—August 5th, 2025—

I wake up first and see Eli still sleeping on the bed, the light still on from last night. The first thing that crosses my mind isn't the chaos we left behind—it's just how perfect she looks sleeping there. Then, like a tidal wave, everything else crashes in: Sarah, Sarah's family, Eli's fiancé. The weight of it all threatens to overwhelm me.

Quietly, I turn off the lights, leaving only the natural glow from the small window at the top of the room that peeks into the backyard. I approach the door—the one that's notorious for its loud squeaking—and ease it open. To my surprise, it stays silent. "Thank you," I whisper, and I swear it lets out a tiny squeak in response, like a "you're welcome."

In the bathroom, I find myself staring at my reflection. Instead of the expected anxiety, a strange calm washes over me. It's like looking at a new person who's still dealing with the remnants of their old self—like a snake that's just shed its skin but hasn't quite adjusted to the new one. But that's okay. Everything's okay, because Eli's here. For some reason I can't explain, her presence makes everything feel manageable.

My eyes drift to my bare hand, noticing how liberated it feels without the ring. Good riddance, I think to myself. I strip off my clothes and step into the standing shower with its opaque glass panels. I'm tall enough that I can almost see over the top, but not quite. Just as I'm going through my usual shower routine—specifically, while I'm cleaning my more sensitive areas—Eli walks in.

She doesn't knock. Doesn't hesitate. Just walks right in like she owns the place, but wearing my oversized blue shirt from yesterday. It hangs on her like a dress, and even through the frosted glass, I can tell she's moving with that effortless grace that seems to follow her everywhere.

"Morning," she yawns, stretching her arms above her head. The scent that's uniquely hers fills the small bathroom space, mixing with the steam.

I freeze, one hand still awkwardly positioned. "Uh... hi?"

She picks up my toothbrush—my actual toothbrush—and starts using it like it's the most natural thing in the world. "Hope you don't mind," she says through a mouthful of toothpaste. "I forgot mine at the bridal shop. Along with, you know, everything else."

"No, that's... that's fine." I'm still frozen in place, unsure of the proper protocol for this situation. Is there even a protocol for when the girl you ran away with yesterday uses your toothbrush while you're naked in the shower?

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She spits into the sink. "You can keep washing your balls, you know. I promise I won't peek." There's laughter in her voice, and I can see her outline shaking with silent giggles.

"I wasn't—I mean, I was just—" I sputter, but then I hear her laughing outright, and somehow that breaks the tension. I find myself laughing too, the sound echoing off the bathroom tiles.

"You're impossible, you know that?"

"Impossibly perfect," she corrects, and I can hear the smile in her voice. "That's what you were thinking when you woke up, right? I could feel it in my dreams."

I almost drop the soap. "How did you—"

"Just a guess," she says innocently, but there's something in her tone that makes me wonder. "Also, your mom's making breakfast. I can smell the coffee from here. Think we should go up soon?"

The normality of it all—her using my toothbrush, talking about breakfast, teasing me about my shower habits—hits me suddenly. Less than twenty-four hours ago, we were both engaged to other people. Now here we are, sharing a bathroom like we've done it a thousand times before.

And the craziest part? It feels right. All of it. Even the awkward parts.

"Don't you want to shower?" I ask, suddenly remembering she's still in yesterday's clothes.

Time seems to slow down as she starts casually removing her clothes—just my oversized shirt and her underwear. My entire body feels like it's on fire, mind running a thousand simulations at once despite being simultaneously embarrassed, shy, turned on, and completely flabbergasted.

"What are you doing?" I finally manage to sputter. "I meant after me!"

"Oh, right!" She gathers her clothes and moves to the corner. I can barely make out her silhouette through the frosted glass.

"What are you doing over there?"

"I covered up my stuff and closed my eyes," she explains matter-of-factly. "This way you can dry off and leave the bathroom."

My jaw nearly hits the shower floor. This girl is... unexplainable. But something about this absurd situation makes me laugh despite myself. Though now I have another problem to deal with—my body is responding to her presence in a way that's becoming increasingly difficult to ignore.

After a moment, Eli's voice pipes up: "Try cold water on it."

"What—how do you—" I sputter. "Are your eyes really closed?"

"Mhmm," she hums innocently.

I trust her completely, somehow knowing she's telling the truth. Her intuition is wickedly good, which both terrifies and reassures me. I've always wanted to be with someone like this—someone who just knows things without seeing them. I thought I had decent intuition, but Eli's on another level entirely.

"You know what?" Her voice cuts through my thoughts. "This is silly. We literally ran away from our engagements yesterday. Left absolute chaos in our wake. Broke everyone's hearts. What's a little nudity between two people who've already torn down every other social convention?"

Before I can process what she's saying, she's opening the shower door. My heart nearly stops.