We'll Always Remember
Author's Notes: I can honestly say this is my favourite chapter so far. When I sat here and thought, "right, what do I want to happen here?" I drew a pretty serious blank. However several late night conversations with my wonderful beta Brooke and my extra new muse Taylor meant I was all sorted. I was heard to say to Brooke on many an occasion "This is so fun to write!" and I meant it – it just seemed to flow. Which resulted in it being the longest chapter so far! Quick thanks to Taylor, and Brooke – thanks for thrashing it all out with me – I know I left you wishing I'd get on and finish it already! And Brooke you were my amazing beta as well, also thanks for the help with the title! Don't forget to leave a review, either here or at surrender_something@hotmail.com – I'd love to know what you all think!
Last, but not least…enjoy! Because I certainly enjoyed writing it.
Disclaimer: Song used in first scene is "Diamond Road" by Sheryl Crow. Again, you know the drill. I don't own any of the characters, past storylines that I may mention…all I own are the ideas in this chapter.
Characters: John Carter/Abby Lockhart (who wouldn't be the characters that they are without the rather amazing Noah Wyle/Maura Tierney – I was only saying just now that I wouldn't be able to write stuff like this without the convincing performances they give)
Rating: PG-13
Spoilers: Nothing after "The Letter"/"On The Beach". Forget all about the events of "Lockdown," the whole of season 9 and any spoilers or episodes of season10 (which I'm not spoiled for anyway)
Summary: the tale of a friendship progressing into something much more, told through a series of poignant firsts charting discoveries about each other, their relationship...and love.
Chapter 6: Here and Now
Abby's POV
'Remind me again what the reason behind this party was, Susan' I query, trying to remember what exactly she'd said when inviting people…
'A good party needs no reason Abby. But, y'know, we could consider it a celebration of our latest couple!' she points out, even though we've been over this countless times since her little organised confession a couple of weeks ago. Well at least you can say she doesn't give up easily!
'No, no, nooo! Suze you promised! No telling everyone till we say so' I insist, tilting my head as she considers her answer. 'We just…want to get used to it ourselves, you know? Its not really that much to ask, a little longer without the whole ER analysing our every move, its bad enough with you doing it!' I tease, eliciting a smile from her at least.
'Okaaay' she relents, somewhat grudgingly. 'But you guys are going to have to keep your hands off one another unless you're going on the basis of people figuring out for themselves'
'You know that might not be such a bad idea really. Save a whole lot of embarrassment…' oops. Guess that was the wrong thing to say. She's got a 'you dare' look on her face. 'Kidding Susan, kidding.'
'Hey you guys, check out Dr Chen and Pratt!' Chuny announces, settling herself between the two of us. 'Talk about unprofessional relationships!' Hmm. This may possibly be the only time I say this about Pratt, but I'm grateful he's taken the focus off of John and I for a bit!
'Oh gross. Mind you, there's more than one of them going on around here' Spoke too soon. And let me tell you I'm seriously going to kill Susan one of these days. Discretion just isn't a word she's overly familiar with!
'Ooh who?' Chuny immediately enquires inquisitively. I swear she was a sniffer dog in a former life – she's certainly got great technique when it comes to uncovering gossip! I glare at Susan, and mouth "You dare" at her…
'Oh did no one tell you…? Frank's followed in Kerry's footsteps and is madly, passionately in love with Jerry' she deadpans…and yes, I'll give her some credit for that. She's certainly got a…very overactive imagination! Which is slightly worrying, considering the amount of time she spends trying to figure out my relationship!
'You're so hiding something Dr Lewis' Chuny surmises, with a knowing look in my direction.
Well, at least she doesn't suspect that I've got something to do with it!
'Hey Randi! Check out…!' Chuny calls, disappearing off to spread her gossip in another corner of the room. I turn my gaze to Susan, who holds up her hands in defence.
'I didn't actually tell her!'
'You were about to!' I shoot back, matching her glare with my own for a matter of seconds, before we both laugh.
'Oh go…talk to loverboy over there! He's looking a little lonely. And I have to play hostess!' she grins, giving me a push in his direction before wandering off to capture her next innocent victims. I roll my eyes and laugh, making my way casually over to where John's standing.
'Don't tell me, Chuny now knows as well right?' he deadpans.
