Seventeen
theo
“What am I supposed to do?” I hid in the bathroom while the tub filled, letting the rushing water drown out my voice.
I’d already been to Sadie’s place and grabbed everything she needed. Underwear. Change of clothes. Bathrobe, toothbrush, and hairbrush.
“Just carry her in there and face her away from you while you undress her.” Laura’s voice came down the phone line. “Hold up a towel while she climbs in, then wash her hair and let her take care of the rest of her body—oh, and make sure there are plenty of bubbles, so she can hide under them.”
I stared at the swirling water. Bubbles? I never took baths. “I wish you could come in here and help her.”
Scanning the grey-tiled room, I grabbed my body wash and squirted a couple of dollops into the water. Bubbles immediately formed and multiplied, the fragrance mixing with the billowing steam.
“Is this your first time around a naked woman, Theo? Do I need to run you through the basics? Women’s bodies are different from men’s—”
“Funny.” I opened the cupboard and slipped a fresh towel from the top of the stack.
“You must be doing something right,” she said. “Just go with it and don’t make it awkward. Sadie trusts you. She wouldn’t have asked you for help otherwise.”
There was that, at least. “I should just be happy she’s past the worst of it and well enough to even think about taking a bath.”
“Exactly—and she’s the first in the building to survive the virus,” Laura said. “This is big news. The girls are going to be over the moon.”
“It’s about as close to a miracle as it gets.” I shut off the water and dropped the bathmat in front of the tub, shifting it into place with my toe. “Thanks for the pep talk. I better get started.”
“No problem. Don’t forget to brush her hair when she’s done, too. I doubt she’ll have the strength for that.” I heard the affectionate note in her voice. “And Theo?”
“Yeah.”
“You’re such a cutie.”
I rolled my eyes. Just as I went to end the call, my phone died all on its own.
Mobile coverage had been dropping in and out while Sadie was sleeping off the virus. Sometimes for an hour. Once it had stayed down for half a day.
I slid my phone onto the vanity and returned to the bedroom.
She was sitting where I’d left her on the chair in the corner, shoulders turned inward.
“Ready?” I asked.
Sadie lifted her head, her features drawn, her skin pale. “Yes. I’m okay. Just tired.”
“Want to put this off until later when you’re feeling stronger?” Please say yes.
Determined, she shook her head and tried to get up, but her muscles gave way.
I rushed over to her before she could collapse on the floor. “Don’t do anything,” I said. “This isn’t the time to be getting all independent on me, okay?”
“Yes, Theo.”
“Music to my ears.” I lifted her from the chair and swung her into my arms, vowing to keep things light, despite how fragile she felt compared to when I’d first carried her up to my apartment.
“Can I brush my teeth first?” she asked as I nudged the bathroom door open. “My mouth feels like a petri dish.”
“We can do that,” I said. “Take a seat.” I lowered her onto the barstool I’d brought in from the kitchen, and she grabbed the edge of the vanity as if she couldn’t trust her balance.
Straight after I'd loaded her toothbrush with paste, she shoved it into her mouth as if she couldn’t get it in there fast enough.
Positioned behind her in case she needed me, I filled a glass with water and monitored her reflection in the mirror, taking in the hollows beneath her eyes, the stringiness of her hair.
There were times I thought I’d lose her—especially when her coughing progressed to vomiting and her skin was searing hot—but she was still here. Still fighting.
Her fingers clutched the handle of the toothbrush, and she worked quickly as if her energy might run out any second. A beat later, her movements slowed, and she braced herself with her elbow on the vanity top.
“Too much?” I asked.
Sadie moaned in defeat. “My arm feels like cooked spaghetti. I hate being weak.”
I rested my hands on her shoulders, sweeping my thumbs back and forth over bones that were too prominent. “It’ll take days to recover. Don’t be too surprised if you still have no energy a week from now.”
She gave me a quick smile filled with toothpaste foam. “My own personal motivational speaker.”
I gathered her hair into a bundle and held it in one hand, blocking out the way she shivered and avoided eye contact with me. “Better than making false promises. Rinse.”
“Yes, Theo,” she said again, only this time with a sarcastic edge.
