“How come you know how to hand wash laundry?” I ask. “Doesn’t strike me as a thing the Bouchard heir needs to learn how to do.”
“Same reason you do,” Blaze says. “You have to know how to wash unfortunate stains out of clothes.”
“The water’s supposed to be cold,” I point out.
“But I’m not washing blood right now, am I?” Blaze finishes with our underwear and hangs them up to dry on the clothes line.
“Do botany students regularly need to wash their underwear?” I look around the room. It’s starting to get cold, and I wrap my arms around myself.
“Mostly gardening gloves, I think. And boots. Maybe towels and aprons? I don’t know, I’m not a fucking botany student.” Blaze empties the basin and throws in the rest of our clothes. He fills the basin with hot water and soap again, moves everything around, then looks at me. “Let's shower while this soaks,” he says.
I nod and move to the shower stall. I turn the water on, and I’m glad that it comes out hot almost immediately.
Blaze gets into the stall with me. It’s pretty tight, but I don’t complain.
I let Blaze pour soap over my body and use his hands to lather me up.
It feels good. It’s so much better than when I’d showered on my own, that night a few weeks ago.
With the water pelting down on us, I say, “He screamed a lot.”
Blaze’s movements still for only a fraction of a second before he continues washing me. “Yeah?”
“Yeah. He begged me not to. But I sawed off his arms first. I should have waited to do that. He bled out before I got to his head. The screaming was done by then.” I lay my head against Blaze’s chest. “Are you going to judge me?”
“No.” Blaze takes some of the off-brand shampoo and lathers it into my hair. “I wanted to do it too. After everything. I’m?—”
I wait.
Blaze sighs and tilts my head up. “I’m sorry. About that night. I’m sorry I was too fucking weak to stand up to them. I’m sorryI let anyone touch you. I’m sorry I let Zayden and my dad get to me, I’m sorry I instigated it, but most of all, I’m sorry I hurt you, Pandora.”
I stare at him, my mouth dropping open.
The shards in my chest that had calmed down start piercing me all over again.
“Is that enough?” I ask, my voice hoarse. “Do I forgive you because you said those words?”
Blaze gives me a sad smile. “Probably not. I mean, I wouldn’t fucking forgive anyone who did that to me. But if you’re going to go on a whole revenge quest, leave Asch—and River—out of it. I’ll take all of your anger. Asch was against it from the start. River… Okay, youdidcut off his finger and keep it as a lucky charm.”
“I didn’t cut it off,” I complain. “That was my dads. And River’s finger is safer with me, anyway.”
The same finger that’s soaking with my clothes now, to remove the piss smell.
Not so safe with me after all.
“You’re so fucked up,” Blaze says breathlessly. “I don’t know why that makes you hotter to me.”
“You’re fucked up too,” I point out. “Mr. I-had-a-classmate-killed-because-he-was-mean-to-Asch.”
“You really need to return those files,” Blaze mutters, but he leans in to kiss me.
I kiss him back, wrapping my arms around him to get as close to him as humanly possible. My breasts press against his chest, every breath causing my nipples to rub against him.
Our slick bodies smell of cheap soap now. The shampoo in my hair washes away, the suds sliding down my back and shoulders.
Blaze groans and rolls his hips against me. His cock hardens as it glides against my skin. I reach down to grip it and help it along.
“Fuck me,” I say with a groan. “Hard. Fast. Like you promised.”
