I try to avoid Nina’s gaze, watching me in silence.
I exhale slowly and let the clothes fall to the shower floor.
✧ The soaked fabric drops heavy, making a wet thud against the stones.
My jeans are in tatters — long rips down the legs, dark stains covering every inch.
✧ I reach for the shower.
The first drop that touches my fingers is cold enough to make me shiver.
✧ I turn the valve carefully, and the stream shifts, warming gradually.
When the water hits the right temperature, I let it run over the palm of my hand.
✧ The feeling is almost absurd after everything.
I step forward and stand under the flow.
✧ The sound drowns out everything else.
Water slides down my face, my shoulders, carrying the dark liquid that runs down my legs.
✧ The dull roar of cascading water calms me.
