Shower Talk

Drew guides Catherine through the front door carefully and awkwardly. Catherine deposits her purse on the couch before collapsing into the cushions, exhaustion taking over her. Drew stands uncomfortably by the closed door. Catherine tilts her head back to see Drew has become a statue. “What are you doing?” The question floats off her lips confusedly and low, as if she just woke up or is about to go right to sleep. Drew shifts, slightly taken aback by the question. “Um I’m getting ready to leave?” He had meant for it to sound like a statement, but he was immensely befuddled at her question that he ended up almost asking her if he could leave. “Can.. can you stay? I know I’m fine, and everything. It’s just...I’m just...I don’t really wanna be alone right now.” Drew watches as Catherine pours her whole heart out to him, hoping to find a friend for the night. But, the thing was, Drew wasn’t quite ready. “Well, I mean…” He had begun his polite rejection, but then he made the mistake of looking at her. Into her eyes, at her face, at that little frown gracing her lips. And, for the first time that day, he felt himself lose the strength he had over himself. “Don’t you think it would be kinda...awkward?” Catherine regarded him with a face full of perplexion. “Why would it be awkward?” The question was so innocent, yet opened a can full of worms for Drew. “Uh, well...you see, uh.” The first time of the day that he gets tongue tied, isn’t in his presentation, or at work, it’s in front of the love of his life. Catherine stares at him with a raised brow and a quizzical look in her eyes. Drew finally snaps, and blurts out the words he’s been forcing down for the past three weeks. “Are we going to acknowledge that time we platonically showered together, or what?” Catherine takes a breath in after the words had left his mouth, and Drew, knowing they would probably be talking for a long time, twisted the lock sideways until he heard the click. He takes a step towards her as a new found confidence surges through his veins, when he notices the blazing red blush that covers her full cheeks. “Well? I mean, it’s been..what? Three weeks? Since it happened, we haven’t even mentioned it a tiny bit, it’s actually kind of alarming. I mean, that’s not something friends normally do.” With every sentence completed he takes a step closer to where she’s sitting on the couch. Catherine can feel the pressure that Drew’s putting on her to answer him. So, she does. “It was platonic for you.” Her voice is a small sound in the house, yet he’s able to hear every word she says. “It might’ve been platonic for you, but it wasn’t for me. Friends don’t have showers together, they don’t comfort each other the way we did, they don’t...hold each other the way we do. I...acted, like it was platonic for me, I didn’t want to freak you out. I just...I really needed help bathing, and I needed the comfort...I needed you.” Catherine’s confession comes slowly, quietly, and as a shock to Drew. She stands as she mistakes the shock on his face for disgust or embarrassment. She begins to cross the floor to the door in order to let him out. “I-I’m sorry. You-you should go. I’ll see you around, okay?” She faces the door, trying to keep her unshed tears hidden from him. She just wanted him to leave so she could cry. But Drew had other ideas. He strides towards her in three large steps, spins her around by the waist, and pushes his lips against hers. He tries to be gentle, but can barely contain his excitement at finally being able to kiss her. Catherine is understandably taken aback by Drew’s actions and in her shock, takes a step back and ends up pressed against the door. Drew is worried for about a half-second that she’ll push him away, but is relieved when she grabs him by the shoulders and kisses back. He presses himself even closer to her, savouring the moment that he’s been dreaming of for the past year. Catherine holds on tighter and pours all of the passion and love she can into that kiss, just to make sure her feelings are clear. Drew’s mouth twitches up into a small smile, in the middle of their passionate liplock. He pulls away from her hesitantly, yet content. They make eye contact and if they had an audience, those people would say that they read each other’s minds. No words were used, yet they had a full conversation. With their eyes. In that moment, against that door, they both agreed that, that kiss, was the start of everything. Drew’s smile turns into a grin as he quickly lowers himself, grabs onto the undersides of Catherine’s thighs, and lifts her up against his body. Catherine screams with laughter as she wraps her legs around his waist and arms around his neck. “What are you doing?” She manages to get out amidst giggles. Drew stares up at her with adoration in his eyes as a mischievous thought flitters into his mind. “I’m taking you to the shower. This time, we’re having a romantic one.” Excitement and happiness courses through her body at his words. Excitement and happiness course through his body at the sight of her smile and eager nod of her head. Laughter is the only sound audible in the household as he carries the beautiful woman to the bathroom.