All Four Of Me

Chapter 5

KENZIE

Waking up was the hardest task I had faced in weeks.

My body has moulded itself into the plush mattress and the warmth radiating from the cocoon of blankets is enough to make me never want to get up. I'm vaguely aware of the sounds of movement coming from outside my room, but I'm too immersed in the blissful feeling of restfulness to investigate.

A quiet knock on my door draws me slightly out of my sleepy state but not enough for me to get out of bed. The door creaks open and after a second of silence Nathan steps into the room dressed in jeans and a cozy looking jacket, the complete opposite of the formal clothes he was wearing yesterday. He investigates my still form for a moment before I shift my face slightly towards him, indicating that I am awake.

"Good morning honey, did you have a nice sleep?" he asks in a gentle voice, obviously aware that I am still in the space between sleep and wakefulness.

"So nice." I mumble, curling into the blankets further in an attempt to suck up every last bit of warmth that I can.

Nathan laughs quietly at my response before stepping closer and sitting at the edge of my bed near my feet. He doesn't touch me, which I am grateful for, but his close proximity draws me out of my blissful bubble.

"That's good. I did come up here a couple of hours ago to see if you were awake, but you looked so peaceful and after how tired you looked last night, I figured we would let you sleep in a little bit." He adds.

"Thank you." I say, raising myself into a sitting position, but keeping the blankets tucked close to my body. I have no doubt in my mind that it is just as cold today as it was yesterday and keeping the residual warmth from my blankets for a little longer isn't going to hurt.

"Anyway, you should go take a shower, get in some nice fresh clothes and we will find you some breakfast." Nathan suggests, looking at the top half of my body which are still clad in yesterday's clothes.

"Ok." I reply, rubbing my eyes with the heels of my palms in an attempt to knead out the last of my sleepiness.

"Oh, you might want to wear some socks while you walk around the house. The floorboards and tiles can get quite nippy in the winter months." Nathan explains, standing up from my bed and walking towards the door.

"Thanks for the tip." I say appreciatively even though his kindness makes me feel slightly awkward.

"You're welcome." He grins cheerily before finally leaving the room.

What I really want to do is stay snuggled up in bed, but the idea of a hot shower and clean clothes becomes equally as tempting when yesterday's memories flood my brain. I have been in these clothes for well over 24 hours and I don't particularly care for the grimy feeling that suddenly makes itself known on my skin.

With that thought in mind, I quickly pull the blankets off my body and climb off the giant squishy mattress. Looking around the room I notice a single white towel folded neatly on top of the desk. It wasn't there last night so Nathan must have placed it there while I was still asleep. I grab the towel and my backpack before walking across the hallway to the room Nathan pointed out as the bathroom.

Showering quickly, I do my best to wash the greasy feeling from my skin before turning my attention towards my hair which, before being soaked by the shower jet, was hanging in oily tangles down my shoulders. I had to use their shower gel for my body as they didn't have any other soap in the bathroom and it seems like I am going to have the same problem with hair products.

Trying not to think too far into it, I quickly soap up my hair with the shampoo, ignoring the sharp masculine scent, before rinsing it out and stepping out of the shower. The fluffy white towel is wrapped around my body in seconds as the cool air bites at my damp skin.