Page 68 of Begin Again

Chapter 18

The day had been great, but not the night. I wanted to flee from this strange bed and look for Kaden. I just couldn’t stop thinking. As soon as my eyes closed, I saw him in front of me; his smile, or the way he ran his fingers through his hair when he was pondering something. And his kisses. I had to stop these thoughts. Today had been so nice and was further proof that our friendship actually worked.

Still, my entire body tingled, also in places that had absolutely nothing to do with friendship. With a groan of frustration, I turned on my side and pulled the blanket over my head, as if to deny my improper thoughts or even my body. It didn’t work. Sleep was impossible. I just tossed and turned in Kaden’s childhood bed. At some point I even caught myself sniffing at his pillow to see if it smelled like him.

We’d come that far. It was pathetic.

In the morning, the aftereffects were visible in the form of deep rings under my eyes. Grabbing the towel that Rachel had left for me, I headed for the bathroom hoping a shower would wake me. Yellowcard was still running through my head; I hummed while lathering the shampoo. I was just putting shower gel in my hand when the bathroom door opened.

“Good morning.”

It was more shocking than the cold water.

“Get out, Kaden!” I hissed. Luckily the shower curtain wasn’t see-through.

Kaden laughed. “You didn’t lock it. That’s practically an invitation.”

Dammit, he was right. I was so used to not having a lock on the bathroom door by now, I’d forgotten to lock this door. “You’re out of your mind, Kaden. Leave!” Now my right eye was burning from the shampoo, and I cursed out loud.

“Don’t let me disturb you.”

Kaden turned on the faucet in the sink and began brushing his teeth.

My refreshing morning shower had taken on a hectic undertone. First I tried to get the soap out of my eye; then soaped myself up in record time, glancing every few seconds at the shower curtain, hoping he couldn’t see through it.

“I had a lot of fun yesterday,” Kaden mumbled, toothbrush still in his mouth.

“Me too. But I’d still like to shower in peace. I thought we were clear on stuff like that,” I griped.

“Don’t make such a big deal out of it, Bubbles.” He laughed.

That arrogant, little…

“Kaden? Are you in there?” came Rachel’s voice from the hall.

“Oh my God,” I whispered, my hands flying up to my face. My silent prayer: Please don’t let Rachel come in here, too.

“Yeah, I’m here.” Kaden seemed unfazed.

“Does Allie prefer coffee or tea? Or maybe just orange juice?”

I bit my lower lip.

“I think Allie would love a cup of coffee.” The water was running again and Kaden spit out the toothpaste. “But you can ask her yourself, Mom. She’s in the shower.”

“Kaden!” I hissed.

He laughed again. “Don’t worry, I’m leaving.”

And in a few seconds he was out of there.

I was going to kill him.

After drying myself off, I slipped into my jeans and a plain shirt and toweled my hair dry. Back in my room, I tucked my nightgown back into my little overnight bag, made the bed, and grabbed my phone before heading downstairs.

“Good morning, Rachel,” I said, entering the kitchen. “Can I help?” I was trying hard not to reveal how embarrassing the bathroom situation had been.

Thank goodness Rachel didn’t go there; she just pointed me toward a chair. “No, please: Just join us!”

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