Sadie filled her mouth with water, then swirled and spat into the sink. “So much better,” she said, running her tongue over her teeth. “I don’t feel like the living dead anymore, at least from a dental point of view.”
Her tongue, her teeth. My heart thumped faster for reasons I didn’t want to admit—reasons I should have ignored while I was playing the role of her carer.
“All right, let’s get the rest of you clean.” I kept my tone businesslike, holding her up as she slid off the stool. With my footsteps matching hers, I walked her away from the mirror and faced the bath, so I wouldn’t catch a view not meant for my eyes.
Steam curled above the water’s surface, and bubbles popped. Sadie threw me a fleeting look over her shoulder, seemingly entertained by my expression. “You know… it would probably help if you could make it seem like the idea of taking off my clothes didn’t repulse you.”
With a laughing breath, I steadied her. “It doesn’t repulse me. I just remember how you reacted when you thought I'd changed your clothes after your accident.”
“I was worried about what could have happened while I was unconscious, not because I cared about what you saw.”
“Fine, fine. So we can both agree we’re okay with you being naked?”
Sadie worked on the buttons of her pyjama top. “None of it’s new to you, anyway,” she said. “You’ve seen women’s bodies many, many, many—”
“Hey.” A strange feeling stirred in the pit of my stomach, and it took me a minute to recognise it as attraction. Desire. I could barely remember now why I'd ever called her a princess. “Careful what you’re insinuating.”
“There should have been a revolving door in the building for all your lady visitors.” She finished unfastening the row of buttons and slipped her pyjama top from her shoulders, revealing her slender back and the white lace bra I’d done my best to ignore last time I changed her.
“You’re exaggerating just a tad,” I said. A lot, in fact. I’d practically been virginal for the past couple of years. I forced my eyes away as she reached behind her for the clasp.
“I know. I was just teasing.” She went quiet and concentrated, but after a few fumbling motions and a sigh, it was clear she didn’t have the strength to complete the task. “Can you do it for me?” she asked, her voice strained. “It’s so irritating. I just want to feel normal again.”
She was lucky to be alive, but the novelty had apparently passed. “Patience through frustration builds strong character.”
I didn’t need to see her face to know she’d rolled her eyes. “Thank you. So much. That was incredibly helpful.”
Amused, I flicked the clasp of her bra open one-handed while I held her steady. She didn’t even check to see if I’d averted my eyes before she undressed. Just slipped her bra down her arms and dropped it on the vanity in one fluid movement.
Being a head taller than her, I saw too much and not enough before I yanked my gaze away. Another kick of desire hit me, and I silently swore. She didn’t need me leering at her when all she wanted to do was take a bath.
My pulse thudded in my throat. “Do you need help with your pants?”
“No... I don’t think so.” Sadie pushed the waistband of her pyjama bottoms until they fell to her ankles.
I cupped her elbows so she could lower her panties. When she leaned forward, her long hair swung over her shoulder, and the muscles in her back worked as she dropped the last piece of material standing between her and me. I swallowed and stepped back a bit as she straightened. “All good?”
She nodded.
“Wait a second. I’ll hold a towel up while you climb in.”
“I don’t think you can,” she said. “I need you to hold me up.”
With a sigh that puffed out my cheeks, I steeled myself for the next part.
Sadie lifted one leg over the side of the tub, keeping her back to me as much as she could, given our awkward positions.
As soon as her right foot touched the bottom, I took more of her weight and helped her move the left one in.
As she lowered herself into the water, it was impossible to miss the curve of her breasts and the pink hue of her nipples.
A wave of longing rolled through me before I could shut it down, settling deep in my gut and slowing my heartbeat to a heavy thud.
Her knees parted as she sat, and when most of her body had sunk beneath the protective layer of bubbles, the tension inside me eased.
“Laura told me I should wash your hair,” I said, pausing and clearing my throat. “Are you good with that?”
She hugged her legs and tipped her head back, smiling up at me. “If you hadn’t offered, I planned on begging.”
She really was the prettiest view, even in this condition. If I had an ounce of intelligence left in my brain, I’d shut up and get to work. Chatting casually with her while she sat there all slippery and naked only prolonged the torture.
