Chapter 28:
"But that is not possible! How can that be possible!"
"Julia… Please…"
William tried to calm the young woman as she scalded herself at the reception. The employee had understood the situation very well and, although unhappy that they had lost the key to the room, he explained to them that he would not have the double for more than an hour.
"Listen, I'm sorry miss, but we don't have spare keys with us to avoid theft. We have to get them from the locksmith shop in Sitka and it's not nearby…" the receptionist tried to explain, his voice slightly shaking with anxiety.
Julia sighed, her body shaking with cold.
"Excuse me…I shouldn't have reacted this way…I'm the one who lost the key so…Let me know when you get it, please."
The receptionist nodded, relieved that this discussion was over. The young woman then turned to William who, like her, was dying of cold more and more in his soaked clothes.
"Go take a shower. I will wait here."
"No, but you are not well. You will catch death. You are going to come with me to my room and you are going to take a shower there." the young man quickly offered.
"No, no, no. It wouldn't be proper." she said, her lips quivering.
"We don't really have a choice. You will put yourself in danger. You'll take a shower and that's it, then you'll go back to your room. Go Julia!" William insisted, half because he wanted to convince her but also half because he felt like he was freezing to death.
"Fully agree." concluded Julia, cold.
William opened his door quickly and let Julia enter first. The young woman felt her heart pound and she trembled not only with cold, but also with apprehension.
"Come on… You're going to take a bath or a shower and I'm going to change in front of the fire. Will it go like this?"
"Are you sure? Think you can keep warm just with the fire and dry clothes?" Julia asked, embarrassed. She had an awful feeling of a squatter.
"Don't worry Julia." he smiled at her. "Go on!"
"I have no clothes to change into…"
"Ah…" William thought.
She watched him go to his closet and pull out a man's bathrobe, black with gold streaks.
"You will put this on while you wait. How's it going?"
"Thank you..." Julia smiled gratefully.
She finally made her way to the bathroom identical to hers, which she closed behind her. She looked at herself furtively in the mirror and almost laughed at her appearance. Her lips were almost purple, and she had a pale complexion, contrasting with her soaked clothes.
She then began to remove her clothes, but she was absolutely unable to do so. No way. It was hard enough to remove the tight clothes from their docile society, but soaked, she found it was simply impossible. She tried again, running her hands behind her back to undo her dress, but no. There was nothing to do and, shaking like a leaf, she really had no patience.
She walked quickly to the bathroom door and threw it open, forcefully. She froze in place and burst out laughing. She came across William who, like her, seemed to have difficulty removing his clothes. His black jacket clinging so tightly to his skin it seemed to blend in perfectly with his muscles.
William looked at her and in turn burst out laughing. This situation was so embarrassing and absurd…
"William…I can't get my clothes off." she said, her cheeks rosy slightly, seeing the blood struggling to circulate there under all the cold.
"I..." William began, not knowing what to say at all.
"Can you help me? Please, I'm too cold, I can't take it anymore…" she said quickly when she saw him about to refuse.
"Okay…Help me take off my jacket and shirt first please. That way, if I just have to open your dress and your corset, you'll have your back to me and you'll just have to walk to the bathroom." William elaborated, confused.
"Perfect, let's do this…"
"Perfect." repeated the young man without moving.
Note: Hope you still like it :) Thank you so much for the last comment ! It makes me really happy !