When HG awoke, the house was quiet. She could barely see through the darkness inside the fort. She raised her hand to run her fingers through her hair but stopped abruptly, forgetting that her hand was still covered with one of the tube socks Myka had insisted she wear. With a smile she removed them, crawling out of the fort and into the open air of the room.
The light that came through the window was the blue-grey of dusk. HG would have thought the room was empty if it wasn't for the bedside lamp, which was lit. Myka sat next to it, cross-legged on the bedframe and reading the Shakespeare volume she had brought for Helena. When Helena emerged from underneath the mattress, Myka looked up with a start.
"So sorry to disturb you," HG said. "What are you reading?"
"King Lear," Myka answered as she set the book face down in front of her. "How was your nap?"
"Heavenly," HG answered, stretching her arms over her head. "Though I'm afraid I'll be awake all night now. Maybe all that time will give me a chance to rid myself of these calamine spots."
"Say no more," Myka said. "I have just the thing."
"I certainly hope it will not involve socks again," HG said, giving Myka a suspicious but friendly glare and tossing her balled-up socks across the room.
"It doesn't," Myka promised. "It's much more relaxing than socks, trust me."
The sound of the running water stopped as Helena approached the bathroom door. She laid her hand on the knob and slowly pushed the door open– Myka sat at the edge of the tub with her sleeves rolled up. She was moving her arm in circles in the bath water, which was a cloudy milky white.
"What is this?" HG asked, walking to the edge of the tub and peering down into it suspiciously.
"An oatmeal bath," Myka explained as she took her arm out of the water and dried it on a hand towel. "It helps with the itching, and you can get rid of the calamine spots." She handed HG a washcloth and stood up to leave.
"Alright, your towel is here…" Myka pointed to a fluffy towel resting on the vanity. "And you should be all set. Just give me a shout if you need anything–"
"Actually," HG interrupted, "it would be lovely if you would stay with me… Perhaps bring the Shakespeare? If you don't mind, that is."
"What? No– absolutely, it's fine," Myka answered, slightly flustered. "I'll be right back." With that, Myka hurried out the door to retrieve the book. HG smiled to herself as she peeled off her camisole.
When Myka returned, she pushed open the door just in time to see HG lowering herself into the bathwater. She looked up at Myka as she entered, and Myka stopped dead in her tracks. She averted her gaze to the ceiling, biting her bottom lip.
"Oh God, I'm sorry… I should have knocked," she stuttered awkwardly. HG waved her apology away.
"Nonsense, darling," she said. "Come now. Read me something."
Myka stepped into the bathroom and shut the door behind her. She kept her eyes glued to the floor as she headed for a dry corner facing the bathtub. When she sat down, only HG's head and neck were visible to her.
"What should I read?" she asked, flipping through the pages. "I could find a monologue or something…"
"No," HG said, raising her arm and slowly running the washcloth over it. "A sonnet will do nicely, I think."
Myka kept her eyes down, searching for a sonnet as HG continued to wash herself. The sounds of dripping water echoed around the room mingled with page flips. Finally, without an introduction, Myka started to recite.
"Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?" she began. HG laid her head back and closed her eyes. "Thou art more lovely and more temperate. Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May, and summer's lease hath all too short a date…"
Myka continued reading in a slow and steady tone of voice. Halfway through the sonnet, she looked up at HG. Her eyes still closed, her skin clean and shining in the humidity of the room, she was mouthing the words along with Myka. They finished the sonnet in unison, two women of one voice.
"So long as men can breathe or eyes can see, so long lives this, and this gives life to thee."
The silence hung heavy in the air as HG opened her eyes and looked at Myka. She studied the agent's face for a few long moments before Myka broke their eye contact. She began to feel inexplicably embarrassed, and lowered her face to hide the blush that was creeping up from her neck.
"Beautiful," HG said reverently, still looking intently at Myka. Myka forced an anxious smile before standing up and setting the book down on the edge of the tub within HG's reach. She was careful to avoid looking at her as she headed for the door.
"Well, I'm going to let you, um– finish up," Myka said as she shut the door, leaving HG alone in the bathroom.
HG embraced the new silence, noticing a familiar feeling rising in her chest– something she had not felt for years. She smiled, taking the book Myka left behind and opening it to the sonnet.
"Shall I compare thee to a summer's day…"