Hm, I wonder what it takes to get a reader to review. I know that I can be lazy sometimes and just read something, but I've been trying to get over that and actually give the author something to look at, even if I can only manage a "good job." What is it that stops other people from reviewing, though? Makes me wonder...
Owning a bathhouse was one of the few jobs that included getting very, very wet every single day. It was also one of the few jobs where the customers constantly discarded their clothing in your house. And it was the only job in town where you ran the risk of burning your customers to a crisp with water that was much too hot. So it was only natural for Julia to want to test the waters for her customers to avoid such a terrible accident. She wasn't expecting to experience an accident herself, slipping on the edge and falling into the bath fully clothed, so she was caught by surprise and nearly drowned before dragging herself out of the bath. She glanced down at her clothes and whined, "Ohh, they're totally soaked through! I have to change!" Grabbing a towel and running upstairs, leaving a trail of water on the steps, she quickly began to dry off while searching for something else to wear. Finding a similar outfit and putting it on, she sat on her bed to wait for her hair to dry out–only to hear a tentative voice rising up the stairs.
"Hello! Julia? Where are you?"
Is that Max? "Eep!" Rushing to get the water dripping from her hair, she shouted shrilly down the stairs, "Just a minute!" Trying to fix her hair and finding it was useless, she pouted as she imagined walking down to meet the rich man looking as she did. I look like I–well, fell into a bath! Brushing her hair halfheartedly, she journeyed down to see the blond glancing curiously into the men's bath as if to search for her. Moping pitifully, she said with much less enthusiasm than usual, "Welcome."
"Oh, there you are–what happened to you?" She flinched at his surprised question, and her face heated up in embarrassment when he reached out to twirl a strand of damp hair between his fingers. "Did you fall in?"
"Yes," she breathed awkwardly, pulling away slightly to free her hair as she awaited his ridicule. "I was testing the water, and I slipped."
He hummed in sympathy. "I'm sorry to hear that. It's just another price you pay for your customers, though, right?" She nodded, a bit surprised by his pity, and jumped when he held out his hand holding his payment. "Well, there's only one thing for me to do here. Here's one hundred gold." Folding her fingers over the money, he smiled charmingly at her blush before turning and entering the men's bath, leaving her to squeal quietly in delight.
Ooh, how does he do that? Giggling and bouncing from foot to foot, she pinched her arm to make sure she wasn't dream. Why's he got to be so cute and handsome and–ooh! Letting herself indulge in her imagination for a while, something nagged her in the back of her mind that made her think she had forgotten something. What could I . . . Patting herself as if looking for her wallet, she eventually realized what was missing when she bent down to adjust her outfit and could only see her hair cascading around her face. "Oh! My cover!" She grabbed her head only to tug a handful of hair, and she rushed up the stairs to tear apart her room for the article of clothing that would perfectly complete her look. "Where did I put it? I thought I . . . oh, no!" She slapped a hand over her mouth when she realized she left it in the men's bath. Shoot! She snuck back down the stairs and pressed her back against the wall, her heart beating so fast she thought it was going to explode. What should I do, what should I do?
She was startled out of her deliberation when Max called out from the waters, "Oh, Julia, you forgot something!"
Relieved and terrified at the same time, she asked carefully, "Are you decent?"
There was an indignant snort from just around the corner, making her jump in surprise. "Of course!" He suddenly poked his head around and held out the cover, flashing another charming smile as he advised her, "You should be more careful of where you leave your things." She nodded mutely, blushing furiously when he gently patted her head before returning to his bath, and then she skipped over to place her elbow on the counter and her chin in her palm, sighing longingly. Oh, Max, do you have any clue what you do to me?
Deciding to try to dry her hair off once more, she walked upstairs and grabbed the forgotten towel on her bedspread, wrapping her drenched gray tresses and lightly squeezing them to get all of the water out. Her image was very important to her, so she didn't dare let it tangle as she quickly ran a brush through her hair. She was so engrossed with her task that she didn't notice the time flying by, and when she heard the jingling of the front door striking the bell she jumped in surprise. "How long has it been?" Alarmed at the thought of missing customers, she sprinted across the room and spun around to run down the stairs, forgetting the water from her bath accident left on the steps until it was too late. Slipping halfway down, she screamed and closed her eyes, desperately throwing her arms protectively in front of her face. Instead of striking the hardwood floor, however, she ran into something much less painful, and a light grunt alerted Julia that her savior was very much a living being.
Her eyes shot open to see Max looking down at her with an amused grin, and her face turned apple red as she spluttered in embarrassment, apologizing for running into him. He shook his head, pulling her a bit closer before releasing her with a chuckle. "Don't worry about it," he told her, "but make sure to be more careful, alright?" When she nodded meekly, his grin grew a bit more mischievous, and he ruffled the hair she had tried desperately to fix. "There's no need for you to throw yourself onto me–I already know about your affections."
"M-Max!" Face turning redder by the second, she fumed in humiliation as he laughed at her fury. "That's not funny!" Shouting about manners and how to "properly save a lady," this was how they were found by Max's sister: Embarrassed beyond belief by his comment, and laughing with such glee he was holding his stomach in pain.