Falling Slowly

Pt.3|Ch.9

The second time I woke up, it was around 7:30 in the morning.

Sky's voice could be heard from the kitchen, and the sound of shower water could be heard through the bathroom door.

My first thought was to get out of bed, but preventing a scolding from Austyn was more important than stretching my legs.

The least I could do was sit up and check my phone. Unfortunately, that left me bored after three minutes, and I was subject to twiddling my thumbs and staring at the wall.

Josh saved me from my restlessness when he came out of the bathroom a few minutes later, with his damp hair sticking up and a big smile on his face.

"You look happy." I commented.

"My hair smells like peaches." He declared, crossing the room to get a pair of socks from his suitcase. "Why're you still in bed?"

"Austyn wants me to stay in bed until at least eight."

He glanced at the clock. "You've only got a couple more minutes. Are you gonna get a shower?"

I nodded. "Yeah."

"Word of advice," he gazed at me seriously, "wash your hair with the peach soap. You'll thank me later."

He was right: it smelled exactly like the fuzzy orange fruit, and I was seriously considering stealing it from him again.

After I'd gotten a shower, combed my hair down, and made the bed, it was 15 minutes after eight o'clock.

I unplugged my phone and made to leave the room, but a notification popped up.

1 Missed Message from Mom

I sat back down on the edge of the bed opened up the text.

Mom

«It looks like I'm going to arrive a bit earlier than expected.»

«The earlier the better!»
«Do you want to go somewhere for lunch?»

«Whatever you guys were going to do. I'll just tag along.»

«Okay, I'll let you know when I figure out what the plan is.»

A knock sounded at the door as I slipped my phone into my pocket.

"You can come in." I answered. "I'm awake,"

"That's a relief." Austyn said, stepping into the room. "You didn't come skipping into the kitchen at exactly eight o'clock, like I thought you would." She sat down next to me and smirked. "I thought you'd died, or something."

"No." I replied, kissing her cheek. "Just got a shower."

"You smell like peaches."

"Josh let me wash my hair with his peach soap."

She quirked a smile. "All we have to do now is get Sky to use it, and then all three of you can smell like peaches."

I nodded. "You should wash your hair with it, too."

"Isn't it a men's soap?"

"No." I shook my head. "It's just from 'Bath and Body Works'."

"Ah," she laughed, "so it's a women's soap."

I shrugged. "It's definitely more feminine than anything I've ever washed my hair with, but it's still soap."

"You're ridiculous." She laughed again, pressing a quick kiss to my lips and moving to stand up. "Do you want to go eat something?"