The only bathing products in the apartment had a distinct and stereotypically masculine smell. It was different from the scent she picked up off Gu Cheng when he got so close in the vehicle, most likely from someone else who had stayed there temporarily. She wrinkled her nose but used a small amount to aid the washcloth in scrubbing her body. Hair could wait until proper products were found, ones that did not smell so much like a teenage boy on a date. A small container of shampoo and body wash, more things that would have to go on the purchasing list.
It was so cold when she stepped out of the bedroom that the oversized towel wrapped around her body and the smaller towel around her head were not enough. Her teeth were chattering. The nice, dry sweatsuit was sitting tidily on top of the bed, begging to be put on. That's when she realized that she had no undergarments to put on underneath the nice dry sweatsuit...
Zaria stepped back into the bathroom, which was still warm with all the steam in the air, and picked up her pile of wet clothing. Everything was so wet that she could squeeze water out of it. Even her bra was damp enough that there was no chance of putting it back on until it dried out. In the small room that held the washer and dryer, there were no detergent tablets or anything of that sort, so she could not wash the items until taking a trip to the store. The list was getting longer with things that she had not been thinking of needing.
She contemplated the idea of just putting everything into the dryer and wearing it all until she could find a nearby convenience store. But the idea of drying the body sweat and other stuff on it and baking in the smells was just gross. So she took the underwear back into the bathroom and rinsed the items thoroughly in the sink, rubbing at them to at least friction clean them before putting them in the dryer on a delicate cycle. Hopefully, with nothing else in the little dryer, the items would not take long to dry.
The air was too chill, so with no other choices, she pulled on the sweatsuit 'commando' style and pulled the drawstring tight around the waist before tying it off. It was obvious that her hips were a size larger than the pants were comfortably designed for, but the waist was baggy enough that she was worried if she didn't tie it off, they would worm their way down her hips. The ankles were rolled up a a few times to keep from dragging on the ground, as was the sleeve on her right arm. The thick plaster of the cast on her left arm at least kept the wrist of the sweatshirt from sliding down over her hand.
There was no bitterness about the bagginess of the borrowed clothes. The gesture was very kind and very unexpected. She felt that she should reevaluate her powerful boss. Perhaps he was not so cold and rude as she thought. Or maybe he just had a hidden reservoir of pity. Whichever, the clothing was appreciated. The humor in the situation did not escape her. Initially, she ran from the car to the walkway so that Gu Cheng would not be put out trying to keep her dry, but she ended up needing him to deal with the aftermath.
Having clothes that did not fit right was a way of life for most women. Finding anything to fit a petite frame could be as hard as finding nice clothing for a plus sized one. In her own country, curves were planned around, so clothing fit with more ease at the hips and butt, although they still assumed that women were overall only minimally curvy. The height issue meant going to the petite departments of most stores, and the styles were often bland or designed for older women. Working in the little clothing shop owned by Auntie Wang this last week she could see that height was less of a problem, the average height in this country being closer to her own, but the clothing had less give at the hips and butt. There would never be a perfect fit for everyone, and the sweats at least had a bit of stretch and were warm.
She sat on the edge of the bed, squeezing out what water ended up in her hair, and unlocked her new phone. She pulled up the messaging tab and selected the only person in her contacts list to send a thank you. Looking at the keyboard, she knew she would have a problem typing things out. However, the pendant worked, it not only let her understand others and they her, it also helped her to read things written in other languages.
The issue she had while reading over the contract at the office was that the grammar didn't change to what she was familiar with. The keyboard was based off of the language of the country she was in, not the 26 letter arrangement she was used to. She tried using talk text, and the words went on the screen in a way that made sense, so she planned on sending messages that way if it was needed. It was either that or trying to find an app that would give her a keyboard she was used to.
While she was playing around with the keyboard, a pleasant chime sounded inside the apartment. Assuming it was the doorbell, Zaria carefully arranged the towel around her shoulders to hide the obvious fact that she had no bra on and slipped the new slippers on to walk to the front door. She opened the door a few inches and peeped out.
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Clad in a pair of black athletic pants and a white t-shirt that looked so soft that she wanted to rub her hands on it, Gu Cheng looked far more casual than she had seen him before. One hand was stuck in a side pocket of the loose-fitting polyester pants while the other hung down at his side. Realizing that she had been staring at the way the t-shirt fit his shoulders, she tore her eyes away from the hinted at muscles and brought them up to meet his. For a second, she thought she caught a hint of a smile on his lips, but it was gone so quickly she couldn't be sure.
