"What are you doing up?" I asked, making no movement to better cover myself with the towel. I shivered slightly, but still refrained from wrapping the linen around me. If she was going to open the bathroom door without knocking, then I was making no effort toward privacy either.
"I wanted to make sure you weren't taking another cold shower," she said simply. Even as she said it, I could feel the cold beads of water still sliding off my skin, still feel the slight vibration of my teeth.
After working a double shift at the bar, coming in at ten to open and leaving at one, a hot shower would be heaven for any sane bartender. After all, I had managed to cover myself with a jack coke, not to mention the sweat from the constant movement of a restaurant. My muscles ached from the day, then they sored from the hour long commute.
But growing up, hot water had been a commodity, a luxury, a birthday-treat. Cold showers were familiar to me, and even though we lived comfortably, I couldn't help but wince at the thought of unnecessary utility bills.
Avery had always argued with me. Not for finding cold showers familiar, but for my slight hesitation and guilt toward taking hot showers. If I had a dime for every time Avery had told me I 'deserved a hot shower,' I wouldn't feel guilty about taking hot showers. But I have no such magical dimes, and so the cycle continued: I kept on taking cold showers, and Avery kept on holding me tight under the covers while I shivered in our bed.
Lost in my thoughts, I hadn't noticed her close the space between us, the distant creaking of the bathroom door escaping my notice entirely. What did not escape my notice, however, was her hand suddenly resting on my stomach.
Her fingertips were warm; I shivered at her touch. Even after two years of dating, I still felt a slight vulnerability standing naked in front of her.
I smiled weakly. "No cold showers here. Let's go to bed." I made a movement, intending to pull my towel around me when Avery's hand caught mine. She pulled me closer, and my stomach ached with a passion I was heavily familiar with.
She had to stand on her tip-toes to reach my ear, but her hot breath sent shivers racing across my back nonetheless.
"Why don't you let me show you how relaxing a hot shower can be?"
She said it with a tone of mixed innocence and seduction - something she knew drove me crazy. My eyes fluttered closed for a moment, imagination running free.
I found myself nodding. "Yes. Yes, you should definitely do that."
Avery smiled and reached her hand to the back of my neck, a familiar motion for when she wanted my lips close enough to kiss. And kiss we did, a simple I-missed-you-today kiss, followed by a playful nip at my bottom lip.
"Stay here," she whispered.
She pulled away, taking my towel with her and dropping it on the floor. She smirked, stepping fully-clothed into the shower and drawing the curtain behind her. Confused, and still very cold, I instinctively moved to follow her.