Saving Grace

I fluttered my eyes open as I held back a groan. My back was protesting any movement I made from sleeping on the floor.

Carefully, I leaned up from my pillow to find John still fast asleep. I had to admit, he wasn't the prettiest sight to see at the moment. Drool was starting to form at the corner of his mouth and his hair was in desperate need of a good wash.

I forced myself up, still clad in my dress which I had, for some reason, not taken off. I stumbled to the bathroom, my balance off from my dream-filled slumber.

Upon looking in the mirror, I found that my mascara had formed rings beneath my muddy brown eyes and my eyeliner had smudged in every which way. My hair, once done in such elegant waves, was now a tangled mess.

I quietly slid the bathroom door close before slipping the thin, black straps from their place on my shoulders. Careful not to damage the delicate fabrics that composed the cocktail dress, I stepped out of it and into the shower with my shampoo and conditioner bottles in hand.

I cringed as a burst of cold water hit my skin but thankfully it warmed right after.

I stood under the spray of the shower, the warm water droplets relaxing me for what felt like an eternity but frowned when I realized that I'd left my body wash in my bathroom bag.

A faint sound caught my attention, causing me to freeze. I peeked around the shower curtain, listening closely.

After hearing nothing, I brushed it off and stepped out of the shower to get my wash from the tiny bag resting on the counter.

Suddenly, the door opened exposing John. Our eyes flew open wide upon seeing each other. As quickly as I my hands could, they reached for the towel resting on the counter and wrapped it around my body. "John!" I shrieked.

He curtly turned and walked away, shutting the door behind him.

I ran my hand down my face which was turning more red by the second. I reached into the shower, giving up on that task, far too distracted now to finish my shower.

I wrapped myself in my robe which I had left in John's bathroom the previous morning and gripped the doorknob which had a thin sheet of condensation on it from the warmth of my shower before turning it and yanking the door open.

"I am so sorry, Amelia!" John cried the second I stepped onto the carpeting lining the floor of his room. "I had no idea you were taking a shower!"

"How could you not!?" I cried. This was the first time I had ever raised my voice in John's presence, much less at him. He looked taken aback, like he didn't think I had it in me to yell.

"I knocked!" he cried in his defense.

I glared at him, holding my robe around my body though the damage was already done. He had seen me and all of my naked glory just moments before.

"What were you doing anyway?!" he cried.

"I-I was getting my body wash! I forgot to take it out of my bag! The door was shut! That means stay out!"

"There's such a thing as a lock! It was invented god-knows how long ago!"

I shook my head before storming over to my suitcase. I ripped a pair of jeans and a shirt out along with a pair of my panties and a bra before marching myself in the bathroom to change. "Don't forget to lock the door this time!" John called after me.

I spun in the doorway. "Fuck you, O'Callaghan!" I shouted before slamming the door with a force to shake the walls lightly.

After changing, I pulled open the door just in time to see John pull a fresh shirt over his abdomen. We glared at each other as I grabbed my laptop case, my phone and my car keys, deciding to start on my article.

Together, much to my disapproval, we walked down the stairs toward the kitchen where the entire O'Callaghan family sitting at the kitchen table with either a cup of coffee or bagel. They turned to John and I as we entered the room with wide eyes.

John didn't seem to care if his family had heard our argument because he kept glaring at me and for that matter, I didn't care either.

I was positive that the only thing that they had heard was me slamming the door and yelling, "Fuck you O'Callaghan." Everything else John and I had said wasn't loud enough to be heard clearly through the walls.

I didn't bother with breakfast. Instead of dealing with John's glares, I decided to go out to work without having any distractions. "Please excuse me," I said trying my hardest not to sound pissed off though I knew I failed miserably, "I think I'm going to go out for a while."

Without their approval, I made my way out the back door of the kitchen to walk to my car.

I set my laptop carefully in the passenger seat before inserting the key in the ignition.

It wasn't long before I found myself sitting at an outdoor table at a tiny restaurant with my laptop opened before me and a nice, cold glass of raspberry iced-tea in my reach. My blood was still boiling beneath my skin but after ordering a bowl of chocolate ice cream and a side of chips and salsa I felt myself calming despite the odd look the waiter gave me.

I wasn't in the mood for a proper meal and salsa was good as was chocolate ice cream. Of course, not together.

I made myself comfortable in my chair and stretched before resting my fingers easily and comfortably over the cool keys of my keyboard before beginning my article.

I sat outside, under the shade of a brightly colored umbrella for seemingly hours, picking away at my salsa nonchalantly after digging into my bowl of chocolate ice cream.

Too deep in thought and concentration, I didn't notice someone sit across from me.

That was a lie. I did see, I just chose to ignore his presence.

"Is that salsa?" he asked.

I didn't glance up from the screen of my laptop as I replied. "Is that why you stopped? To ask if I was eating salsa?" I asked, my voice soft yet cold as I tried typing and speaking at the same time. It wasn't that easy to do but I wouldn't let John know that.

"No," he admitted.

"Oh?" I asked, my voice mocking the tone of surprise.

He puffed out a breath, as if annoyed with me. "Actually, I wanted to apologize for this morning."

I flickered my eyes up to meet his before carefully closing my laptop, giving him my full attention. "After you practically babysat me last night, I shouldn't be yelling at you," John furthered.

Agreed.

"I was simply taken by surprise. I really didn't expect to see you..." he trailed off before clearing his throat.

"Yeah... Well, I obviously didn't expect you to walk in either." There was a moment of silence between us before I cleared my own throat. "I'd like to apologize also." Despite my pride, I felt a nice 'sorry' was needed. "I probably shouldn't have yelled at you and I'd like to say sorry."

He smiled a little. "Apology accepted."

"As is yours," I replied before opening my laptop once again.

"What are you doing?" John asked, curiosity getting the best of him.

"Work," I replied almost mechanically as I stepped back into my writing zone. Yes, I had a writing zone where I blocked out nearly all of my surroundings.

"I see..." he trailed off before reaching for the bowl salsa that my waiter, Luis, had given me.

I reached over and slapped his hand down before pulling the dish off of the table to rest protectively and carefully in my lap. "Don't push your luck, John," I stated before going back to typing diligently.