'Actually no' I quip, pausing while deliberating over whether to say more. 'Although Susan did come fairly close to telling her' I eventually add, shrugging my shoulders slightly.
'Well if you will tell the most gossip hungry doctor in the ER…'
'I didn't tell her, she forced it out of me! And don't be rude about your friends, you never know how much of it might get back to them'
'Is that a threat?'
'Could be. And anyway, not that it's any of your business…we were talking about Jing-Mei and Pratt' I reply…because he can talk. He's as eager for gossip as the rest of us - the Susan's, Chuny's and Randi's of this world included.
'What about Deb and Pratt?' knew it!
'Now who's the gossip-hungry one? And it's Jing-Mei now' he waves a hand in the air, acknowledging both of my points…and I wait just a moment longer before continuing with my sentence. 'They're dancing' I gesture over to them, 'just a little too close. Which Chuny has decided is unprofessional…and considering how close she is to Malik right now, I don't think she's really one to talk.' He laughs, turning slightly to look around the room. 'Of course if she'd been looking at them now, I'd say it's gone way past a professional relationship!'
'Lovely' he rolls his eyes. 'I'm glad we're being discreet now, considering how that's making everyone feel!' I smile, averting my glance from Jing-Mei and Pratt's…show, as the opening chords of what I know to be Susan's favourite slow-ish song start. 'Hey, considering that everyone's paired up…wouldn't it make more sense for us to dance, rather than stand here looking awkward? As we're trying not to attract attention…'
'That sounds like a perfectly acceptable idea to me!' I smile, allowing him to lead me towards the middle of the room. His hands fall to my waist as I rest my own just above his elbows – I need some way of physically keeping some space between us! As the lyrics start, I can't help myself singing along… 'Walk with me the diamond road, tell me every story told…'
And I stop short as he tilts his head, regarding me with an amused and slightly inquisitive look.
'Didn't realise you were a singer' he comments in an attempt to be casual.
'Didn't realise you were a dancer' I counter, laughing softly.
'Gamma's doing. Got an explanation for the singing?' he enquires, but I just raise an eyebrow, squeezing his arm gently as we move in time with the music.
'Hey! Check out Dr Carter dancing with Abby!' I hear Randi's attempt at conspiratorial conversation with Chuny from at least halfway across the room, and I roll my eyes, looking back at John. He offers a small smile and a half-hearted shrug.
'They're just speculating' I point out. 'Just like they were speculating over Jing-Mei and Pratt, only we're more careful than they are'
'How do you fancy making a subtle exit…separately of course…and going somewhere quieter?'
'Sounds like a pretty good plan to me'
…
'Do you think they've really guessed about us?' I ask softly, linking my hand with his as we walk along the shores of Lake Michigan. He shrugs slightly, rubbing the side of my hand with his thumb.
'Hard to tell. But…I don't know Abby, even if they have I'm not sure if I'll really mind. It's getting harder and harder to keep this a secret…' he pauses, and I glance up to see him staring at the reflections in the lake. 'I just…I don't know, it sounds stupid but…I'm fed up of only being able to do this when no one's around'
If you were reading that in some sappy romance novel, you'd cringe right? But I've got to admit, it's a whole different situation when someone actually says it to you…and means it. Because I know he does – his eyes are a give-away every time. I lean up, giving him a soft kiss on the lips. He catches my eye, and I smile, squeezing his hand.
'It gets to me too sometimes' I admit, gesturing around us. 'I mean, this is really good, it just being the two of us…but the secrecy does get me down sometimes. I suppose that's why I didn't really mind Susan finding out' it's kinda new to me, this whole being honest thing. But I figure he knows me well enough anyway…and I just don't want to hide from him. 'I just don't know if I really want to tell people'
'Well how about we go for a compromise? We won't actively hide it anymore, but we won't announce it in the middle of the ER? Just let people figure it out for themselves. Once Chuny knows, there'll be no need to hide it'
'Oh I think Susan will be all too happy to fill people in'
'That's very true' he agrees, and we both laugh. It's this that I could get used to. This whole relaxed relationship. So many times before, even with Richard and Luka, I was constantly trying to be the person they thought I was. But John's known me for three years already, so there's no fake appearance to keep up on either side. I know more about him than I suspect his mother does...and he could probably say the same about my mom and me.
