Cold Shower
1282 Words
Reig
Clara almost walked directly into a plant on the way out of the rooftop bar.
I caught her elbow before disaster happened.
“Careful, rabbit.”
“I saw it,” she mumbled defensively.
“You were literally walking toward it.”
“It was in my way.”
I looked down at her with a smile I couldn’t stop anymore.
Drunk Clara was still stubborn.
Good.
At least this version of her felt familiar.
The elevator ride downstairs was quiet except for Clara sighing every few seconds beside me, eyes half closed, brown hair messy around her face.
God.
She looked beautiful.
Dangerously beautiful.
The satin red dress clung softly to her figure beneath the dim elevator lights, elegant without trying too hard.
I forced my eyes upward immediately.
Behave.
The underground parking lot was mostly empty when we arrived.
My hand rested lightly against the small of her back while guiding her toward my car.
“Wow,” Clara murmured sleepily.
“What?”
“You got taller.”
I huffed out a laugh. “That’s your observation?”
“You used to look annoying.”
“…Used to?”
She looked at me seriously. “You still do.”
There she is.
I opened the passenger door for her carefully.
“Your chariot, ma’am.”
“You’re making fun of me.”
“A little.”
She narrowed her eyes before trying to sit gracefully.
Trying being the important word.
Because she nearly missed the seat completely.
I caught her by the waist automatically.
My breath stalled.
Soft.
Warm.
Too close.
Clara blinked slowly up at me before smiling lazily.
“You smell expensive.”
I laughed quietly. “You’re drunk.”
“Very.”
“Sit properly before you break your neck.”
“Bossy.”
Still mumbling complaints under her breath, she finally settled into the seat.
I leaned slightly against the door. “Seatbelt.”
Clara stared at it.
“…Too complicated.”
I almost smiled.
Instead, I leaned into the car slowly.
“Move your hair.”
Without questioning it, Clara lifted her hair to one side.
Bad decision, rabbit.
Very bad decision.
My hand brushed lightly against her shoulder while reaching for the seatbelt.
Too close.
Way too close.
I could feel her breathing.
See every detail of her face.
Long lashes.
Warm brown eyes.
Pouty lips slightly parted.
Fuck.
For one reckless second, my eyes dropped to her mouth.
Close enough to kiss.
My body reacted immediately.
Dangerous.
Not like this.
Not when she was drunk.
So instead, I clicked the seatbelt into place carefully and pulled back.
“There.”
Clara stared at me for another second before relaxing deeper into the seat.
“Thanks.”
I closed the passenger door gently before walking toward the driver’s seat, trying very hard not to think about how close I just came to kissing her.
Soft music filled the silence once I started driving.
Then suddenly
“Why did you come back?”
I glanced toward her briefly.
Her head rested against the seat now, eyes barely open.
“Vacation.”
“That’s stupid.”
I laughed softly. “Excuse me?”
“You already have New York.”
There it was again.
That sadness underneath her voice.
I hated hearing it.
“You make it sound like I abandoned a kingdom to come here.”
“You kind of did.”
I watched her quietly for a second.
“You think too highly of me.”
“No,” she muttered. “Everyone else does.”
The words settled heavily inside the car.
Clara stared blankly out the window now.
“I thought you’d forget about us.”
Us.
Something about that word tightened in my chest.
“Didn’t happen.”
“Why?”
Because you stayed.
Because no matter how far I went, some part of me always came back to you.
But Clara was drunk enough already.
So I only smiled slightly. “Maybe I liked the Philippines too much.”
She frowned immediately. “Liar.”
I laughed under my breath again.
God, I missed this.
The way she talked without filters.
The way her thoughts wandered recklessly once she got comfortable.
“You know,” she continued softly, “I almost didn’t go tonight.”
“I know.”
“Mika threatened me.”
“That sounds like Mika.”
Clara sighed dramatically before turning toward me slightly.
“You looked too good.”
My eyebrows lifted. “That’s your complaint?”
“You weren’t supposed to glow like that.”
I laughed properly this time.
“And you,” she continued sleepily, “you became successful and smart and pilot-y.”
“Pilot-y?”
“Yes.”
“That’s definitely a word.”
She ignored me completely.
“I hated it.”
The honesty in her voice made my smile fade slightly.
“No seriously,” she murmured. “Everyone there looked finished.”
My grip tightened around the steering wheel.
“And I’m still…” She frowned weakly. “I don’t know.”
The words hit harder than they should have.
Because suddenly everything about tonight made sense.
The drinking.
The silence.
The forced smiles.
She felt left behind.
And somehow the idea hurt me personally.
“You’re twenty-two,” I said quietly. “You’re not running out of time.”
She laughed softly. “You sound successful.”
“You say that like it’s an insult.”
“It is tonight.”
Then Clara suddenly looked at me again.
“You know what’s embarrassing?”
“What?”
“I used to have a crush on you.”
My entire body went still.
“Like a really bad one,” she continued sleepily.
Rabbit.
Jesus Christ.
“You used to hold my hand during field trips and I’d think about it for days.”
I stared carefully at the road ahead.
Very carefully.
Because if I looked at her right now, I might completely lose composure.
“And then you left,” she mumbled quietly.
That one hurt.
Not because she sounded accusing.
But because she sounded sad.
I glanced toward her finally.
Her eyes were already drifting shut.
“I thought maybe…” she yawned softly. “Never mind.”
“What?”
But Clara was already asleep.
I stared at her for a second before exhaling quietly.
Little rabbit.
Still talking too much.
Still saying dangerous things without realizing it.
Clara stirred slightly when I opened the passenger door.
“We’re here,” I said quietly.
“Mhm.”
She made absolutely no attempt to move.
Cute.
I sighed softly before unbuckling her seatbelt carefully and lifting her into my arms.
Her head immediately fell against my chest.
And f**k.
That almost ruined me.
She fit there too naturally.
Like she belonged against me.
By the time I got inside my condo unit, my self-control was already hanging by a thread.
The city lights glowed softly through the large windows while I carried her toward my bedroom carefully.
Then gently
Very gently
I laid her down on the bed.
Clara shifted slightly against the sheets with a soft sigh.
And that’s when I made the mistake of actually looking at her properly.
The red dress had ridden slightly higher from carrying her.
Smooth skin.
Bare legs.
Soft curves outlined beneath satin.
Jesus Christ.
My jaw tightened immediately.
Because suddenly I became very aware that:
Clara Villanueva was sleeping in my bed.
I had wanted this girl since I was twelve.
And my body was having a very inappropriate reaction to the situation.
I dragged a hand down my face slowly.
Cold shower.
Immediately.
- Writer
