Chapter Three: Showers

"Follow you home, you've got your headphones on and you're dancing
Got lucky, beautiful shot you're taking everything off watch the curtains wide open
Then you fall in the same routine flicking through the TV relaxed and reclining
And you think you're alone..."

The next morning, Peter awoke to hear the shower running. He lay in his bed, looking up at the ceiling, thinking about the night before. He couldn't stand to see Susan with a man he knew was just going to end up hurting her. Although, it seemed like, Susan wanted that type of man. She wanted to be hurt, because it was a familiar feeling. Nobody likes change, just like no one likes to feel a new and different emotion. Peter knew all of this, and he couldn't bear to look at the man who hurt her first.

He slowly rose out of bed, and continued downstairs with only pajama pants. His feet touched the cold marble, and he tightened his drawstring. As he walked into the kitchen, he saw Lucy eating toast and jam. Peter smiled, and Lucy returned the favor. Lucy was now 14 years old. She wasn't a child anymore, but she still maintained her childhood spirit about everything.

Peter heard footsteps, and turned around to see Susan walking down the steps. She had a blue silk robe tied around her waist, and her wet hair draped her shoulders. As she walked, the silk accentuated all of her curves, and for a moment, Peter couldn't stop looking at her. He noticed her delicate fingers tying the knot around her waist, and her delicate feet slowly gliding down the old stairs. As he dozed off, his mind took him to a more familiar place.

It was the day of the Grand Ball, and everyone had been getting ready. All the men were polishing their shoes, and the women were tightening their corsets. As Edmund was greeting all of the guests, High King Peter was sitting in his bed chambers, looking out the window. He did enjoy the balls, but he never liked it whenever a prince from a far away land would dance with Susan. They would slide their hands all up and down her waist, and each glance he took it made him sicker and sicker. That's when he heard a knock on the door. He opened it up, and there stood Susan. She was wearing an elegant light blue silk gown with flower embroidery on the trim, and a long flowy train in the back. Peter smiled, and embraced her. Susan laughed, as she separated from him.

"You don't want my dress to look wrinkly do you?" She asked as she flattened the fabric. Peter laughed.

"Of course not. Especially since you really care." Peter remarked. Susan turned to look at him.

"Hah, you know me too well." Susan took a step forward and embraced Peter's face. "Almost too well." She said as she gently kissed his lips. When they parted, Peter stared into her green eyes, and pulled her back in.

He was careful not to wrinkle her dress, but he was kissing her so intensely that it was nearly impossible. Susan was smiling, but serious at the same time, and had her hands on his neck and his head. Peter's hands were behind her head, and on her waist. They pressed their lips against each others as hard as they could without hurting themselves. The passion they created with just one simple kiss could cause so much depth, that they needed not anything else.

When there was another knock at the door, the two quickly disconnected, and wiped their mouths. They smiled at each other. As Peter allowed whoever was at the door to come in, he saw it was only Lucy telling him it was time to start.

As the Grand Ball had begun, the Kings and Queens all danced with a select person. Peter was dancing with June, a princess of the Eastern Coast (of course she would never become a queen), Edmund was dancing with Annabel, June's sister. Susan was dancing with a prince of the Western Land, Gregory, and Lucy was dancing with his younger brother, Michael. June cared deeply for Peter, just as Gregory cared deeply for Susan, but neither the King of Queen fancied their partner.

After the first dancing hour had ended, the whole party adjourned to the dining room. Peter would sit at the end of the table next to Susan, and under the table cloth, where no one could see, they were secretly holding hands. They would talk to their guests about upcoming plans, times of war; times of peace, but no one ever suspected that their very own King and Queen were together.

At times, they would both make an excuse to leave, and they would go away together. Peter would lead her into a small closet, which made them feel like children. They would play, caress, and hold each other, and stare into each others eyes. Whenever the mood got too serious, one of them would always kiss the other one in a playful way, which made them feel even more like children. Peter grabbed her hands, looked at her, and Susan stopped laughing.

"You know I would never do anything to hurt you." Susan leaned on his hand that was holding her face. She smiled.

"I wouldn't ever do anything to you either. And...I know." She leaned in to kiss him, and parted quickly. "We should be heading back. They'll be wondering where we are." Susan began to open the door, when Peter closed it shut.

"…Then let them wonder."

"Peter, are you alright?" Lucy asked as she paused from eating toast. Peter was suddenly drawn out of his flashback, and was caught staring at Susan. He continued to apply jam to his bread.

"Ye-yeah, sorry." He said. Susan walked over to the fridge and took out the orange juice as she poured herself a glass.

20 minutes later, Lucy had gone out with her friends, Susan was finishing up her breakfast, and Peter was in his room. He searched on the ground for clothes to wear. He went over to close his door when he saw Susan walking up the steps to her room. She was flipping her wet hair, and Peter felt his heart weaken. As he closed the door, he slipped on a dark blue button-down shirt. And as he turned towards his dresser, he saw Susan in her room through his window. Peter's and Susan's rooms were built in a way that if you looked out your window, you were able to see into the others'.

He sat down on the edge of his bed and watched into her room. Susan gracefully let her robe fall to the floor, letting it fall from her arms, to her hands, to her waist, to her knees, and finally to her feet. Peter began to bite his lip. He got no arousal out of seeing Susan naked, but a comforting feeling that made him sigh deeply. He could almost feel her hand on his chest as he looked at her through his window. He watched as Susan as she slipped on her panties, and her bra. Peter watched through his window the woman he loved and the one he lost so quickly. Susan stuck a hair pin in her mouth as she applied one to her dark, wet hair. As she placed the second pin into her hair, she began rummaging through her drawer. It was her makeup drawer. She normally would've applied bright red lipstick, nothing else, but today, she applied a gentler lipstick color, and Peter noticed. He noticed that after a certain amount of time had passed since their last trip to Narnia, Susan began to wear brighter shades of red lipstick. So when she applied a more neutral tone to her lustrous lips, Peter took it as a good sign.

Susan finally pulled up a black, silk, knee length skirt, and brushed herself off. That's when Susan stopped and turned to her door. Peter waited from behind his window to see who was at her door. When he saw that it was Andrew, him and Susan both flinched. Andrew began tearing off the very clothes Susan just had put on. Peter moved closer to the window, and really contemplated whether or not he should go rip Andrew's head off.

Andrew ripped off Susan's shirt, sending buttons flying everywhere. Susan bit her lip, and stared straight ahead. She didn't enjoy this anymore… she used to, but not anymore. When Andrew began taking his own pants off, Peter couldn't stand to watch anymore. He stood up, and violently shut his curtains.

After Andrew had left, leaving a sense of calm throughout the house, Peter lay in his bed looking at the ceiling. He didn't understand why Susan let him do that to her. Then again, ever since she had been hurt that one time, she changed forever.

Peter pulled a blanket up to his neck, when he heard Susan open her door. He listened carefully, and heard her stop in front of his door. Peter turned his head, and saw her shadow in the crack between his door and the floor. She then resumed to walking, and went into the bathroom. Peter lay awake to hear the shower running, again. He looked up at the ceiling, and closed his eyes.