Those walls that we all build up, to keep the real person locked securely away inside…they're gone. In fact they're crumbling in ruins on the ground. There are no preconceptions or presumptions, nothing to live up to and no reason to change. This is it – this is how it's meant to be right? Being able to be yourself around the other person without worrying that it might change their feelings towards you.
Funny. I don't remember our relationship getting this serious.
But that's a good thing.
'Cold?' he asks softly, breaking into my thoughts. I glance up at him, presumably with a confused expression. 'You shivered…' he adds, smiling.
'Actually yeah I'm…completely freezing, now that I come to think about it' I reply with a laugh, as he lets go of my hand in favour of resting an arm over my shoulders. I smile, wrapping my arms loosely around his waist. 'Much better…' I murmur.
'Glad I could help' he laughs, kissing the side of my forehead gently.
Yeah. I definitely like this phase of our relationship.
'John…' I pause, looking up at him. 'You know how we decided to take things slowly? I know it was the right thing to do, because I wasn't ready to jump straight into a serious relationship, and these past few weeks have been really special because of that. But…now I think we're kinda getting more serious…and I'm ready for it' I finish softly, looking down at the sand for a moment.
'I'm ready for it too Ab. I think I'm ready for anything when it comes to this relationship' he replies, rubbing my shoulder gently.
'Best part of three years was a long time for this to get going' I add with a small shrug.
'Mmm…but we've got what so many other couples don't have. We've got the friendship thing already…so there's no need for pretences'
Damn. He really knows how to read me! It's almost disconcerting at times, that he knows me that well. Mind you, I wouldn't have it any other way. I wouldn't have any of this any other way to be honest.
'What's up? You went all quiet'
'No, it's just…I was thinking that exact same thing earlier. About pretences' I reply, leaning up to place a kiss on the corner of his lips.
'Great minds think alike'
'Can't argue with that!' I reply, resting my head on his shoulder. This is another thing about our relationship – silence isn't awkward any more. We've all experienced it before right, sitting there on a first, second, third date with that awkward silence when you can't actually think of anything respectable to talk about…
But this is that comfortable silence.
And it's different…but different in the best possible way.
'So…tell me more about this secret singing talent of yours…' he eventually comments teasingly, catching my hair in a loose ponytail at the nape of my neck as we continue to walk along.
'Hmm it's…one of my better kept secrets!'
'Oooh, mystery woman' he laughs, rubbing my neck gently. 'But seriously, I didn't know you could even carry a tune, let alone sing pretty well!'
'It's not something I set out to do intentionally' I reply, smiling slightly. 'It's just one of those things, y'know? Besides, it's hardly a bad thing'
'No it's quite an attractive quality, actually'
'Why thank you! And what about your skills on the dance floor? I'm willing to bet they came from lessons?'
'Consequences of going to a boarding school. Dance lessons, piano lessons…you name it, I was taught it. It's not all that it's made out to be though'
'What do you mean?' I ask softly, looking up at him.
'It just gets a little lonely. There were times when I just wanted to be part of a normal family' he replied, looking down at my hands resting at his side.
'I can sympathise with that' I murmur, offering him a small smile. He manages an even weaker one back…and this wasn't meant to be an evening where we got upset. 'Hey…don't get upset'
'I'm fine' he replies softly, hugging me slightly closer. I smile softly as his other hand rests over mine. 'Guess there's still plenty of stuff we don't know about one another huh?'
'I like it like that…it means we won't get stuck in a routine'
'Somehow I don't think this relationship will ever be routine in a bad way' he replies, making me laugh softly.
'For some reason I've got to agree with you there' I agree…and I don't know why it's suddenly crept up on me, but it's so completely freezing out here. One of the downsides of walking on the beach at…nearly midnight. Yup. Never ones for convention, us!
'Something wrong?'
'Well, John, much as I'm enjoying this moonlit stroll, the fact that we chose to come out without decent jackets is proving to be somewhat of a distraction'
'So basically you're cold and want to go somewhere warmer?'
'Lets just say it'd be much appreciated! And cold doesn't even begin to describe it!' I reply, shivering as the wind picks up a little bit more.
'Well my place is closest from here…come back and warm up for a while, then I can drive you home later' he suggests, his hand on my shoulder steering me towards the steps leading up to the sidewalk. I stop him for a moment, wrapping both my arms round his neck, resting my head on his shoulder. I feel his hands move up and down my back through my jumper, and smile. 'What was that for?' he asks as I grab his hand, pulling him towards the steps.
