Come On, Sweet Catastrophe

I stepped out of the shower, letting out an involuntary gasp as my toes came in sharp contact with the cold tile. It sent a shiver up my spine, goosebumps spreading across my warm skin as it met the cool air. I dashed across the bathroom to the plush rug by the sink, leaving little puddles and wet footprints behind me. My wet hair was dripping down my back, sticking to my skin in an unpleasant way. 

I wiped away the condensation from the mirror, looking at my reflection critically. I don't know why I was doing that. I was never the kind of girl to stare at myself naked in the mirror and pick out my flaws. I was never so obsessed with my appearance. And staring at my own naked form had always just seemed so... Weird to me. I never understood why a person would do it.

Or why I was doing it right now. 

I shook my head, looking away from my reflection. I was shivering now. The cold air had completely eaten through the warmth that the hot water had brought to my skin. I looked around for my clothes or a bath robe--Something to wrap myself in, but found only a small, damp towel hanging on the back of the door. Cursing myself for forgetting to bring something in with me, I reluctantly took the towel. It covered as much as it needed too. There was still s fair amount of cleavage showing above the towel and I'm pretty sure a bit of my bum was exposed, but it would have to do. I'd just have to run. 

When I opened the door and peered outside, I was pleased to see that Derek wasn't around. The air was a lot colder out here, especially against my wet skin. I was tempted to just forget about getting my clothes and get back into the warm shower. However, it wasn't my house, I didn't pay the bill and I certainly didn't want to be the one to use up all the hot water. 

My hair was still wet, drops of icy cold water falling onto my skin. My teeth were chattering and I tried desperately to wrap my arms around myself to keep in as much warmth as possible while holding my towel up. 

Just thinking about the way the cold air would whip past my skin as I ran to the room made me cringe. I guess I had been standing there in the doorway too long, afraid to move. Or maybe Derek could hear the sound of my chattering teeth and came outside to investigate--I don't know, but when I finally started my mad dash down the hall, he stepped out of his room and right into me. 

We didn't hit each other too hard. We both let out a quiet oof at the unexpected contact, but that was it. I think the worst part was when Derek's chuckled apology and his warm smile fell into a more horrified look when he noticed what I was wearing. 

"I-I'm s-sorry." I said quickly, tugging at  the towel. 

"Where are your clothes?" He laughed awkwardly, scratching the back of his neck. 

"My ro-room." My teeth were still chattering, making it unbelievably difficult to speak. "I forgo-ot them." 

We stood awkwardly like that for a long time. Too long, actually, when you considered the fact that I was practically naked and dripping on Derek's carpet. I could tell that he was trying really hard to away. I imagine it was because he felt uncomfortable, but deep down, I hoped that he was having a difficult time looking away because he did want to look at me. That he liked the idea of seeing me so exposed in front of him. 

"You must be freezing." He looked concerned, glancing at me quickly. "Go get dressed. I'll get you a warm sweater or something." 

And then he dashed into his room. I did the same, shutting the door behind me and dropping the towel. I grabbed my clothes from the night before, pulling them on quickly. I shook out the remaining moisture in my hair and tied it up in a knot on the top of head. It still dripped down the back of my neck sometimes, but it was better than the way it had been sticking to my neck before. 

Derek was waiting outside my room with a thick, fleecy sweater when I came out. He smiled sheepishly at me and I smiled back, accepting it graciously and pulling it over my head. 

"Better?" He asked.

"Much." I smiled softly, pulling the sleeves down to cover my cold hands. "Thanks, Derek." 

"No prob." That was the last thing he said to me that night. Well, other than a half-hearted 'bye' as I was leaving. I'm not sure why he had gone so quiet and I hoped I wasn't to blame. Perhaps I had made him feel so uncomfortable he was just waiting for me to leave and rid him of this awkwardness. Maybe he just didn't know what to say. 

As I got in my car, though, even after he hadn't really spoken to me, he still walked me to the door. He stood there, leant against the doorframe, watching me climb into his car. I pulled out of the driveway, giving him a small wave. He smiled back, softly, waving to me as I drove away. I watched him through the rear view mirror the whole time, even as his smile dropped and he roughly rubbed his face, as if to rid himself of something. Like, his thoughts of his feelings or maybe the events of tonight.

I never asked him about last night. We didn't talk about it. But then again, we never do.