Taking a Shower
Was he really sure he wanted to take a shower in this state?
"Yeah, I feel uncomfortable," he replied.
Seeing him covered in grime, Janelle nodded.
"Alright, go ahead and shower. If you feel any discomfort, call me. I'll be right outside."
He was a grown man; she couldn't very well help him bathe!
"Mm."
Erik entered the bathroom.
Listening to the sound of running water from the shower, Janelle sat on the sofa, feeling restless. Remembering he had no clean underwear, she got up and went downstairs to the convenience store to buy him some.
When she returned, he still hadn't come out. She gently knocked on the bathroom door.
"Erik? Aren't you done yet?"
Didn't men usually shower quickly? It had been twenty minutes already. Why wasn't he out?
Could he have passed out in there?
"Erik? Can you hear me?"
There was still no response. Janelle had no choice but to open the door and go in.
As a result, she saw Erik standing under the showerhead, his hand... washing there.
"..."
Janelle's face flushed involuntarily.
The scene was too stimulating. What had she just seen?
"..."
Erik hadn't expected her to come in either. The temperature in the cramped bathroom suddenly soared.
"Did you want to shower too?" he asked.
Janelle was furious.
This man was doing it on purpose!
"You didn't hear me calling? I think you're doing this deliberately!" This man was always like this, constantly trying to seduce her. He was completely up to no good.
Seeing her angry and about to leave, Erik immediately grabbed her hand, disregarding the fact he was currently wearing nothing at all.
"Janelle, I genuinely didn't hear you call. I have a bit of tinnitus right now."
He was truly innocent!
"Tinnitus? Is it a concussion? Get dressed and come out. I'll call the doctor."
"You won't leave, will you?" he asked, like a big dog afraid of being abandoned by its owner.
"No."
After saying this, Janelle pretended to be aloof as she walked out.
However, the bathroom floor was very slippery. Janelle almost slipped.
Luckily, Erik reacted quickly and caught her.
Her hand pressed against his solid chest.
She felt her hand burn from the contact.
"Are you okay? Why are you panicking? It's not like you haven't seen or touched every part of me before?"
"..."
Janelle was utterly speechless.
She pushed him away.
Unwilling to touch his body.
"I'm going out first."
The bathroom was already an extremely intimate place, especially with Erik stark naked.
Wasn't he embarrassed?
Erik helped her out.
"Wait for me outside for a bit."
Being with her in such an intimate space like the bathroom, pressed so close together – how could he not feel anything?
He desperately needed a cold shower right now.
"Mm."
Janelle went out. Erik quickly rinsed off.
Waiting outside, Janelle suddenly remembered she still had the underwear she bought for him.
She went over and knocked again.
"What is it?"
Didn't this girl realize how much she affected him?
He was already struggling as it was!
"The underwear I bought you."
Only then did Erik remember this was a hospital room; Bryan hadn't brought him any change of clothes.
Erik opened the bathroom door a crack.
Janelle handed the underwear she bought him through the gap.
"Janelle, thank you."
"..."
Janelle only felt her face burning. She went to pour herself a glass of water.
After drinking a glass of ice water, she finally suppressed the restlessness inside her.
Soon, Erik came out. The underwear she bought him... was too small.
It was incredibly tight and uncomfortable.
"Go to sleep early!"
Janelle didn't plan to shower here.
This was a hospital. She actually disliked hospitals intensely.
Hospitals only left her with terrible memories.
"You sleep in the bed. I'll sleep on the sofa," Erik said, sitting down on the sofa. He was a grown man; he couldn't let a young woman sleep on the sofa!
"No, you're the patient. You take the bed," Janelle insisted firmly.
One sat on the sofa, the other stood in front of it.
"Be good and go to sleep. It's been a tiring day," Erik coaxed.
She had just flown back from Imperial Capital today, worked half the afternoon, and then this happened in the evening.
"Erik, you take the bed," she repeated, unwavering.
"Alright."
Knowing she wasn't someone who changed her mind easily, he could only go to the bed.
Seeing him finally lying down, Janelle also lay down on the sofa.
"If you feel any discomfort, remember to call me. I'm tired."
Janelle closed her eyes after speaking.
She was genuinely exhausted and soon fell asleep.
In her dream, she was back in a hospital.
She watched as her mother was diagnosed with a mental illness, injected with sedatives, and cruelly sent to a psychiatric hospital.
"Mom!"
Madalyn was her only weakness. And the scenes from five years ago transformed one by one into inescapable nightmares.
Erik hadn't been asleep. Hearing her distress, he got out of bed and walked to the sofa.
He crouched down beside her.
He saw her drenched in sweat, her hands clenched tightly into fists.
Her fingernails were digging into her palms.
"Janelle, wake up. You're having a nightmare," he said softly.
Seeing her like this tore at Erik's heart.
Her sleep quality was so poor. Why did she have nightmares so easily? What was causing her such pain?
However, trapped in the nightmare, Janelle couldn't wake up.
She curled into a tiny ball, as if only that posture could offer her security.
Erik sat on the sofa and gathered her into his arms.
Held like this, Janelle's body gradually relaxed.
Her tightly clenched fists loosened.
Seeing the marks her nails had left on her own palms, his heart ached intensely.
He took her hand and kissed her palm.
"Don't be afraid. I'm here."
What had forced the little princess of Graham City to become so insecure?
What was causing her such agony?
Erik's heart felt torn. Whatever it was, he wanted to heal her shattered heart.
The sofa was far too small; there was no room for both of them.
Erik picked her up and carried her to the hospital bed. The narrow single bed (approx. 1.2 meters wide) was barely sufficient for Erik's tall frame alone.
Now it held two people.
The delicate young woman and the large man lay facing each other. The man's hand gently patted the young woman's back.
Holding warm jade and fragrant beauty in his arms, yet Erik felt no lustful thoughts at this moment – only heartache.
If he could, he wanted to enter her dream.
He wanted to bear everything for her, to erase all unhappiness.
"Sleep, my princess," Erik whispered tenderly.
He then kissed her forehead.
The first rays of morning sunlight streamed through the hospital room window.
Janelle woke up. Opening her eyes, she saw Erik's impossibly handsome face right in front of her.
"..."
They had slept facing each other, embraced.
Right now, his large hand still rested on her waist.
And a man's morning physical reaction was... quite pronounced.
It pressed insistently against her.
This man... even in his sleep, he was perverted.
Janelle wanted to push his hand away and get out of bed.
"Good morning, little fox."
Erik was awake. His beautiful phoenix eyes gazed directly at her.