'Mmm…felt like it?'
…
I don't know what it is about this apartment that makes me want to stay here for such a long time. I know, he's got the money to buy all the expensive stuff that would the place look good, but I've been in places that look pristine and expensive, but feel empty. His apartment's quite simplistic in that respect – he feels no real need to show off. But I think that's the difference here. It just feels like a home, you know, like somewhere that's lived in, and enjoyed...somewhere that's seen the whole range of human emotion, from sorrow right through to sheer happiness.
You're not aware of the whole designer impact, and to be honest I'm not even sure it exists. I mean, everything seems to be really well made, but it doesn't feel like he's spent thousands of dollars on a sofa or something. It's just…normal. Much more normal than I ever had as a child…and I'd say that's true even more so for him.
I feel the couch dip down beside me, and I turn to find him holding two steaming mugs of coffee. I accept one gratefully, wrapping my hands around the warm exterior.
'Feel better now?' he enquires, standing his own mug down and leaning his head against the back of the couch.
'Mmm the feeling in my hands is slowly coming back' I tease, taking a sip of my coffee before standing it down next to his. I settle back into my original position and look over at him, to find his hand rubbing the back of his neck, clearly in an attempt to be subtle. 'What's wrong?' I ask softly, tilting my head slightly as I wait for his response.
'Just a little stiff' he replies, clearly trying not to make a big deal out of it. I shake my head slightly, removing his hand from his neck.
'Sit forward' I say, pushing him a little further forward. I rest my hands on his neck and rub gently, trying not to press too hard…cause he was lying. Judging by how tense his muscles are, it was more than just a little stiff.
'Your hands are warm' he comments, sighing softly.
'Feeling any better?'
'Much better'
'Good' I smile, settling back down beside him. He turns, kissing me softly. I laugh, resting my hands on his shoulders. 'What was that for?'
'I don't know, I wasn't under the impression I had to have a reason to kiss my girlfriend' he retorts with a smile.
Girlfriend. I could actually grow to kinda like that word. Not that I want to be referred to as John's girlfriend…but it's nice to be reminded that you are in a fairly serious relationship.
'You don't have to' I reply, catching his eye and giving him one of those smiles that always annoy you if you're looking at a couple – one of those private jokes that wouldn't seem funny in the slightest to anyone else!
I laugh softly at the thought, the sound dying in my throat as his lips touch mine again. I lean back into the corner of the couch, pulling him towards me. Our embrace slowly becomes more passionate as I wrap my arms round his neck.
He pulls away very slightly and I fight to catch my breath, each exhalation heaving through my chest. His actions mirror mine in his struggle for oxygen, and once his breathing has regained some element of normalcy, he looks at me slightly more seriously, whispering
'Abby…you know what you said earlier about being ready for this…? Are you sure? Because I know I'm ready for this, but if you aren't…I just want it to be right, so we should…you know, if you want to wait…'
Aww. I do believe that's what you'd call nervous babble. Isn't he cute? I bite my lip, staring up at him as he prepares to say something else, presumably because of my lack of response to his last outburst.
'Sshh' I whisper, placing a finger over his lips. 'I want to stay with you John…and I'm ready. More ready than I've ever been for anything.'
Somehow we manage to navigate our way into the bedroom without; it appears, my arms moving from their position around his neck. He smiles, giving me a gentle push, and I feel the soft impact of the mattress meeting my back as I fall. I laugh…it's got to be said ever so slightly nervously, and tug on his hands so that he ends up next to me.
His hands move to the hem of my top and I lift my arms, my eyes barely leaving his as he lifts the thin material over my head. I watch his eyes dance down my body, and I can just feel the blush creeping into my cheeks.
'W…what?' I ask softly, biting my lip as his hands rest just above my waist. He just smiles, making small circles with his thumbs on my skin… 'Stop with the silence, you're making me nervous!'
'It's just…' he shrugs, pausing for a moment. 'You're beautiful. I never actually told you that, but it's true'
'I'm…'
'No. Don't say you're not Abby. Just…learn to accept a compliment once in a while?'
'I think I could do that' I reply, laughing softly. He smiles, pulling me closer to him. I play with the bottom few buttons of his shirt, giving him a coy smile…
And you know this is actually kinda strange, because I feel comfortable with him already. Normally when you're doing this with someone for the first time it's a bit strange, because it seems so different, and…almost scary.
