Page 11 of Always There For You

“Better go, unless you need me to help with something?”

Amelia looked exhausted when she lifted her chin, gaze pinning Hadley down. “I think I’m stuck here. Right here, on this bit of floor.”

Hadley couldn’t stop her smile. So she reached out to take the flask and uncap it before handing it back. “Try a bit of this. It’s motivation juice.”

Amelia gave the flask a sniff. “Eugh, what is that?”

“Last of the bourbon I got when I worked at that distillery last year. It’ll set your throat on fire if you take more than a sip.”

“Good to know.” Amelia threw the flask back, gulping hard, then flipped the cap back on and handed it to Hadley. Hadley was gaping, she knew it, and Amelia chuckled. “See, you don’t know everything about me.” And then she disappeared behind the screen, robe fluttering.

The tub was half full and Hadley was poking through the wicker basket of bath salts when Amelia asked, “Are there any jasmine ones in there? I saw some rose ones but I’m not a big fan.”

“Um…okay so rose, something called “Cloud Nine” that smells like…yeah, that smells like those pine tree things you hang in cars. Gross. There’s a kind of cinnamon one that isn’t too bad, it’d be like sitting in chai. This one’s nice, it’s a little softer, like candy but not as sweet. Oh, there is!” Hadley pulled the jar out as Amelia came out from behind the screen.

Hadley’s first thought - really her only thought - was how much Amelia looked like a Hollywood starlet. Amelia had a round, open face with the kind of symmetrical sharpness that brought old-school beauty to mind. But in that robe (her robe), with her hair soft and curling over her shoulders and her perfect, pale skin, Hadley saw a redheaded Hedy Lamarr with killer curves.

She felt like she’d been punched. Hadley swayed a little on her feet, gripping the countertop with a hand. “Is that the jasmine?” Amelia asked as she approached, dipping a hand in the water to check the temperature. “Oh, that’s perfect.”

“Yeah. Here.” Her voice was a croak and she coughed to clear it away, drawing Amelia’s concerned gaze. “I’m fine. The smelly ones really smell.”

“You sniffed every one, didn’t you?” Amelia took the jar and began measuring out bath salts. A cloud of jasmine enveloped the room and the water turned opaque, swirling with murky blues and greens.

“Guilty.” She gave Amelia a weak smile. “Now, tea?”

“No, not now.” Amelia nodded at the tub. “I’ll just wait for this.”

Freedom lay just on the other side of the door. She didn’t want to leave, but doing so meant being able to breathe again on her own. “Text me if you need anything?”

What I want to do is rub your shoulders while you sit in a tub of boiling water and try to unwind. I want to gather your hair up on top of your head and watch the loose strands cling to your neck in the humidity. And I want to, so badly, reach into that water and massage your arms, your hands, your legs. I want to take care of you, Amelia, and somehow, even now, that scares me.

“Can you do me a favor, Hads?”

Hadley blinked. “Yeah, of course.”

It wasn’t even close to the brightest smile Amelia had ever graced her with, but this one felt special, somehow. “Can you pick out one of those trashy paperbacks and read it to me? I just…” Amelia’s hands clenched in the robe’s pockets; Hadley could see the outline of her fists. “I need to hear something other than my own thoughts right now.”

She wasn’t going to say something ridiculous like, “Oh, you want me to be in here with you”. A little stunned, Hadley nodded and said, “Yeah, of course.”

When she was free, outside the bathroom and gulping air like she’d been submerged for minutes, Hadley immediately went over to the crowded bookshelves. She let her fingers do the searching, bumping along cracked paperbacks of all different sizes, until she stopped on what looked like a more modern rom-com. Surely that would be okay; innocent enough in the first few chapters. On her way back, Hadley snagged the bottle of white wine from the fridge and hooked mismatched goblets between her fingers.

“Hey Ames, you decent?” she called through the closed bathroom door.

“I’m naked in a tub, Hadley.”

She was not going to try to out-quip her friend. She wasn’t. “Yeah and I have wine and a trashy book, so I win.”

Dammit.

Amelia’s chuckle was almost a soft purr. “You dork, get in here.”

The armchair had moved from the corner (dammit Amelia, don’t move furniture), where Hadley would have only been able to see the back of Amelia’s head, to facing the tub. So they had to face each other. Candles flickered in the cozy warmth of the room. Soft moonlight filtered in through the window on the opposite wall, giving Hadley a silvery path to follow into the room. “Are you sure?”

Arms resting on the tub’s rolled edge, hair piled high on top of her head, her friend looked like some kind princess or wealthy lady. Her wide brown eyes were half-lidded, expression almost sleepy, and Hadley blew out a silent breath at seeing her friend relaxed. “Positive. Read to me?”

And what else could Hadley do but pour them wine and take up her spot in the chair? Amelia sniffed her wine then sipped it, expression melting even further into untethered pleasure. “Good?” Hadley asked, following suit. “Oh, shit. That is good. I thought I was picking a stinker but damn.”

“You thought wine from the store would be bad?” Amelia scoffed but her lips had a certain curl to them; one Hadley knew well. “I never.”

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