I placed the folded towel on the floor, dropping to a kneel beside her. “I’ve never shampooed long hair before, so let me know if I’m doing something wrong.”
“Anything’s an improvement on the mess I’m working with now. I’m just going to sit here and be quiet.”
Tipping warm water over her head and watching it turn a darker shade of blonde was more sensual than I expected.
Sadie kept her eyes closed and her head tilted back, patiently waiting for the next step.
I squirted a blob of shampoo onto her crown and worked it through the strands. As I increased the pressure and created a mass of suds, she let out a soft moan that connected to some deep, hidden part of me.
“Your hands feel so nice,” she said.
Her eyes were still closed, her mouth soft and relaxed.
Instead of responding, I continued massaging her scalp and let the silence surround us, taking my cues from her.
My dead phone wasn’t buzzing with messages.
The noise from the TV couldn’t reach us here.
It was the most at peace I’d been since she’d come down with the virus.
“I remember your hair before we were forced into lockdown,” she said quietly, as if she didn’t want to break the spell. “You used to have the sharpest haircut. It looked like every single strand was doing exactly what you wanted it to do.”
It seemed like years ago and just yesterday at the same time. “Bit different now.”
“I like this look,” she said. “It fits your personality better.”
“Messy and out of control?”
Her mouth quirked on one side. “Adorably rumpled and charming.”
A few kind words from her felt like a gift, and my heart flooded with warmth. I refilled the jug and rested my hand on her forehead to protect her eyes. “Tip your head back,” I murmured.
Sadie obeyed, and I poured water over her head, sending a cascade of bubbles rushing down to join the collection already surrounding her. The water lapped at her body, and the steam carried the scent of my shampoo.
There were still some suds left behind, so I drenched the lengths again and dropped the jug to wick the bubbles. Ribbons of blonde slipped through my fingers, glistening as they moved in the light. She shivered and didn’t say a word, so I repeated the motion a few times, using gentle hands.
The silence was peaceful, broken only by our soft breaths and the crackle of popping bubbles.
As I swept my palm over the strands for the last time, she rested her elbows on her knees and hid her face in her hands. At first, I thought she was protecting her eyes, but then her shoulders drooped and shuddered, and a soft sob broke free.
I froze, waiting for a clue. “Sadie?”
She sobbed again, and the shuddering intensified. “I don’t even know why I’m crying,” she said. “I feel so pathetic.”
Maybe it was relief, or a delayed reaction to a near-death experience. Either way, she wouldn’t get any judgement from me.
“You’ve been through hell,” I said. “Don’t expect too much of yourself.”
She nodded quickly, keeping her eyes averted. Hugging in bed under the cover of darkness was one thing, and falling apart in the bath another.
I didn’t speak, just rubbed her back and sat with her.
“How are you feeling?” I asked when her tears had slowed.
She released a loud sigh and lifted her head. “Fine. Just a moment of weakness.”
Her lashes were spiky and wet, her eyes brimming with tears. Her throat moved as she swallowed, and I struggled to think of a time when I’d found a woman more beautiful.
“Impressive,” I said with a slight smile. “Even when you feel like crap, you can still find the energy to bullshit me.”
Her mouth quirked, and she used the heels of her palms to wipe her eyes. “I’m trying to put on a brave face.”
“Well… stop trying. You don’t need to pretend with me.”
She held my gaze, and something clicked in her eyes. Her expression turned pensive, as if she’d just discovered something about me.
I watched her for a moment longer, then decided it was time to wrap this up before I did something stupid and impulsive.
As I gathered her hair into a bundle and squeezed out the excess water, my grip pulled an involuntary moan from her. Before I could work out the best way to handle it, she checked herself and straightened, and the water slipped lower on her chest.
Jesus. She’d only made it worse. I looked away fast as my pulse hammered.
Didn’t she realise I was human? Just a man?
I cleared my throat for the second time, wondering what I’d done in a past life to deserve this kind of torture.
“I think we’re about done,” I said, hoping she wouldn’t pick up on the huskiness in my voice.
“Why don’t I leave you alone for a few minutes and let you finish up? ”
Without waiting for a response, I handed her the shower gel and a facecloth, then rose and escaped from the bathroom.
It was only after I’d shut the door, I could finally breathe again.