Not that I'm saying it isn't those things…it's just those things in a whole different light. Which can only be a good sign, right?
'You nervous?' he asks suddenly, kissing my nose lightly.
'Actually…in a strange sorta way, I'm not'
'Good' he replies, kissing my lips and down my neck onto my chest.
Hmm. Magic lips. I could get more than used to this!
I finally get round to actually undoing the buttons on his shirt, working my way up until there are no buttons left to undo. I slide it slowly off his shoulders, forcing him to move his hands from my waist. His shirt falls onto the bed and I wrap my arms round his neck, pulling him closer. He laughs softly, dropping another kiss on my lips before moving his attention back to my chest.
He moves us so that I'm lying on my back, and it's all I can do to focus on what his lips are doing. He traces a path down, over my breasts, down my stomach…and stopping.
I suddenly feel his hands fumble with the fastening of my jeans. Funny, that I missed that. Mind you, that could be because I was slightly more focused on the havoc his lips are creating. Somewhat of a distraction, you see.
I move his hands and effortlessly release the fastening, feeling his low chuckle more than I hear it.
'Showing off?' he questions, sliding the denim material teasingly slowly over my hips, and I move slightly to let him remove it entirely.
Well, there's no going back now. We've officially crossed the line. Absolutely no way we'll ever be able to look at one another in the same way again.
And does that bother me?
No. Not in the slightest.
…
I roll over, tugging the covers so that they come to a resting point midway up his chest…but resting just over my shoulders. I drop my head onto his chest, and feel his arm sneak around me, fingers coming to a halt on my stomach.
You know I don't think I've ever felt this satiated in my life…its that languid type of laziness, where you actually don't feel like moving because the position you're in feels very right. And I've gotta admit I'm getting used to this very quickly.
'You okay?' he asks softly as I link my hand with his, squeezing slightly. He rubs a thumb over the back of my hand gently, kissing the top of my head.
'Yeah. I'm…' I shrug, trying to put it into words. 'I'm good.' I sigh as he leans over to flick on the lamp, filling the room with a somewhat comforting golden glow. The light spreads out from the lamps position, so we're bathed in light, but the far corners are still filled with shadows.
'Sure? You sound kinda…unconvinced' he comments, tilting my chin up with one finger.
'John, stop thinking so hard. Just…relax' I murmur, my fingertips tracing a path up his chest.
'You know as well as I do that when you work in an ER you're never going to be totally relaxed' he replies, shifting slightly so that I'm almost lying on top of him.
'Well maybe that's cause you work too hard' I counter jokingly, moving until my new position is totally comfortable. However he clearly isn't in the joking mood with regards to this. 'Seriously, the place wouldn't run without you'
'Big responsibility to have'
'But you thrive on responsibility right? You always have'
'It just hits me sometimes, all the pressure. So many decisions in that place rest entirely on my shoulders…' he trails off, raising a hand in the classic I don't know gesture, and I smile slightly, running a hand through his hair before resting it at the back of his neck.
'Well we'll have to come up with some ways of relaxing you then' I suggest, moving my hand in gentle, circular movements on his neck as he gives me what's gotta be his most sincere smile in the last five minutes. 'That's a promise. Whenever you need to relax, or de-stress or just chill out…I'll help. It's one thing I'm actually good at'
'I'll bear that in mind'
'You do that' I reply, leaning up to kiss his lips lightly before dropping back into my former position, head resting on his chest.
'Same goes for you of course' he replies, rubbing my back. 'It'd be no chore to help you relax!' he adds with a chuckle. And to think I was going to tell him he was sweet for saying that.
'That's enough of those thoughts John Carter!'
'What? All I was going to offer was a massage' he retorts. I begin to laugh…then stop. Maybe I shouldn't be so hasty to dismiss that idea. Could work both ways!
'I'll hold you to that one then!' I counter just as quickly, kissing his chest before rolling back into my original position. I feel his arms wrap round me and I close my eyes…I could definitely get used to going to sleep like this on a regular basis.
'Tired?' he asks softly, pulling the covers closer to us. I nod, suddenly feeling kinda sleepy. 'Go to sleep then'
'I don't want to go to sleep'
'Why not?' he asks, an amused expression crossing his face. I shrug, slightly embarrassed. 'Ab…why not?'
