear my head. I could hear the TV playing from the lounge and the light was on as it was seeping through the gap between the door and the floor.

            I knew how desperate I was to get a shower; if any of the guys were to get too close it wouldn’t be long until they guessed something was amiss. So before anyone checked to see who had just walked in (I wasn’t sure who else might be out), I ran up the stairs. Once in my room, I grabbed a towel so I could have a shower in the smaller bathroom.

            While I was under the warm water, someone rapped on the door. I stopped the flow so I could hear whoever it was. ‘Who is it?’ I called out.

            ‘It’s Baz. Is everything ok now?’

            On hearing his voice, I got out of the shower and wrapped the towel securely around me. I opened the door a tiny bit so I could look at him and him at me. ‘Everything’s fine now. I feel better after my drive.’

            ‘So why are you in the shower?’ he asked, while he leaned on the door frame with crossed arms.

            ‘I thought it might help a little more. Are you ok?’ I asked back out of kindness.

            ‘Of course. Charlie and I have had a few beers, but we were just about to go to bed. Did you want to be alone tonight?’ He gestured to my bedroom door.

            ‘I wasn’t sure. I thought maybe about this time you’d be in bed yourself and I didn’t want to disturb you. But since you are awake, did you want to join me? Or me join you?’

            ‘Sure. When you’ve dried off and sorted your hair,’ he stated, moving his hand up and down in the air. ‘Just knock and come in. I’ll leave the door unlocked for you.’

            ‘See you in a bit then.’ And he wandered off up the stairs with a small glance back at me with a sweet smile.

            I finished drying myself off and sneaked to my room (towel securely around me), dried my hair and put on my pyjamas. Stepping softly up the stairs, I knocked on his door (like he said to do) and then opened it so I could just fit through the gap. The bedroom light was on, and he was sat at his computer desk typing away an essay he had to do from English.

            Wandering over to him, I watched as he rubbed his face with his hands; from where I was he looked very tired and seemed oblivious to the fact that I was even there.

            ‘Baz?’ I said, before putting my hands on his shoulders and rubbing them.

            ‘Mmm, that’s nice,’ he responded and rolled his head backwards to look up at me. ‘Have I been ignoring you lately?’

            Confused as to why he thought this, I furrowed my eyebrows. ‘No, why do you think that?’

            ‘Because you seem to be rather quiet recently and sort of blending into the background as you might say.’ He took my hands off him, before spinning his chair around and standing up with a stretch of his arms above his head. ‘I hope I haven’t. I wouldn’t want to be pushing you away and not even realising it,’ he continued as he walked over to his wardrobe and undressed. Slipping on some shorts, he stepped over again. ‘You couldn’t do me a favour and continue your little massage on the bed, could you?’