Page 28 of Deck of Scarlets

I missed my filtered water back home.

I lathered, rinsed, and repeated the shampoo in my hair, letting the water soak my entire scalp. It felt good to just let the water touch my face, if only to hush the loudness of my thoughts for a few minutes. Finishing the shower in roughly ten minutes, I then wrapped the floor-length towel around my torso, only to remember I lost my other slipper and returned to my room. Rounding the corner, I was unprepared for the stiff body standing just outside my room, colliding right into them, head first.

“Ouch!” I yelped.

“Oh, crap, sorry! Remi?”

It all happened so fast that my head spun from the hit. “Uh… yeah, that’s… me.”

“Where’s your room?”

Man, that male voice sounded familiar. “Uh…”

My eyesight blurred from the pain; I couldn’t comprehend where I was standing.

“I just need to…”

“Whoa! Your towel!”

But I continued to rub my eyes, trying to subside the unwanted specks in my vision, until, eventually, they diminished from my line of sight. That was when I realized Kal’s hands were holding the towel around my body.

“Oh!” I tugged the towel away from his grasp and stepped back, wrapping it securely around me.

“Hi,” he said with a smile.

“Hi.”

“I wasn’t—”

“I know,” I interjected as my cheeks grew hot from embarrassment.

“Right. I’m sorry I almost knocked you out,” Kal apologized.

I started to laugh. “It wouldn’t be the first time… second.” Josh’s stupid face came to mind. The prick.

He also joined in with the laughter, his smile contagious and bright.

Then I remembered I was standing there wholly naked underneath a towel, wet hair dripping on the floor.

“Well, I’d better get back to my room and change,” I announced as if it wasn’t obvious.

Kal pushed back his blond hair from his eyes. “Yes, that would be a good idea.”

When did the air between us get so awkward? Maybe because I subconsciously rejected him the other day but agreed to his apology dinner that wasn’t an actual date.

I thought I made it known I wasn’t interested on a deeper level… was agreeing to the date sending that message? Shit.

“Right, well, see ya around, I guess.”

“Right. See ya.”

We stood facing each other, wondering who would move first, but my legs didn’t want to move; my mind had other ideas for us that involved a dark closet with no clothes. Because it was college, and no strings attached was my favorite game to play lately. The sudden urge to rip his clothes off and feel his naked body against my own left sinful feelings between my legs.

There was something seriously wrong with me.

I could blame it on Josh pissing me off earlier this morning, and I wouldn’t have minded blowing off some unnecessary steam.

“So,” I said.

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