ecstasy | corpse husband

chapter 30.

elowen's pulse quickens at the sight of corpse on the other side of the door.

he looks especially tired, clearly not having been able to sleep before coming here. his hair is damp like he'd also taken a shower and rumpled, as if he'd been lying in bed for a while.

they stare at each other wordlessly for what feels like an entire minute but is actually only a few seconds, and the air feels charged. she doesn't miss corpse's gaze raking down the length of her body, clad in only a towel, because he doesn't try hiding it.

elowen's cheeks flush with color as she remembers the details of her lewd thoughts prior to this, of imagining him pressed against her in the shower and how their hands and mouths could explore.

when did she start fantasizing about seeing corpse naked?

that's new. she's also learned today how much she loves the feel of his hands on her. they're much bigger than hers, and his grip is always strong, so sure of its place on her body.

"I'm being punished, aren't I?" corpse finally speaks, drawing her attention, and she shivers at the sound of his voice.

elowen looks upwards, confused. "punished?" she wonders what he's getting at. "who by?"

"It's worse that you don't realize it."

all elowen can do is look upon the strain in his expression, perplexed.

"never mind." his gaze flits downward again. "are you cold?" he must've noticed her shiver that had nothing to do with the brisk air streaming in from the hallway.

"no." quite the opposite, actually. It almost feels surreal that all night, all she could think about was him, and now he's here in front of her. near her, speaking to her, looking at her so intently. she tightens the arm over her chest.

"okay, I'll choose to believe you. can I ask why you decided to shower in the middle of the night?" he asks then.

"you're visiting me at the same hour," elowen points out, moving to lean on the door. she's about to ask if it was because he had trouble sleeping, but that would be a pointless question. she knows the answer. she settles on, "why did you come here?"

he pauses a moment. "I was hoping you wouldn't be awake."

her eyebrows knit together, disappointed. "but then you wouldn't have gotten to see me."

"I know."

elowen stares at him a few more seconds, but his expression is indiscernibly blank. even like that, she senses that he is conflicted.

"I should go," he decides.

"why?" elowen asks, a bit too forcefully. he already came all this way. granted, her room was only a hallway away.

"this is not the right time. It's late, you've had a lot to drink tonight, and you're...in a towel."

"what's wrong with the towel? don't you like blue?" she glances at the dull blue cloth hugged to the middle portion of her body.

"I have no problem with the towel, except that it's the only thing you're wearing."

a line forms between her eyebrows while she tilts her head. "and that bothers you?"

most boys would be elated.

"It should bother you, but you're not thinking rationally. neither of us are."

she watches him clench a hand into a fist, growing impatient with her or something else, and decides this conversation is not going the way she wants. for some reason, he is fixated on her attire, or lack thereof, and it's turning this entire exchange awry. he's gotten huffy with her again, like when she was checking his scratch earlier. It won't be long before he tries to push her away again. this time, she won't let him.