Warm Water

By the time you finally step into the bathroom yourself, the mirror’s still fogged from Jane’s shower.

Warm steam lingers faintly in the air while the sound of the ocean continues drifting softly through the cracked bedroom doors nearby. One of her damp towels hangs over the counter, and your hoodie — still stolen, apparently — sits abandoned near the sink beside her skincare stuff.

Honestly, the entire room already feels very obviously hers somehow.

You shake your head quietly to yourself while turning the shower on.

A second later, warm water finally washes over your shoulders, immediately helping the exhaustion from the day settle out of your muscles.

The beach. The boardwalk. The arcade. The drive. Everything catches up all at once now that the adrenaline’s gone.

For a while, you just stand there quietly beneath the water while your mind drifts back through the day.

Jane laughing at the ocean water. Her stealing your coffee at breakfast. The way she looked in the bikini earlier. The blurry beach pictures. The softness in her voice back on the couch.

The entire trip somehow already feels like something you know you’re gonna think about later.

You run a hand back through your damp hair while warm water continues rolling over your skin.

Then your phone buzzes faintly from somewhere on the counter outside the shower.

You glance toward it through the fogged glass.

Another text from Jane.

You laugh quietly under your breath already knowing it’s probably trouble.

By the time you finally finish showering and step back out into the warm steam-filled bathroom, the exhaustion from earlier feels softer now.

Comfortable.

You pull on a clean shirt and a pair of sweats before grabbing your phone from the counter.

Another selfie.

Of course.

This time she’s laying across the bed near the balcony windows with messy damp hair spread across the pillows while the sunset outside paints everything soft orange behind her. Your hoodie’s back on somehow over the oversized sleep shirt, and the smug little smile on her face makes it immediately obvious she knows exactly how distracting she looks.

The message underneath simply reads:

“Hurry up. I’m getting hungry.”

You shake your head while smiling helplessly to yourself, Completely obsessed with this girl.

When you finally step back into the bedroom, Jane immediately looks up from the bed.

“There you are,” she says softly while setting her phone aside.

You walk over toward her while ocean air drifts gently through the cracked balcony doors beside the bed.

“You survive without me?” you tease.

“Barely,” Jane replies dramatically.

Then she reaches out immediately for your hand anyway. Like she wasn’t kidding entirely. And honestly, you kinda missed her too.

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You spent the evening slowing down together at the beach house:

Relationship Status: +1%

The quiet time apart after such a long day together leaves the evening feeling calmer, softer, and more emotionally intimate instead of overly rushed.

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