"Eli!" I yelp, trying to cover myself with my hands.

She's standing there, completely bare and completely unashamed. "Hi," she says with that impossibly perfect smile. "Mind if I join you? We'll save water this way."

My brain short-circuits. She's even more beautiful than I imagined, and I've definitely been imagining. "I... uh... what?"

"Tris," she says softly, stepping closer. "Stop thinking so much. Everything's already upside down. Maybe it's time we just... let it be upside down."

And somehow, that makes perfect sense. In a world where we've already broken every rule, maybe the only thing left to do is embrace the chaos. So I do. I let my hands drop to my sides, letting her see all of me as I see all of her.

Her eyes sparkle with appreciation. "See? Not so hard, is it?"

"That's... debatable," I mumble, making her laugh.

We end up sharing the shower, the initial nervousness melting away under the warm water. She turns her back to me, tilting her head back. "Help me with my hair?"

I work the shampoo into her golden strands, amazed at how natural this feels. Her natural scent seems to intensify with the steam, making my head spin slightly.

"Mmm, you're good at this," she purrs. "Like you've done it a thousand times before."

"Maybe I have," I joke. "In another life."

She turns to face me, soap suds sliding down her face. "You believe in that stuff? Past lives?"

You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

"I mean... yeah. Don't you ever get that feeling? Like you're remembering something instead of experiencing it for the first time?"

She reaches up to wash my hair in return, her small hands massaging my scalp. "Like right now? Because this feels..."

"Familiar," we say in unison, then burst out laughing.

"Okay, that was spooky," I say, wiping shampoo from my eyes.

"Was it though?" She gets a thoughtful look. "Or maybe it's just... right. Like we're finally doing what we're supposed to be doing."

We take turns rinsing off, playfully fighting for space under the shower head. She flicks water at my face, and I retaliate by shaking my head like a dog, making her squeal with laughter. It should be awkward—we've known each other less than a week—but instead it feels like we're making up for lost time. Like our souls have done this dance before, and our bodies are just now catching up.

After drying off, wrapped in towels, we head back to my room to figure out clothes. Eli's eyes light up when I open my closet.

"Oh my god, is that a Gear 5 Luffy hoodie?" She practically dives into the closet, pulling out my prized white hoodie with Luffy's awakened form outlined in black. "Can I wear this? Please?"

"You like One Piece?" I ask, then immediately feel stupid because of course she does—her whole face is glowing as she hugs the hoodie to her chest.

"Like it? I've been reading it weekly for years! This is from the limited Uniqlo drop, isn't it? I tried to get one but they sold out so fast!"

She slips it on over her bare skin, and my breath catches. The hoodie is huge on her—the sleeves completely cover her hands and it hangs almost to her knees—but somehow she makes it look perfect. Like it was meant to be worn by her all along.

"Hold on," I say, digging through a drawer. "Here." I hand her a pair of black running shorts with a drawstring waist.

"Perfect!" She pulls them on under the hoodie, rolling the waistband several times. "How do I look?"

"Like you've been stealing my clothes for years," I admit, making her beam.

I throw on some gray sweatpants and a black t-shirt with the Strawhat Pirates' jolly roger on it. When I turn around, I catch her studying me with an appreciative look that makes my cheeks heat up.

"We match," she says happily, pointing between my shirt and her hoodie. "Now everyone will know we're in the same crew."

Something about that statement hits deeper than it should, like she's speaking in code about more than just anime references. We head upstairs for breakfast, my heart feeling lighter than it has in years, despite the mess waiting for us in the outside world.