“Oh.” I huff sheepishly. “Nothing. I’m not used to physical exercise in any form.” I avoid his eyes and twist the empty glass of water on the table. “I’m just a bit sore.”
His frown darkens. “Just your shoulder or other places, too?”
I shrug. “It’s fine. Maybe I should do stretches or something.” Not that I know any.
“Do you have a bath?”
“Huh?” My eyes dart to his, surprised by the random question.
“A bath,” Hemi repeats.
“Yeah, I have a bath.”
Hemi slaps his hands on the table and stands. “Great. You’re having one.”
“What?” I splutter.
“It will help relax your muscles, and I’m assuming you don’t want an ice bath, so we’ll do warm.”
“We?” I choke. The quiet man from the airport has disappeared, and now he’s ordering me around.
Hemi tugs my chair away from the table and pulls me up. “Yeah, I’ll run you a bath. And that’s a no to an ice bath?” My face scrunches at the thought. Hemi bites his lip against a smile he can’t hide. “Didn’t think so.”
“Will a bath really help that much?” It’s a dangerous enough thought to have him walking through my room without pushing him onto the bed, let alone having him in my bathroom, drawing me a bath I’ll be naked in. Knowing he did it for me to make sure I’m comfortable tomorrow.
“It’s better than nothing.” Hemi slips his hand into mine and when I point out my bedroom, tugs me down the hall.
The door’s open and he enters my space confidently, notices the ensuite door instantly, and walks through it with me trailing behind him. He doesn’t even pause to look at my bedroom. Should I be worried he isn’t interested in my room? The walls are a rich dark brown, and the bedding is cream with splashes of tan and rust to create a moody space. I was quite proud of it when I finished it.
Hemi plugs the bath and turns the tap on hot, sprinkling the bath salts sitting on the rim into the water. The sound of gushing water echoes in the room, and Hemi turns to me, looking satisfied with himself, and glances around the bathroom. I decorated the walls with turquoise tiles and light grey for the floor and behind the sink.
Hemi sits on the rim of the bath. “I like that your house is colourful.”
A smile lights my face. He has noticed each room is a different colour. “You do?”
“Yeah. It reminds me of the house I grew up in. Mum’s an artist and always had paintings on the walls and would rotate the ones she had. She had a bright gold one in the living room inspired by Klimt. She’s in a smaller place now, but she’s managed to find places for all her paintings.” He smiles faintly and shakes his head. “My place in Auckland is hospital white and corporate black. I miss colour. Your place feels like home.”
My breath catches, and my knees go weak. I lean against the basin before I wrap myself around him and never let go.
“I’m glad,” I say softly. “I grew up the opposite. White and nothing else. Very strict.” I shrug. “Then I discovered writing and it gave me colour. I don’t know if that makes any sense?—”
“It does.”
“My family doesn’t visit me here. They don’t like the decor.” I force a laugh.
Hemi nudges his socked foot against mine. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t think I’m awful for this, but I’m not.” I rush to say more before he gets the wrong idea. “Don’t get me wrong, I love them, they’re my family, and they support me and don’t care that I’m gay. They just don’t really understand me or care about my interests. Not like Daisy does. Or you,” I finish quietly with shaking hands. “I visit my parents when I’m in Auckland and that’s enough for us to keep our relationship healthy.”
“That still sucks, but I’m glad you’ve found a balance that works for you.”
“Besides, it means no one says anything mean about my colour schemes because I only let people I like in,” I say brightly.
“So does that mean you like me?” he asks over the roaring water, and blood creeps into my cheeks when I realise what I implied.
“You were forced on me by Daisy.” A frown appears on Hemi’s face. “But that doesn’t mean I don’t like you. You like my colour.” I nudge his foot back.
His frown disappears and is replaced with a soft look that makes my knees weak. “I do.” He glances at the rapidly filling bath. “Got any bath stuff you put in it besides the salts?”
