Twilight Express, Chapter Nine: Afternoon

New readers may want to begin at Chapter One.

The bathtub situation wasn't as disastrous as Melina first thought. The discarded washcloth had been sucked into the floor's drain, and the water cleared quickly after its removal.

After a late breakfast, the two set off on a hike through the woods adjoining the house, leaving the marble bath filled and heated for their return. After about an hour, they came to a small clearing. They both sat down and shared a thermos of coffee. Shinichi took off his sunglasses, pulled off his shirt and lay down next to Melina.

She looked down at his bare chest, tanned and well-muscled, with what she considered just enough chest hair. He also had several scars; most barely visible, one particularly deep and angry-looking. It wasn't an office worker's physique. She remembered how she had been oddly compelled to rub her face across his chest the previous evening. For the first time in her life, she had found herself more than a little aroused by the sight of a man's body.

"Where did you get this scar?" she asked, tracing the deepest one with her finger.

He explained that he had worked on construction sites during college, and been cut when another worked dropped a piece of sheet metal on him. The wound had required about 30 stitches, he said matter-of-factly. "It bled so much that the guy who dropped the sheet metal actually fainted," he said, grinning. "The hospital ended up keeping him in the ER longer than they kept me."

As they talked, they both discovered that their college years were remarkably similar. While Melina's parents hadn't had the funds to send her to college - she had gotten by on an Asian Studies scholarship and working nights as a bartender - Shinichi's wealthy banker father had been opposed to his career choice, expecting him to follow him into the financial sector. Shinichi ended up putting himself through college, with occasional help from an uncle.

"Have you patched things up with your father? Or, has he attempted to smooth things out between the two of you?" Melina asked.

Shinichi shook his head. "I'm afraid we're both equally stubborn," he said. "Although my mother suspects he now thinks I turned out much better than he had expected."

Melina reached down, brushed the hair from his forehead, said nothing.

After another hour of hiking, they returned to the house where Melina made a beeline to the bath. She was actually able to stand in the bath's deepest section, the steaming water up to her chin. Combined with the hike, the steam brought a pretty pink flush to her cheeks. Shinichi was pleased to see that his guest liked the bath; it had been a good investment. After an hour-long soak, Melina retired to Shinichi's bed for a nap.

Shinichi decided to unpack Melina's suitcase in the spare room, so she could dress and check her e-mail without being disturbed. Also, it gave her a choice of sleeping alone or with him. He never took anything at face value, and even though Melina liked him, he was still unsure of her deeper feelings.

He found himself enjoying the chore. As he took out each article of clothing and carefully put it away, he felt he was getting to know his girlfriend - for that's what he was already considering her - a little more. A pair of slim black trousers, a pink cardigan with a black knitted border, a dark green turtleneck with a Gaultier logo, a pair of black Ferragamo flats. A pink and white tank top. An assortment of silk and cotton underwear. An elderly blue cardigan. The usual collection of hair gels, cosmetics, body lotions. A small bottle of Issey Miyake cologne, which he sampled and liked. Two pill bottles - one which read TAKE ONE CAPSULE AT ONSET OF MIGRAINE; another unlabeled and filled with white pills.

Shinichi took one of the round white pills out of the mystery bottle for closer inspection. One side had the number 20 printed on it; the other side simply read OC. He was initially tempted to call the local pharmacist and ask him to identify the pills, but suddenly he felt like a guilty snoop and replaced the pill.

At the very bottom of the case, he found a small Stieff lamb, so old and worn that its synthetic wool was almost entirely gone in several places. He smiled, imagining a small Melina carrying the stuffed animal as she toddled around her parents' house. For all her business savvy, she was still a sentimental soul, he thought.

The last item was a small framed photograph of three people standing in a snow-filled yard in front of a modest house. Putting his glasses on, Shinichi took the picture near the window where the light was better.

It was immediately apparent who the trio was. Melina's mother shared her pale Irish complexion and green eyes but not her auburn hair; instead, her mother was a prematurely greying but still attractive brunette. Her father, wearing a worn sheepskin jacket, was solemnly standing behind the two women. Several inches taller than his wife and daughter, he had awkwardly put his hand on Melina's shoulder.

Melina stood smiling shyly, her hair cut short with long bangs. She looked to be about 15 years old, with visible puppy fat and a wire retainer across her front teeth. She was holding a black longhaired cat in her arms that seemed to be enjoying the photo opportunity.

He wondered about her early life. Had she been popular at school? Was her childhood happy? And why was she an only child? She had already mentioned her Catholic upbringing.

Finally Shinichi put the photograph on the desk, left the room, closed the door quietly.