𝐏𝐡𝐨𝐭𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐩𝐡𝐬 | Lou x Debbie

sei

• ＰＨＯＴＯＧＲＡＰＨＳ •

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ᴛʜᴇ ᴄᴏʟᴅ ᴡᴀᴛᴇʀ elicited shivers as I submerged myself in the bathtub. The fragrance of roses enveloped the air as I reclined, shutting my eyes in pure bliss. Ah! How I love my life! This day has been going on for so long; I'm not complaining, though.

Earlier today, Debbie and I lingered on the ground floor for what felt like an hour, engrossed in conversation and simply absorbing the spectacle of the sun descending, painting the horizon where the cerulean sky meets the azure ocean beyond. It was a sight I had yearned to behold for an eternity. And sharing this moment with a stranger—although not quite a stranger anymore—beside me to do that again just feels special. Debbie is, for some reason, peculiar in a way that makes no sense to me. I don't usually trust strangers, not when they drag me out of Rome and ask me to come with them. I gave up on trying to decipher whether it's her brown eyes that bewitched me or her captivating smile that made me trust her more than I've trusted anyone in my entire life.

Once I felt my body relaxed enough, it didn't feel like I'd spent half an hour on the tub, just thinking about things—well, mostly, about a certain brunette.

Finally rising up, my feet began shivering, only to come into contact with the cold white tiles of la stanza da bagno. I marched naked to grab the clean bathrobe folded neatly on the shelf at the corner—untouched but seemed weekly washed. Maybe Zia still kept it in the laundry for the past few months, even when I'm not here. That old lady has been with me for as long as I can remember. She basically raised me, and I do love her like my own mother.

I felt awful walking away from her like that, a pang of regret tugging at my heart. But despite the turmoil swirling within me, I couldn't bring myself to harbor any resentment toward her. However, somewhat unexpectedly, I've found myself divulging everything to Debbie. Not because she necessarily deserves to hear any of it, but because for a while, I've longed to unload it all, and confessing to the brunette, who's nearly a stranger as I am to her, just feels easier.

I stood before the large mirror above the sink, staring at my own reflection. Maybe this is such a good day to only be ruined again by the thoughts of my past. I sighed before walking out of the bathroom, only to be surprised by the sight of a woman sitting at the edge of my bed, staring at the ceiling like the white surface would give her the answers to all of the questions growing in her mind. A smile grew across my lips.

"Someone's spacing out." For a second, I was guilty of ruining her little peaceful pondering. When her eyes finally let go of the pale dome and found their way towards me, my smile grew wider.

But I almost lost control when I noticed how she flinched a bit when she saw me standing before her. Only then did I realize that my body was merely covered by a robe and that I was practically naked inside. I didn't know if I did see it right, but in a split second, I saw how her eyes graced me from head to toe, and she swallowed hard. That didn't pass my apprehension. Did she just check me out?! Do straight women do that too? I could feel my cheeks getting burned as I cleared my throat and crossed my arms, trying to breathe normally. I knew she got back to her senses too; once she attempted to straighten her posture and looked away, the movement was as fast as a bolt of lightning. Debbie took the time to look around before meeting my eyes once again.