?Running With Scissors ?

?c h a p t e r 11?

What do I do now?

I hadn't made a contingency plan. He wasn't supposed to still be in the shower, I mean, we have been in this bunker for several hours now. Luca doesn't exactly strike me as the kind of man who exfoliates; three days ago he didn't strike me as the kind of man who showered at all.

If I was with Michael, I would just walk in on him and say something shady like "But your feet are so big. What happened?"

Luca is not Michael.

Sadness takes over me when I think of my best friend and how selfish I was to leave him behind. If I could talk to him, even if he hates me, just knowing he's alright would be enough for me.

After knocking on the door I begin to panic. If nothing else, he should answer. I look around the room again and wonder if someone had followed us here. What if Luca was being strangled while I'm standing around on the other side of the door?

I call out to him and use a firmer knock but there is no sound other than running water. No 'hold on' or 'what do you want'. Just silence which is normal for Luca but it bothers me. Seeing no other option, I swing the barrier between us open.

"Hello?" I call out.

When I was met with silence again I decide to venture inside. Through the thick smog I make my way towards the shower. I pull open the fog covered glass to see the most beautiful sight.

Luca is rubbing his torso with a sponge while soap falls down over his 'V'. His taunt muscles seem to have no beginning and no end. Water droplets run over his body greedily touching every inch of skin. The way he's turned I can't see any further down but I don't need to. My imagination compensates for lack of view. My jaw hangs open just watching his form. How long had I been watching him, I don't know. I was in a trans until he slipped on the tile flooring and fell on his butt.

"Oh God, are you okay?" I jump in the shower attempting to help him up.

"What the- Scissors, why are you in my shower!?"

He pushes my hand aside and stands. When he's fully vertical I notice he's barely a few inches from me. His chest is slowly rising and falling right in front of my face. If I were to stick my tongue out I could lick his nipple and for a moment I considered it.

"I-I-I um. What?"

"Why. Are. You. In. My. Shower." He says slowly so my brain has time to comprehend each word. He doesn't look angry just a little amused.

"I-You were taking a long time." I look into his black eyes and forget that I'm in a running shower with a very naked Luca.

"Taking- Scissors, you have been asleep for two whole days! I didn't go in there and stare at you."

"Two days! I was asleep for two days and you didn't check on me once!? I could have been dead or choked on my sandwich or slipped in the tub!" I scoff and push at his shoulder. "Really?"

"I was enjoying myself." He actually smiles at me. "The silence, the food... my very quiet and very alone shower. It doesn't happen often."

Understanding what he meant, I took a step backwards. He was stroking the hammer and I had interrupted.

No wonder he didn't answer. When I was .... Well, I didn't answer either which is probably why Michael caught me but whatever. .

"Oh God. I'm sorry. I know how difficult it is to have, you know, happy hammer time. I'll leave so you can, um, finish. Again, I'm so sorry." I'm sure lugging me around the state with him left little if any hammer time at all.

He looks at me confused before realisation strikes and he laughs. It's the first time I heard him do anything other than say things to me in bored annoyance or grunt and I'm taken by surprise.

"I was enjoying my shower, not my hand. But I appreciate you thinking about my needs." He takes a step closer to me making our bodies nearly flush against each other. His entire front is pressed against mine while his hands hold my arms in place and it feels strange. I haven't been this close to a man in years.

"Oh. I just assumed-"

"You're soaked."

"I realise that, Luca."

"Take my towel and go change your clothes. I'll meet you in the media room in twenty minutes." Only then do I notice that the shower is still on, raining on him as well me.

Oh. Yeah that's what I was talking about too.

No sooner do I close the shower door do I hear him laugh again. Even though it's basically at my expense, I enjoy it. A bit too much to be honest.

***

He arrives to the media room exactly twenty minutes later to his word but unlike earlier, he doesn't look to be in a good mood.

"Scissors, we need to talk."

Oh no. He wants to have that awkward 'you saw me naked' talk. I hate those talks. The problem is now I cant look at him without seeing him in the shower and blushing.

Get a grip Constance. He's just a guy.

A hot guy.

No. No. No. I cannot like him. He said that we're not running from Eli so my issues are only going to get larger. Luca can't become a distraction.

"Talk?" I gulp. "Talk about what? What is there to talk about? I don't know what you're talking about. I don't have anything to talk about so how about neither of us talk. . just like we did the entire car ride here. In fact. . in fact, I think I'm still mad at you. I can't remember why, though. . . how about you enlighten me as to why I was mad so I can go back to that? Yes, that sounds like a good idea. I can be mad at you and not think about you shirtless or clothesless in general. We can go back to the silence. I like silence you know. . ."

"Really? I figured you were allergic to silence."

"Nope. Silence is golden and I'm golden so I'll just be quiet for the rest of eternity." I turn my head away from him and his still damp hair, his perfectly crooked nose and jaw stubble.

You will not catch feelings.

You will NOT catch feelings.

Think of running. Think of Michael. Think of anything other than wet abs.

"Fine. I will talk and you will listen. You need to pay attention because I'm going to trust you and hopefully save both of our lives."

He's going to tell me the truth! Trust me! Why on earth he would do that, I have no clue but right now I don't care. Call me crazy but I would like to know why I'm on the run and why people who aren't Eli are trying to end me.

***
But, really, who of us haven't had to run away from someone who's trying to kill us?

Just me?

Well then. .