Mason smiled before scratching her nose. In a tone that sounded both reprehensive yet loving, he chided, “You didn’t even spend a minute in here before sneaking out, you rascal!”
Knowing that someone cared for her had Janet feeling warm and fuzzy all of a sudden. After saying that, Mason tugged on her hand to lead her to the bathroom.
“What’s the matter?” Her face turned a pinkish hue. Is he planning on bathing with me?
“Let’s bathe!” Mason chuckled, then carried her on his shoulder when she had her guard down. There was a shift in Janet’s countenance when she fell backward onto his shoulder.
Ever since they got into the bathroom, Janet had been shrieking nonstop for twenty minutes straight. “Hey, d-don’t stare! Close your eyes!”
“Let me help you!”
“I don’t need your help!”
“You got me all worried, you rascal!”
After ten or so minutes of the ordeal, Janet’s face was flushing a deep crimson red. She felt like she was about to meet her creators while her heart palpitated like never before, as it was their first time ever seeing each other naked. Although she had been trying to cover herself with a towel, the thin fabric was torn when Mason tugged on it.
It wasn’t until then that she knew how horrid he could be. In the end, she managed to escape after a desperate struggle. She had her eyes closed all the while. It was thanks to her excellent sense of direction that she didn’t slip and fall on the floor.
When Mason got back out from the bathroom, Janet was already fast asleep on the bed with a towel wrapped around her. He toweled his hair dry while staring at her tiny frame on the bed with a deep gaze, the sight of it disturbing the tranquility within him. Putting the towel aside, he straddled the bed while dragging his slender fingers across her delicate face.
Janet could feel his breathing tingling her ear. Turning her head to face him, she had a gentle gaze in her eye when she inquired, “What’s wrong? Aren’t you going to bed?”
Upon hearing that, Mason reached out to caress her hair before speaking in a hoarse voice. “You should dry your hair.” Sleeping with wet hair can lead to a headache. She shouldn’t be stubborn about it even if she was a doctor.
Thus, she got up with narrowed eyes, but she didn’t move otherwise.
In the meantime, Mason retrieved the hair dryer from the bathroom before sitting down by the bed. Upon recalling that Janet was about to resume her studies, he asked, “When do you want to go back to Sandfort City?”
She pondered on the subject. “You decide.”
“Then we’ll sleep through the morning. We can always return at night.”
“Okay.”
After giving her reply, Janet was suddenly jolted awake when she recalled a question that she had been meaning to ask. In a hushed voice that was devoid of emotion, she probed, “Will you promise to help me out if I ever want to do something in Sandfort City?”
Smiling, Mason planted a kiss on her forehead. “Of course. What do you want to do?”
“Nothing.” Janet shook her head. She knew he would help settle all of her problems in secret if he ever knew about her wish to set up a base in Sandfort City, which was something that worried her.
Mason assumed that the question was but a result of her grogginess, so he paid no heed to it. Lowering his head, he took in the scent of shampoo and her bodily scent when he sniffed on her hair. It made him feel dizzy, stirring up certain notions that were taboo. He didn’t expect himself to carry her into the bathroom so impulsively, which he regretted as he felt the bulging sensation of his erection.
