Karma rolled out of bed and landed lightly on her feet. She grabbed one of Rea's button-up shirts out of the plastic drawers and slipped the garment over her head. Without making a sound, she crept into the bathroom and used the facility before returning to the bedroom again.
When she came out, Rea was snoring. Even while he slept, he looked handsome. A lock of red hair covered one eye. His face seemed serene. Worry was no longer evident. She resisted the urge to crawl back in bed and wake him in a very naughty way. He looked so calm she didn't have the heart to wake him, even if it would be fun. It made sense why he slept so hard. They had been up most of the night. Not that she was complaining.
Last night, she'd been awakened by him twice. Both times were everything she loved about him.
The first time he woke her, he was sweet and loving. Carefully he pulled her to him and touched every inch of her as if trying to memorize her skin. She could tell by his murmurs of approval that he missed her screams of pleasure and her declarations of love.
The second time she'd stroked him until, out of pure frustration, he'd flipped her over and took her from behind. She thought she should be more tired after a night like that, but for some reason, she was refreshed.
Instead of getting back into bed, she meandered to the computer and clicked on a few of the buttons that showed different areas of the water bases. Strange, but snooping around the computer seemed natural. Nothing looked familiar on the screen like she'd hoped, so she roamed into the kitchen space. She figured she could make Rea food as she ambled past the dark wood cabinets and tan counter. She opened broken drawers and the fridge, but she didn't know what he would want to eat.
Frustration flooded her that she couldn't remember even the most basic item as what he ate for breakfast. Giving up on food, she glanced at the clock on the microwave in the kitchen. The time blinked 7:11. Her body had summoned her awake early. She thought about that. Karma was restless and fidgety. Did she normally get up this early? She used to love to sleep in and snuggle all day in bed.
As she glanced around the room, a few other thoughts struck her as well. From what she gathered, this was an entirely different water base than the one they grew up on. If that was the case, everything looked exactly like she remembered. The broken plastic drawers that held his clothes were in the corner. The blanket on his bed was the same thin rag with the blue diamond pattern. The few plates and cups in the cabinets were adorned with the same green flowers. Even the bathroom layout was identical to what she remembered. If she and Rea were so much older, why was their home the same? Why had the two of them not cleaned his room and decorated it together? Did Rea's father still hate her? She remembered how bad life got right after Rea's mom died. Was he still being beaten? Too many unanswered questions nagged her, and she resolved to get some answers today. When Rea awoke, she would ask him then.
Karma headed back to the computer, not bothering to turn on any of the lights since her eyes had adjusted to the dark perfectly. As she moved silently so as to not wake Rea, she passed by the kitchen table. When she reached one of the pushed-in chairs, her ears picked up the sound of footsteps outside the door. Shuffling around the table, Karma checked to see if Rea had awoken.
Curious about who would be here this early, she opened the door. Gears stood outside the door with his fist raised in a position to knock. A look of surprise was written on his face when she appeared. He cleared his throat uncomfortably.
"Good morning," she whispered with a slight nod.
Karma didn't know why, but around the doctor, she was edgy. It was as if there was a secret he wasn't telling her. Gears looked at her with distrust, and she considered all the actions she could've done to warrant that expression.
"Good morning, Karma." Gears gave a solemn smile. He looked around the hall nervously. He then tried to lean past the doorframe. "Is Rea here?"
"He's sleeping," Karma kept her voice low so she wouldn't wake Rea. Why did everyone keep asking stupid questions? Of course, Rea was here. Where else would he be? She waited for Gears to say more. Did he regularly show up this early? That seemed odd.
"He's sleeping, really?" Gears' eyes went wide, but Karma couldn't think of what could possibly be so shocking about that. People had to sleep, didn't they?
As a snore cut into the brief pause in the conversation, Gears began looking her up and down. She could tell he assessed her and drew conclusions as to what they'd been doing last night. She tugged at the bottom of Rea's shirt and wished the fabric was longer. Awkwardly she brushed her wild hair so the tendrils didn't look like she'd just been rolling around in bed.
"He had intercourse with you?" Gears' voice went high on the last word. He cleared his throat and pushed up his glasses in a nervous gesture. Karma thought she was either getting used to that particular move or his action was familiar.
"We're grown adults. I don't think you should be concerned. People do sleep, they have sex, and they eat too. It's all really boring, actually. I thought you were a doctor."
There was something about Gears' reaction that bothered her. She had the impression that when she talked to him, he silently interrogated her. Maybe she had caused some type of rift between Rea and Gears. It was also possible Rea's father could favor the doctor over Rea. There was a chance Gears worked for Rea's dad and reported back. If they would just tell her what was wrong, she was sure she could make amends.
Gears recovered and collected his reaction. She noticed a tiny smile play on his lips.
"That came out all wrong. You're right. I'm a doctor. I was making sure you were healing. I didn't want you to engage in any activity that might not be good for your health. I know you're an adult. I was concerned as your doctor only. Just keep your wounds clean. That's important. I always say cleanliness is next to godliness." Gears paused like he wasn't sure what he should say next. "I brought you some clothes my girlfriend left at my place. I thought you might need them."
Karma looked down at the pile of fabric in his arms and relaxed. Maybe she'd gotten Gears all wrong. She offered him a small smile. She shouldn't be so quick to judge. He was the doctor here. Karma should give him the benefit of the doubt.
"Thanks for the clothes. I didn't know I didn't have any here. Where are my clothes normally?"
Gears looked uneasy and glanced past her again. Was he hoping Rea would answer the question? Another awkward silence filled the air between them.
"Maybe you should wake Rea and tell him what time it is. You can ask him your questions. This is a friendly doctor's suggestion." With that curious sentence, the doctor departed.
Karma was left standing in the doorway. As Gears left, she mulled over what to do next.
She supposed the first thing she should do is get dressed. She closed the door and went into the bathroom to try on the clothes.
One by one, she tried them on, only to find nothing fit properly. If this clothing was Gears' girlfriend's, then the other girl was a lot shorter than Karma.
Finally, she discovered a pair of black stretchy pants that had enough fabric to cover her legs down to her knees. She then chose the largest shirt. The top was royal blue, and the garment covered her breasts but clung to her like a second skin. Since she couldn't find anything else that fit, she dressed. She then brushed out her hair.
As soon as she got back into the bedroom, she decided it was probably a good idea to take Gears' advice and wake Rea. A part of her didn't want to, but if he had somewhere to be, she would hate if he slept all day and missed his appointments.
From what she gathered, Rea was a busy man. If his father were around, he wouldn't be happy if Rea wasn't doing whatever he was supposed to be doing. The idea of meeting an irate Rea's father was a frightening thought. She remembered how he used to bust into Rea's room. She hoped he didn't still do that.
Karma curled on her side and cushioned her head next to Rea's face. She softly kissed him and waited to see if he would wake. He mumbled incoherent words in his sleep and moved closer to her. When his hand found her breast, he brushed his fingers over her shirt and then gave a lazy smile. She loved when he did that, and she scooted closer so he could wrap his arm all the way around her.
"Hey, handsome," Karma purred as his eyes leisurely lifted open.
"What's going on, Kitten?" he mumbled sleepily, still caressing her.
"It's past seven, so I thought maybe I should wake you. We could have breakfast or…."
The word "seven" brought out the strangest reaction in Rea. One moment he snuggled next to her, making lazy circles on her back, and the next second he'd thrown himself out of bed as if he'd been on razor blades.