Serena slammed the door closed behind her and bounded into the adjoining bathroom. She propped her hands on the counter and peered into the mirror.
Her lips and face were red. Much more red than they should have been.
The taste of Atlas lingered in her mouth and on her lips. She licked her bottom lip and encountered the lingering taste of him overcome by the new taste of blood.
A single drop of blood formed on her lip from where Atlas' canine clamped down on her mouth. She wiped a thumb over it, capturing it, and quickly placed her hands under the cold running water of the bathroom facet.
"Shit." She said to her reflection.
She turned around and slid down the cabinetry, landing on the cool tiled floor. She buried her face in her hands, running her fingers through her hair.
"Shit, shit, shit." She whispered to her lap.
A knock came from the bathroom door. Serena's head shot up, banging loudly into the cabinet behind her. She clenched her teeth together and grimaced. After shaking her head, Serena scrambled to her feet and splashed water over her face. She shivered as the excess water spilled down her neck and onto her shirt. She ran to the door and flung it open.
Venus stood, hand up to knock again, before the doorway into the bathroom.
"Hey..." She said confused at Serena's flushed and wet appearance.
"Hey!" Serena beamed, fidgeting in place as she tried to find a place to stand normally.
"What happened to you?" Venus eyed Serena.
Serena pulled her sweater around her body, fixing it to its regular place.
"Nothing happened. Just wanted to freshen up."
"Okay..." Venus turned around and Serena held a hand up to her face, huffing a breath and breathing it in. Not bad, thank God. "I heard some pounding footsteps up the stairs and wanted to make sure you were okay. You were talking with Atlas weren't you?" Venus twirled around and Serena snapped back into place. Venus quirked a brow but didn't comment.
"Yes. I did. I did speak to him, yes." Serena rambled, a smile awkwardly placed on her face.
"Yes, you said that." Venus flopped onto the bed and patted the cushion beside her. Serena ran over and launched herself onto the bed. Venus turned toward Serena, shocked, as she was jolted around the bed by its bouncing. "Tell me what happened. Now."
Serena rolled over and gazed up and the ceiling, fingering her lip.
"He told me they found my dad's body." She started.
Venus jumped up and threw her arms out.
"That's great! Isn't it? Now you can have some closure and put him to rest. Isn't that what you wanted?"
"Yes." Serena sighed and slapped her hands to her face. "I do. I want to bury him at the cabin. That's what he would've wanted." She paused and peered through the cracks of her fingers at Venus. Venus stood there, hanging on Serena's words, eagerly anticipating the news. Serena flopped her head back onto a pillow and sighed again.
"That's not all Atlas and I did in his office." Serena continued.
"Oh?" Venus cocked her head and peered confused at Serena.
"We-" Serena paused, glanced at the door, and back at Venus. "We kissed." She buried her face in her hands, the red glow emanating from between her fingers.
"Shit!" Venus shouted, a smile spread wide over her face. After a second, the smile faded into a concerned frown. "Shit."
"I know." Serena groaned as she cringed. She pulled a blanket up to her chin and rolled over, burying her face in its fluffy comfort.
"It's great! But definitely not the right time for that. My brother did it, didn't he? He has no tact when it comes to this sort of thing. I mean he's only ever had one crush-" Venus paced, hand clutching her chin.
"Venus." Serena sat straight up and held out her hands. "Stop. I did it. I kissed your brother. Well, he kissed me first but I kissed him back so we both did. It was great but not the right time. I just... I just have needed him a lot and he's done so much for me and I-" Serena stopped, her mouth froze open.
"You..." Venus waved her hand wildly in the air between them.
"I. I like him. A lot more than I should." Serena flopped back onto the bed, fingering her injured lip from her encounter with Atlas. Venus scooted over to the bed and leaned close to Serena.
"Tell him that. Maybe not right now, but after you finally have some peace and closure with your dad. After that do something special for him. It'll show him that you care and are intentional. God, I feel like I'm counseling a high schooler." Venus rolled her eyes and trotted toward the door.
"But what would I do for him? What would make it special?" Serena pleaded, she looked dejected sitting on the plush, king-sized bed, alone.
Venus turned around, holding the door tightly. She huffed and rolled her eyes.
"You give him something that you know he would like, tell him a story about your childhood, tell him about your mom. I'm sure he doesn't know about what happened to her. Maybe take him to the river and have dinner. I don't know. Eli always did this stuff for me so I am not the one to be asking. I'll leave you alone with your thoughts!" Venus dipped out of the door with a final wave. Serena scrambled to the edge of the bed shouting after Venus, but to no avail. Her hope for finding something to give Atlas was gone like the breeze.
Serena slid off the bed and trudged slowly toward the bathroom. She undressed and entered the large shower. The hot water poured endlessly over her naked body as she stood there, taking the extreme heat like a noodle in a pot of boiling water.
Her thoughts churned as she recounted her first kiss with her mate. The man she was destined to have. Was he all the world had to offer? Was she all that would fulfill his wants and dreams? What were his dreams?
She bit her lip as the water seared her scabbing lip, shielding it from the water. She slammed a fist into the wall, the force shook her body. She shut the water off and exited the shower. Her hair was wet and dripping as she stood before the fogged mirror. Small streaks of water droplets raced down the glass until most of the fog was gone, captured by the water, or evaporated into the air.
Long knocks sounded on the bathroom door.
"Serena? Are you okay?" Atlas called to her, separated by nothing but a thin piece of wood.