'Because then morning will come too soon' I whisper, shrugging slightly.
'What do you mean?' he asks, puzzled.
'It's just this…this here and now, this feels right. I just…want it to keep feeling like this, and I'm scared that if I go to sleep now, when I wake up it'll be different.'
'Well…I can't make promises Ab, because I can't guarantee they'll be true. I wish I could say that everything would be perfect, but we both know life doesn't work like that. But just because you go to sleep doesn't mean this feeling will be forever lost. There'll be plenty of other moments…some might even be better than this'
'…you always know the right thing to say…' I comment sleepily, closing my eyes as he flicks off the light.
'One of my many talents. Now sleep…and we'll have a go at creating another right moment tomorrow'
Now that's an offer I most certainly intend on keeping him to.
…
You know what I've decided in the last ten seconds? Waking up to the smell of freshly brewed coffee is my idea of heaven.
Especially if you consider just who the bearer of said coffee is!
'I know you're awake…' he comments slyly, 'cause you weren't smiling ten seconds ago'
'Okay, okay I'm awake' I murmur sleepily. 'Gimme a chance!' I add, blinking rapidly several times as my eyes adjust to the daylight.
'Hmm I think we've just established who's not a morning person!' he jokes, laughing as I lift myself into a semi-sitting position. He hands me the steaming mug of coffee and I wrap my hands gratefully around its warm china exterior.
He however wastes no time in filling the space left between my back and the pillow, looping an arm round my waist and leaning forward to drop little butterfly kisses on my neck…
Well if I wasn't awake before…which I almost certainly wasn't…I definitely am now!
Although I've gotta say it may take me a while to get used to his…excess of energy this early in the morning. I mean, 7:30 really isn't an appropriate hour to be this cheery!
'And I think we've established who needs to stop drinking caffeine in the mornings' I quip, tilting my head slightly to allow him better access. He takes full advantage of this for a few seconds, before leaning round to kiss me on the lips.
'You taste of coffee'
'Gee, wonder why that is?!' I reply sarcastically, giving him another kiss before he thinks that I'm being serious. He laughs, leaning back against the headboard and pulling me with him.
'Glad to see you can still manage the sarcasm at such an early hour' he comments, his fingertips leaving little trails of fire all over my body…I'm going to have to watch this. He could really catch me unawares with this whole…seduction thing, this early in the morning.
Not that I'm complaining – I'd much rather cope with this than wake up alone every morning.
'We'll have to turn you into a morning person. Mornings have a lot of potential you know' he comments, dragging me back to reality. I laugh, twisting round to look at him.
'Potential for what exactly?' I query, smiling as his arm loops back around my waist.
'Ohh all sorts of things. You'll just have to wait and see won't you.'
'Well listen to you, all full of surprises. I don't think Weaver would be very impressed if you tire us both out every day before we get to work!' I tease, kissing him.
'Speaking…' he pauses, kissing me lightly, 'of…' and again, 'which…' and again…! 'What time's your shift today?'
'Uhh midday, why?' I ask, laughing as his smile appears to grow even wider.
'That gives me…four and a half hours to prove that I can tire you out before you even get to work!'
'Oh really?' I counter, cupping his face in my hands and leaning painstakingly close to his lips. 'You think you can…live up to that promise, do you?' I enquire, stopping mere millimetres before our lips touch. He eventually grows tired of that and captures my lips with his, in one of those kisses where you physically have to pull away for want of oxygen.
'I think it's entirely possible!' he laughs, as I struggle to catch my breath again. Damn him…I'm going to have to keep my wits about me – wouldn't want to go losing all the arguments to him now, would I?
Taking a deep breath, I stand up and lift my coffee mug to my lips, draining the remaining liquid in one go. His eyes remain locked on me as I extend a hand to him.
'How…big would you say your shower is, John?' I query cheekily. He looks at me for a moment, before catching on and taking my hand, standing up.
'More than big enough for two, if that's what you're suggesting'
'What are you waiting for then?!' I ask, unable to stop myself from laughing as he instantaneously begins to drag me into the bathroom. He turns on the water, and as it heats up steam begins to fill up the room. He pauses before stepping into the shower, turning to look at me.
I stay exactly where I am, leaning against the wall, watching him with one eyebrow raised. He laughs, beckoning me over, and I take a step towards him…
And mark my words, we'll see who's tiring who out this morning!
