West One #2
His voice made my eyes close, and my lungs sigh. “Yes. Sorry. Only a bit of an outburst in here.”
His chuckle made a calmness wash over me. “Your fiery side is one of my favorites.”
I went to the door and laid my cheek against it. Exhaling—doing my best to rid myself of circumstances I was struggling even to comprehend—I assured him, “I’m okay.”
I’m so not okay.
Ethan warned, “Saaarah?”
Tears began to drip again, down my exhausted face. I leaned into the door, wishing it was him. “I can’t stop crying.”
“The crying is good. You not rinsing out the bleach and getting your ass in the shower isn’t.”
I pushed off the door, scrunching my nose. “You know about the bleach?”
“I know a lot when it comes to you. Shower. Now.”
Now I snarled. “Whatever, Johnny-Two.”
The bathroom light seemed way too bright and far too cheerful as I stripped off my clothes and turned on the water. Steam began to fill the bathroom as I stared into the mirror, making a face at myself as I noticed my puffy, red eyes.
With a sigh, I stepped into the shower, closing my eyes and letting the hot water do its best to relax the tension I could feel in my back and shoulders—every damn part of me.
Keeping them closed, I turned around to face the wall and the steady stream of water, with my head lowered, as the warmth cascaded over me.
Ethan was right. This is just what I needed.
My eyes finally opened. However, what I saw made me blink repeatedly. I thought my eyes were damaged from crying so much! It was the only explanation for seeing the luminous, lightly sparkling water washing over me and around me as if I were bathing in dancing stars.
Suddenly, my mind replayed something Johnny had asked me last night. “You think I’m nuts?”
He had shared some details about an accident with his father. And who had saved him. And what he had seen ever since.
I lifted my hand in awe. “Woooooow.” I watched the cascade of twinkles dance on my hand and drip to the tub. “It’s magical,” I whispered, “like shimmering turquoise and sapphire.”
The more they touched me, the more my anxiety, sorrow, and pain melted away.
Almost like they evaporated because the feelings couldn’t exist in the awe of such a mesmerizing display.
Not only was there immense beauty, but something else was present within the sparkles.
It was as if this water knew secrets and was sharing them with me, exposing a wild splendor few ever got the chance to experience.
But it also shared a comforting feeling that resembled an embrace of sorts.
In this presence’s grasp, I took a deep, grateful breath because I finally didn’t feel so utterly alone.
Wait. Am I imagining this?
Would Ethan see what I did if he entered the bathroom?
I had to know. Calling his name, I practically screamed it in excitement. It didn’t occur to me how I might sound until I heard the door swing open and crash against the wall.
The curtain flung open, and Ethan stood there with a panicked expression. “Sarah? Are you okay?” For maybe one or two heartbeats, his stare swept over me from head to toe. He then tore his gaze away and spun around. “Shit. Sorry.”
“Do you see it?” I asked.
“Oh, I saw it,” he promised.
What? “Not that!” I smacked the back of his head, bulldozing past the part where Ethan just saw me naked, and right to the life-changing point of glittering water. “Turn around. Please.”
Refusing, Ethan blindly snagged a towel from the nearby rack and tossed it over his shoulder.
“No!” I threw it back out. “You will dry it!”
His shoulders seized. “That’s the point, Sarah. Dry it and cover it.”
I put my hands on my hips. Wow, boys truly are one-track-minded. “I need you to look at my body.”
“Already did. Can we please move on?”
Rolling my eyes, I said, “Fine. Hold the towel up for my ‘virtue’ but don’t touch me with it.”
When he didn’t move, and more like resembled a deer in headlights, I yelled, “Do it!”
He jumped. “This has got to be the most awkward moment.” He picked up the towel, continuing, “I’ve ever had.” Then he angled his body so that he could still give me privacy, stretching out his arms to shield my nakedness before fully turning around. “Sarah, what is going on?” he began, and paused.
His eyes widened as he searched my arms, the tub, the shower walls, and the water shooting from the spout. He was as entranced as I had been.
Johnny and I aren’t nuts! I started jumping up and down! “You see it!”
Ethan’s eyes snapped to my bouncing boobs. Then he slammed them shut. “I’m so sorry!”
I laughed, then snatched the towel. “It’s just me, Ethan.” Wrapping the towel tightly around my body, I stepped away from the spray, wondering why Ethan was being so bashful. “All covered up.”
One eye peeked open… then he sighed, his whole body relaxing.
I wanted to ask if my body was that awful to look at, but got completely distracted when Ethan shoved his hair back to get a better look at the water.
I smiled because seeing him willing to expose the scarred parts of his skin, and not trying to hide them away, was such a big deal, even if the reason was magically sparkly water. “Wow.”
“Isn’t it amazing?” I felt gleeful.
“Yeah. The water, too.” He reached out to touch it. “How is this possible?”
“Don’t know.” And I was too elated to care.
He stuck his bandaged hand inside the shower, watching the glittering water splash across his fingers and skin. “Funny.” Ethan lifted his other hand, the one with the scars, and stared at it like he was comparing one to the other. “The water looks the same on them both.”
He was right. The sparkles and their eerie but beautiful glitter didn’t discriminate. They reacted the same on both hands, playful, excited, and joyful.
Suddenly, I thought again about Johnny’s story.
Now, the wonder and magic of this moment dimmed somewhat as uncertainty and a little bit of fear kicked in. Why could Johnny see the water sparkling at all? He told us about it, but he didn’t elaborate. And the bigger question… why could we now see the same thing?
Oh my God. “The blood oath.”
Ethan jolted, then looked at his bandaged hand. “Holy shit… You’re right. But why? And… Do you think Johnny knew this would happen?”
I was already shaking my head. “No way.” My fingers reached out, warmth flooding me again where I had felt cold after Johnny left.
It was the water. The sparkles. They connected me to Johnny.
“I feel so close to him, Ethan. It’s… wow.
” I closed my eyes, and I could picture his face, his smile. “It’s like he’s right here.”
The chaotic emotions I’d felt before the shower seemed to even out again. While I still felt sorrow and pain, they no longer ruled or overwhelmed me.
I swayed slightly on my feet, caught up in the extraordinary link that I now shared with Johnny.
“Sarah?”
I didn’t respond. My eyes fluttered, and I just lived in the safe and warmly content place that I never wanted to leave.
“Sarah,” Ethan spoke my name more forcefully, and my eyes snapped open. His worried expression pulled me back into reality. “We don’t know what this means or if it’s a good thing. I know it feels exciting, but I think we should be asking questions.”
“What kind of questions?” I tugged my hand out of the water.
“What does this mean for us? For Johnny? Is it only me and you, or will Gage, Finn, and Seb see water sparkling, too?” Ethan shook his head as if trying to clear it. “What if this isn’t the only thing that we see? What if we change in other ways?”
Ethan was right. This seemed amazing on the surface, and it truly was, but we didn’t have any information, and the one person who could give us answers was forced to leave.
“We don’t know.” I sank back against the tile. “I see your point.”
Reality and the need for caution danced across his features as he turned off the water. “We have to talk to him. We’ve got to find a way to contact Johnny.”
As I felt a pull to the water, to stick my hand back into the glittering spray that was now gone, I wondered if Johnny could feel me like I just felt him.