"Are you ready for dinner?"
"Can I have a little bit more time? I put a couple of things in the dryer, and I am waiting for it to get done. I can check how much time is left?" She started to close the door and thought to herself that it might be rude, so she adjusted the towel better and opened the door so that her new boss could enter.
"Those are fine. It is just the two of us. There is no need to wait on your other clothes to dry." Gu Cheng stepped into the tile entryway, filling the space with his presence.
"Actually, uhm, there are a couple of things that I need even with these," her voice trailed off, and she fidgeted with the towel around her shoulders. Gu Cheng watched her movements with an inquisitive look on his face. She steeled her spine and said clearly, "Things I don't want to talk to my boss about. I will go and see how it is going."
Zaria dodged back around the corner and checked on the dryness of her undergarments. They were much less damp than before, but still damp. She went back toward the entryway, relief clear in her voice. "Actually, it should only be maybe ten more minutes? It seems to be a very efficient machine." She looked around the living room, wondering if she should invite him to stay while it finished. Gu Cheng solved the problem for her by sliding his feet out of his casual sneakers and pulling a pair of unopened slippers from the cabinet. "Would you like to sit in the living room while we wait? I assume there is a kitchen somewhere here, but I have not had the chance to wander around much. I could see if there are glasses to get you some water."
Gu Cheng nodded and followed her inside. He pointed to the left of the living room, just around the divider wall for the entry area, and Zaria went to explore the kitchen and dining area while he walked forward to take a seat on the couch.
The kitchen was neat and bare, cabinet doors closed, and counter tops clear. Zaria poked around in the different cabinets before finding one that had a half dozen glasses stored in it. She pressed the glass against the water button on the door of the refrigerator and filled the glass to half full. She carried the glass back into the living room triumphantly, feeling much like a proud hunter returning with their kill. She grinned as she explained, "I am sorry for the wait, I had to find which cabinet the glasses were in."
The grin faded from her face. Gu Cheng was looking at the glass being held in front of him as though she might have put poison in it. She silently placed the water glass on a coaster on top of the table in front of him before sitting down on the other couch.
"I'm sorry, I would have offered you an unopened bottle of water, but the refrigerator and cabinets are empty except for some dishes and cookware." She cleared her throat awkwardly. "Is there perhaps a convenience store or a grocery store nearby? I don't know the city at all..."
Gu Cheng watched her carefully below half lowered lids. He reached forward and picked up the glass of water, taking a long drink before setting it down again. "I can take you there tomorrow after we end work."
"That's not necessary," she quickly responded, a polite smile pasted on her lips. "I can go there myself. Actually..." She hopped off of the couch and scurried into the main bedroom, coming back a moment later with her new phone in hand. She pulled her feet beneath her on the couch, curling up like a snail shell with a shiver. White teeth bit down on her lower lip as she began tapping on the screen in front of her. "Ah, I can see there are a few places not too far. I thought it would be weird not to have something in such an obviously residential area."
Gu Cheng furrowed his brows and levered himself off of the couch, crossing to a trunk near the sliding doors leading to a large covered balcony. He pulled a throw blanket out and closed the trunk again before going to the couch where Zaria sat. He covered her with the blanket and went back to his recently vacated spot. "You should dry your hair. Is there not a blow dryer in the bathroom?"
"Oh, I think I did see one when I was looking for a waste bag, but I can't blow dry my hair unless I can condition it correctly beforehand. It will get too dry and break." She looked up from the phone for a moment. "That's right, I meant to ask. Did someone else recently live here? I found some men's body wash and used a little because I don't have anything here right now. I can replace it, though!"
He frowned, and Zaria frowned as well. " I am sorry, I should have asked first. That was very rude of me."
"No, you did nothing wrong. Sometimes, when my younger brother is in town, I let him stay here so that he doesn't have to go immediately to our family home. He must have left it behind. He won't notice if some is missing."
"I see, your younger brother. That makes sense. A lot of young men like those...strong scents. I never quite understood it. It can't be being done for female enjoyment because every woman I know hates those kinds of strong smells." Her eyes opened wide, and her head came up with a panicked expression. "Not that I am insulting your brother and his choice of smells! And it's not all young men, I mean, you are not old, and you smell amazing..." She was interrupted by the sound of a timer going off back in the area where the dryer was. "Oh, thank goodness," she moaned and ran out of the room as fast as her legs could take her.