Chapter 35

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"Did you enjoy your shower?" Dustin inquired from where he was stripping the bed of its sheets to be washed.

    It was the next morning, after a much needed and restful night of sleep. Sunlight streamed in through the windows and painted the room in hues of infantile gold that warmed the area in both temperature and essence.

    After all of his joking and teasing, Lumiere still wouldn't let me stay with Dustin – for my own safety he said, although he seemed far too gleeful with the way Dustin begrudgingly let me go. I spent my night with Erie who had absolutely no concerns about personal boundaries and, as I could have guessed, enjoyed asking intrusive questions about Dustin's performance. Half of my night was spent dodging Erie's inquiries while simultaneously basking in the memories of how amazing the performance in question actually was.

    Dustin was pulling free the pillow cases and added to his previous statement, "You were in there for a while."

    I tossed a towel through my damp hair vigorously and contemplated how to address my time in the shower. It had indeed been fine for the first few minutes because my body was somehow still tingling – although quite sore – from my recent activities with Dustin. Everything felt warm and fuzzy, the way one feels after an intense workout. My muscles were loose, my heart was full, and everything else just felt right.

    But before long, the hot water delivered more than just burning cleanliness.

    My head began to swim, so drastically that I could barely see. I first thought it was because of the strain from these last few weeks but I quickly realized it was something much more serious when my dizziness brought me to the floor. I had to sit for several long minutes to keep from passing out.

    I convinced myself it was because the water had been too hot. I forced myself to believe a drop in blood pressure was the cause for my weakened state. I succeeded in persuading myself that my vertigo was a byproduct of too much stress and not enough sleep.

    However, no matter how I tried, I could not explain away the blood dripping from my nose.

    I ended my shower quickly but let the water run at a much colder temperature to reduce the steam that was clogging my sinuses. The running water led Dustin to believe I was still in the shower when in actuality, I was trying to stop the bleeding. I pinched my nose, stuffed Kleenex up each nostril, swallowed incessantly and drank from the facet; anything and everything I could think of to treat the scarlet that leaked down my face.

    It took quite some time before the bleeding subsided and it took a while longer before I was able to emerge from the bathroom without the stain of red above my lip.

    But Dustin didn't need to know that.

    "My shower was wonderful." I lied with a fake smile plastered over my face, "Almost couldn't make myself leave."

    Dustin dropped the sheets on the floor and swept me up into his arms instead, twirling me around before dropping me on the bare mattress. He leaned over me and kissed me again, and I could only pray he didn't taste copper on my lips.

    "Mine was good too. It's a shame our water bill is always so high though." Dustin wiggled his shoulders suggestively, "Maybe next time, we should shower together ... you know, to save money, for the good of the compound."

    I traced his mouth with my finger and watched in fascination as he took it between his teeth, "We both know that is not at all what you are really thinking."

    "Of course not." He admitted, "But I can't say what I am really thinking."

    "Why not?"

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