Transform Me (A "Shatter Me" Trilogy Fanfiction)

FIFTEEN: LAZY MORNING

15: Lazy Morning

“I’ll take the couch.”  Kishimoto volunteers when I tell him there’s only one bed in the room.

 We’re both standing in the middle of the living room, trying to settle our sleeping arrangements for the night.

“That’s not necessary.  I always use the bed.  I can have the couch for a change.”  I insist.

“What kind of guy would let a girl sleep out on the couch?  You’re not arguing with me, Violet.  Now go on and get some rest.  Tomorrow’s going to be a long day."        

“Alright then.”  I concede and watch him drop to the couch.  It bounces slightly beneath him as he does this.  “I’ll just keep the bedroom door unlocked if you need to come in.”

He slides me a loaded look.  “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Huh?”  It takes me a beat too long to realize what he’s insinuating.  My ears feel hot and I’m pretty sure my face cherry-tomato red right now.  “T-that’s not what I meant!  It’s just that the bathroom is adjacent to the bedroom, and you can’t get there without going through the bedroom first.  That’s all.”

“Relax, Violet. I know what you meant.”  He chuckles.

Maybe I should lock the bedroom door after all?  I don’t care if he has to go in the middle of the night.  I’m not letting him come anywhere near me while I sleep.

As if reading my thoughts, he assures me with a mischievous gleam in his eyes, “I’ll behave.  I promise.”

“You can pee in the fake potted plant instead.”  I retort.

He barks out a laugh.  “Oh, come on now.  Do you really think I’d prey on innocent girls in their sleep?  I’m no pervert, Vi.”

There’s a hint of hurt in his reply, and I feel slightly bad for assuming something so nasty.  “Sorry.  I never said you were.  Do you want to shower?  You can go in first.  The general has a lot of clothes that’ll probably fit you.”

“A shower sounds nice, although a change of clothes won’t be necessary.  I don’t really wear any when I sleep.”

My eyes widen in surprise, and he bursts out laughing at my reaction.

“I’m kidding, Violet.  Sheesh.  I can’t believe how easily ruffled you can get.”

Normally, with other people, next to nothing could make me lose my composure.  But with Kishimoto, I find that I’ve been unknowingly letting my guard down far too frequently than I ever allow myself to.  It’s a little bit unsettling how easily he can unravel me.

Kishimoto takes a shower first, and I give him his privacy by staying at a respectable distance in the living room.  As I wait for him to finish, I sit on the couch.  I don’t realize I’ve dozed off until I feel something warm yet rough shake me awake moments later.  Kishimoto’s face immediately enters my field of vision.  His hair is dripping wet and a towel is loosely wrapped around his waist. My gaze involuntarily connects with the military tattoos on his arms, which are covered with some droplets of water from his shower. 

I’ve never seen him without a shirt before.  And he smells so clean, too.

“The bathroom’s free now.”  When he says this, I immediately force myself to snap out of my thoughts before they swerve into unregulated territory.

Rising to my feet, I mumble a quick thank you and stalk towards the bedroom and into the adjoining bathroom.  A subtle hint of Kishimoto’s scent lingers in the bathroom air, and the window is still fogged with from the steam.  As I lock the door and begin to undress, I think about how strange it is that, just moments ago, Kishimoto was doing the exact same thing in this very room.