Imagine by Christiane Shoenhair, Liam McEvilly Page B

handcuffs undone I s hake my hand free and jump out of bed, I sprint towards the bathroom, completely ignoring the giggles of laughter I hear from behind me. My shirt and jeans that I thought looked so nice the night of the ‘party’ are now completely ruined, I probably smell awful too, I’m slightly embarrassed to look and smell this way, especially as he looks really good. In his navy sweatpants and a loose fitting black shirt, with his hair all tousled and that wicked smirk on his face.
    I don’t know when he changed his clothes; it was definitely after I had fallen asleep though. The last thing I remembered before he got into bed was him taking his shirt off. I remember his broad shoulders and tan skin.
    I head over to the other curtained area and notice the toilet for the first time. I say toilet, it’s more of a wooden seat with a bucket underneath it. There is some toilet p aper however. I use the bathroom and then take a look in the shower area. I cannot wait to take a nice long hot soak in there to wash all of the dirt and grime of the last two days off my body. The only issue is that it seems that I am going to have to find water from somewhere first.
    As I return to the living area I notice that the sleeping bag at the foot of the bed has been disturbed, that must have been where Keagan slept last night. It doesn’t look comfortable at all.
    He is sitting at the dining table and I walk over to join him. It’s still pretty early in the morning, my brain isn’t fully awake yet so I have no idea where to even start the conversation, I wonder if he feels the same. So I decide to just cut to the chase. The shower. But he beats me to it, without turning around he says
    “I would just take a basin of water and a bar of soap to have a quick wash if I were you. I know that you probably would love a long, hot shower but you’re just going to get dirty again soon, you’ve got a lot of work to do today.”
    “Why? What do I have to do?” I reply, the sound of disappointment clear in my voice
    “Well, my M om will be here in the next 30 minutes or so to start teaching you your housekeeping duties. So, go and wash up then we’ll have something to eat so you are prepared” he tells me as he leaves his seat and takes a loaf of brown bread and butter from a cupboard. The bread looks homemade, I can smell it, I am hungry and look forward to eating, but I need to shower first before I do anything else.
    I grab the pitcher of water that we drank from yesterday and head into the shower room, the promise of food has successfully distracted me from the hot shower.
    Taking the rough washcloth and soap from the shower, I gratefully strip off all of my filthy clothes. To my delight I found a comfortable looking set of sweats neatly folded on the stool that held the basin in the shower room, and I go to work on scrubbing myself clean, it feels amazing! I cannot believe how dirty I really am, by the time I am done the water in the basin is a dark, rusty brown color. I hastily throw on the outfit and head back out to eat with Keagan.
    The bread is just as delicious as I thought it was going to be, it has a dark, hardened crust and a soft, chewy center. The butter is slightly sweet and goes with the bread perfectly. I enjoy every bite I take; it has been too long since I have had homemade bread. While we eat Keagan and I do not talk, just as I am finishing my last bite there is a knock on the door, Helen enters the house, without waiting for the door to be answered.
    “Keagan, Trish . What a beautiful morning!” she greats us with a warm smile as she closes the door behind herself. She is wearing a blue cotton dress that has a small white daisy sown right underneath her left collarbone, her hair is braided into two French braids and she is carrying a hand-woven basket. She takes a seat on one of the chairs and puts the basket down on top of the table.
    “Alright Keagan, now that I am here to instruct Trish on her womanly