Driving Me Crazy

Chapter 10

"How did you twist your ankle anyway?" Taemin demanded to know. "Were you walking and texting again?"

"No," Magdalena defended. "That was just that one time. This time I stepped in a hole on the side of the road. I mean, why would they leave a hole by the road and not think to fill it up?" she groused.

Just then, Mateo entered. "She's your problem now," he told Taemin. "I'm out," he said. "She's been like this for three days now. I, honestly, couldn't wait for you to get back from your trip. She's unlivable," Mateo complained.

"Hey, kid! I gave birth to you! You try squeezing something the size of a watermelon out of a hole the size of a key lime, and then we'll talk about pain. You don't know suffering, kid," she shot back.

"Well, it's good to see you two getting along so well," Taemin commented dryly. "Did we go through all that healing for nothing?"

"It wasn't for nothing," Mateo replied. "At least I got my door back," he said. Mateo grabbed his jacket and his keys. "Peace, out. I'll remember you all in therapy," he said flippantly on his way out the door.

"Ese chavo," Magdalena complained with a grin. "He talks a big game, but things have actually been a lot better between us. I'm trying to hold back and let him come to me, and I can see that he's trying too."

"I'm so glad," Taemin answered. "I can see that you are less stressed. Your shoulders have dropped like an inch since the last time I saw you."

Magdalena laughed. "Was I really that uptight?" she asked.

Taemin returned her grin. "Do you really want me to answer that?"

"No, you'd better not," Magdalena replied upon reflection. "Listen," she said, changing tones, "Mateo was being a little brat about helping me take a bath. So, I've not had a bath in three days."

"Do you want me to help you?" Taemin asked, trying to control the tremble in his voice.

"Can you be decent?" Magdalena asked with a serious tone.

"Of course," he answered.

"Well, let's get to it, then," Magdalena replied, causing Taemin's stomach to drop suddenly. Taemin lifted her under her arms and guided her as she hopped on one foot toward the bathroom. He sat her down on the side of the tub. He knelt on the floor and unwound the bandage from her ankle, leaving it in a pile beside the tub. She began to unbutton her nightdress. Taemin looked away, his mouth going dry. He decided to busy himself filling the tub.

"Um, can you get my underwear?" Magdalena asked.

"Okay," Taemin replied taking a big breath in. As he pulled her panties off, he held his breath. He was trying not to look, but there were moments as he eased her into the tub that he got glimpses of her smooth skin, the color of milk tea.

"I want to wash my hair," Magdalena said, mercifully pulling Taemin out of his thoughts. "There's a bowl on the shelf over there."

Taemin picked up the bowl and filled it with water, pouring it over her head carefully. He filled his palm with shampoo and began to rub it into her hair. His fingers massaged her itchy scalp.

"Oh, my gosh, that feels good," Magdalena said, rolling her eyes back in her head. Taemin swallowed hard. He rinsed the soap from her hair, using his hand on her forehead to block the soapy water from running into her eyes. "You're really good at this," she said, opening her eyes in time to see Taemin blush.

"I guess I should have been a hair stylist," Taemin replied, willing himself to stay calm.

"Well, it's never too late to find your life's calling," Magdalena joked.

When he had finished with her hair, Taemin grabbed the loofah and put body wash on it. He scrubbed her back, exfoliating all the dead skin. He moved on to her arms and legs. He scrubbed her feet thoroughly. Then he rubbed her soapy feet, using his thumb to press into her arches.

As he rubbed her feet, his eyes caught hers. They held each other's gaze as he continued to rub her feet. He dipped her feet in the water to rinse them. Their gaze remained steady until Taemin finally stood to get a towel. He pulled her up onto her good leg. He held her tightly as she hopped over the edge of the tub and onto the towel on the floor. Her wet skin soaked his thin white shirt.

"I think it will be easier if I set you on the side of your bed to help you dry off," Taemin said as he steered her toward her room. When he sat her down on the bed, she surprised him by lying down, her wet hair soaking through the gray sheets. Her wet curls spread out around her face.

"Do you want to join me?" Magdalena asked him somewhat shyly.

"Are you sure?" he hesitated. "You shouldn't do anything you don't want to do," he cautioned.

"I won't," Magdalena said. "We can take it slow and see what happens," she added. Taemin nodded as he crawled onto the bed beside her. Magdalena slowly unbuttoned his shirt, and he pulled it off of his arms, flinging it onto the floor.

"I feel like I can't breathe," Taemin admitted.

"Should I give you mouth-to-mouth?" Magdalena teased right before feeling Taemin's lips on hers. He kissed her desperately. Suddenly, he stopped and stared down at her, his mouth hanging open as he tried to catch his breath.

"You said before you had never felt desire for a man," Taemin reminded her. "If you still can't feel anything, I don't want to do this. I won't be another guy who just uses you while you lie there feeling nothing."

"I promise I'll tell you the moment, I feel something," Magdalena vowed solemnly.

"Make sure you do," he answered as he dropped his mouth to her neck. He kissed from her ear to her collarbone as his hands rested on her waist, just above the curve of her hips.

He lifted his head again with a question in his eyes. Magdalena laughed. "I'm trying to focus. You can stop checking in on me. I'm concentrating," she said, patting the top of his head.

"It's just that I can't bear the thought of you just putting up with it, waiting for it to be over," he fretted.

"It feels good," Magdalena replied. "I mean, it's not that it feels bad. It's just that I've never really gotten all the way there, if you know what I mean," she said. "But you don't have to keep checking. I'll let you know," she added.

"Okay," Taemin said as he kissed her jawline. He cupped her buttocks and lifted her toward himself.

"Oh, wait, I feel something," Magdalena exclaimed in triumph.

"Where do you feel it?" Taemin asked, excited to be the first man who moved her.

"Right here," she said, pointing to her heart.

"That's the best place ever," Taemin assured her. "I feel it in my heart too," he agreed. "Let me stay by your side forever," he whispered.

"It's cute how you think you could get away from me," Magdalena replied, as she wrapped her arms around his neck.