Chapter Nine

Lachlan was surveying himself in the mirror. "Not good enough" he thought as he took off his shirt and threw it on his bed where a dozen others piled up together. It was almost time for him to meet serenity in her room. After he woke and took a shower his mother had come into the room complaining that they never should have come in the first place. Apparently Lachlan's father had gotten as drunk as his brother did and almost toppled off the roof while doing impersonations of his wife. It would have been funny if he finished Lachlan thought as his mother exited looking stern.

He looked at the bare body in the mirror, nothing but jeans on he began to flex his muscles but to no avail, he was still a little scrawny in his eyes. He looked into the suitcase once more and finally found the nice buttoned-up shirt he had been looking for; threw it over and took one last look at himself. Looking at his reflection he could see his clock, which showed that he only had five minutes left before 7. He quickly grabbed his cell phone and wallet and sprinted out the door.

As he walked towards the elevator he could help but think of what she wanted to do together until the thought struck him that made his throat run dry. The party was already over, what if she was leaving? What if she wanted to say goodbye? "No I'm just being paranoid" he thought as the elevator sprang open and he entered. The hours of anticipation and excitement would be wasted if what he feared were going to come true. He could not bare the thought of it yet; everything that had happened to him on this trip had been like a dream come true, even falling down the stairs, because if he didn't, he would not be where he is right now.

Serenity had been the one thing that was missing from him, the missing piece of the puzzle that was Lachlan Gates, he felt it, and he just knew it.

As the Elevator door sprang open he walked into the hallway clutching the note she had given him, "1216…1217…1218!" he said as he stood in front of the door looking strait into the eye hole. He checked his watch to see that he was 10 minutes late. Raising his hands he knocked gently on the door. "Oh come on not even a dog could hear that" he thought and felt rather stupid. He knocked again, this time a little louder. He stood and waited for what seemed like minutes, still no reply came. Had she left already? Was he too late? He knocked again, after waiting for a couple of minutes; without thinking he put his hands on the doorknob and turned it "it's not locked"

Was she ok then? Has she left? He thought as he swung the door open. He stepped inside the room that was very similar to his. The room looked like it had just been used as chairs were not pushed in and the bed sheets were still not made. He gave a sighed a breath of relief as he saw her large suitcase near the bed, very untidy with clothes hanging out of it. Where was she then?

His thoughts were answered when he heard the running sound of water. In his hasty attempt while entering the room he realized that the water had been running the whole time now. He peered into the direction of the bathroom where the door was slightly open. "Oh god"

He knew he shouldn't but for some reason his foot kept stepping after the other until he had closed the distance and was in front of the bathroom door, the sound of the shower still running. Realizing that he would be dead if caught he slowly peered his head inside and felt his whole body redden. There in front of him was the naked body of Serenity; her back towards him in the shower, she was rinsing her hair of soap, and he couldn't help but notice her curves and smooth behind.

Lachlan had to leave, this was not right. He still had time; she had not noticed him yet. Maybe he could go out the door and knock again, it seemed like a good idea. But Lachlan could not move his feet at the moment. He had never seen the naked body of a woman, well not in person at least.

Realizing that he was breathing too hard she quickly turned around and saw him. Several things happened at once. A girl was screaming grabbing her towel, a boy trying to move his legs somewhere, anywhere, a slippery wet floor and hard knock to his head and all was dark again.