red hair and a blue hoodie // ed sheeran

Chapter 31 - Overhearing Phonecalls

ZO'S POV:

The shower water ran in front of me yet I could not see it. I could smell the mist and I could feel the steam against my naked arms yet I could not see it. I could hear the crashing of the water against the drain and the bottom tiles yet I could not see it. I could feel the tears run down my cheeks as I moved towards the rush of water, thankful that I couldn’t see how pathetic I felt.

I let the towel crumple on the floor as I stepped under the water. I let it absorb into my hair and I run down my face. It was warm and slightly burned but right now I needed it hot. I needed something to take my mind off things. What did Harry mean?

Is Ed taking good care of you?

His worry filled voice rattled around my head like a pinball in play. I couldn’t shake it. Did Ed have a past that I didn’t know about? Mind you, even though I was a fan of his beforehand, I didn’t stalk him so it is very likely that he could have something in his past that I don’t know about. I reached forward, feeling around the inside of the shower.

My hands came into contact with the tiled sides, the same as my apartment across the hall, than by sliding downwards I found the old fashioned hot and cold water taps. I slid my hands to the side trying to find some sort of soap basin. To my luck I found exactly what I was looking for. I grasped it tightly in my hands, knowing that if I dropped the bar or if I let it slip out of my grip, it would be gone forever to me. I lifted it to my body and rubbed it over my skin, relishing in the clean feeling.

It glided over my stomach and my arms, running through the gaps of my fingers, then back up and down my legs. It was such a simple thing to do but with no sight, it seemed foreign to me. When I was finished, I placed the bar of soap in the basin, proud of myself for not dropping it and then stood under the fresh flow of water, letting the suds wash off my body and down the never-ending drain. I then reached down, near my feet searching for some sort of shampoo or conditioner. My hands bumped into a pump bottle. I pushed down on the top and felt the honey-like texture ooze onto my hand.

Shampoo

I brought it up into my hair and scrubbed hard. I hadn’t washed my hair since the… since the accident. I didn’t want to remember it. I scrubbed hard at my scalp, untangling the knots and washing out the dirt. The faint aroma of strawberries lingered in the air. I let my face crack into a smile at the simple beauty of scented shampoo.

I then stood under the waterfall of water and let the suds wash down my back and dissolve down the drain. After finding the conditioner the same way I had found the shampoo and running my lathered fingers through my hair to moisturise, I carefully stood out of the shower, collecting my towel on the floor. I wrapped it around my body and opened my mouth to call out for Ed. But his voice stopped me.

“…Blind girl Stuart!... She is completely broken right now… She means a lot to me… If she didn’t have me she wouldn’t have survived for this long… She had a nasty fall just the other night… I don’t want her getting hurt… Yes, for the time being I want to stay with her… Just cancel this tour okay? Maybe a few years… Yes you heard me!... I have to go now… Goodbye Stuart.”

His voice faded. A strong sigh was heard not that far away from my door. I let out a heavy breath that I didn’t even know I had been holding as I felt my breath intake quicken rapidly. Blind girl… Completely broken… Wouldn’t have survived this long… He didn’t think I could look after myself. I would show him. 

“Ed!” I called out, trying hard to hide my shaking voice with my sudden burst of anger.

“What is it, love?” He asked from behind the other side of the bathroom door.