My Kind of Woman

23. Must Be A Bathroom Thing

AN: Ta-da! I loved writing this chapter, and I don't want to start saying that at the start of every chapter, because I know I will. But, the vacation chapters will hold a special place in my heart ;/)

Two weeks later, and two nights before the trip, I was packing my bags. I thought it would take a good few hours to decide every item that went in, and then to be entirely satisfied with what I'd chosen. I needed to pick good swimwear - and not my for-sport swimsuits, a bikini. I only had two, and I'd never even worn one of them before. My first was a black, thin-strapped piece with a small red and yellow flower embroidered on the hip. The other was a grey-blue two piece that had slightly childish frills on the bottom half, but it was quite fitting for the beach. I was ready to just throw in the first option, but I changed my mind when remembering that the bikini Mio owned was black too. We couldn't be matching! That would be incredibly embarrassing to me, and silly. It probably wasn't the only bikini she owned, but it was the only one I'd seen her in. Meaning there was a high chance that would be the exact one she would take. I hadn't even asked Jackie what bikini she was taking. Ignoring the fact that Jackie would probably be asleep, I rang her a few times until she picked up.

"Jesus Christ, Norah, what the hell do you want?" Jackie groaned, voice sleep heavy.

"Just a quick question," I said.

"That couldn't wait until a reasonable time?"

"No, I need it now."

"Right then. What's it?"

"What kind of bikini are you taking?"

Jackie's end of the line was silent for a moment, then a huge sigh made the receiver crackle. "I'll play along for now, but when I see you next, I'm going to throttle you."

"Okay, until then," I smiled, "what kind of bikini then?"

"My yellow one."

"Yellow?"

"Yeah, have you never seen it?"

"I think I would remember yellow," I said.

She kissed her teeth, "yellow is very my colour, Norah. You wait."

"Hmm, I'm sure."

"Was that all?"

"I think so," I said, "for now."

"Oh, God, don't call me again. I won't answer." And she hung up the phone.

Back in the silence of my room, I glanced back down at the two bikinis laid out against the carpet, then folded the grey-blue one into my suitcase. Pale blues were my colour. It was the perfect opportunity to fish into the back of my closest for the sundresses and beach shorts I never got to wear. A few zip-up jackets for cooler evenings, vests to sleep in, flip-flops and appropriate others went into the case afterwards. I looped one cap around the handle of it and got back into bed.

Two more days. Two more. Then sunshine, french windows, porcelain bathtub, sea and Mio. Only two more days.

-

The morning of the trip, I was nervously whizzing about my house - double, then triple checking everything in my suitcase. They would drive by the house, and pick me up in a car - but not theirs. It was a rental car, with a larger boot than Mr. Reed's sleek automobile. The drive would be long, Jackie told me that, but I didn't mind. Really, I hoped Mio was driving and I'd get to watch her slender fingers curled around the wheel. Seeing her driving would probably be attractive, and I couldn't pin why.

My dad helped me check through my suitcase and gave me a plastic bag of other random things I'm sure I wouldn't need, then told me he'd miss me. I would miss him too - honestly. But, my excitement was far too overwhelming to think that way. To my thrilling list of basics (which was, french windows, porcelain bathtub, the ocean), I'd added bikinis. After a long night of thinking, I'd decided the bikinis made me excited too, me wearing one and her wearing one. The vulnerability of bodies almost uncovered in the sun; it would be a moment to share.