Chapter 40 Bumping into Him in the Bathroom
Regina took out a pair of earphones and plugged them into her ears. As usual, she chose to listen to Douglas's work. His gentle voice always soothed her fears.
"Can I listen first? If you're tired, then take a rest," Regina said.
"Sure," Douglas replied, heading towards his bedroom. The sound of the closing door finally put Regina at ease.
She always felt a bit uneasy being alone with him at night. Wrapped in a blanket, Regina hardly dared to move. Douglas, sensing her discomfort, actually, then gives her some space.
As Regina listened to the radio drama, her eyes grew heavy, and she soon drifted off to sleep. Douglas emerged from his room and found Regina asleep on the couch while the white blanket covering her fell halfway onto the floor. He approached her, effortlessly picked her up, and carried her to the bedroom.
Regina's body sank into the soft, deep gray bedding. She slept deeply tonight without special reason.
Douglas's gaze fell on the woman in bed. She was wearing a white nightgown with a slightly revealing V-neck. Her waist was slender, and her legs were straight and fair. Even a single strand of hair was alluring. Douglas felt a jolt as if he had been shocked. There was a subtle sensation under Douglas as he stood by the bed watching her for a while before eventually turning away.
Regina wasn't sure how long she had slept. Suddenly, she groggily opened her eyes, got out of bed, and walked towards the bathroom in a pair of soft slippers. The room had only a dim wall light on. Regina, still not fully awake, felt confused in her mind. She followed her guts towards the bathroom, unaware of whose room it was, and didn't hear the sound of running water from the bathroom.
The door handle made a slight twisting sound. The bathroom door was pushed open. With each step she took, the sound of water in the bathroom became clearer. The sound of flowing water gradually woke Regina up. She furrowed her brow in confusion, wondering what was happening.
Why was there still the sound of water in the bathroom at night? She remembered turning off the water after her shower today. In her semi-conscious state, she hadn't realized she was in the wrong place. She took a long stride inside. The bathroom was spacious.
Regina's footsteps made no sound on the floor as she approached the source of the water sound. Following the sound, she looked up and saw a scene that she feared she might never forget.
Douglas had shed his clothes and was sitting in the large bathtub by the floor-to-ceiling window overlooking the river. He was tilting his head slightly back, his profile sharp and defined, his muscles taut, exuding a restrained emotion.
Regina stood there dumbfounded, staring motionless.
Douglas slowly opened his eyes and saw Regina in her nightgown staring at him not far away.
"Regina?" Douglas was slightly surprised but quickly regained his composure. "When did you come in?"
Regina still remained dumbfounded. Douglas got up from the bathtub, casually grabbed a towel to wrap around his lower body, and as he walked towards her, Regina finally fully woke up. Her face quickly turned red, as if a fire had spread throughout her body, even her ears were burning hot.
"I might have been sleepwalking and ended up in the wrong bathroom. I just came in; I didn't see anything!" Her tone lacked confidence. Even after saying that, she could only avoid his gaze, looking down at the ground.
Douglas didn't feel uncomfortable or awkward about being seen in that state. Seeing Regina's shy demeanor, he chuckled lightly. "You did nothing wrong. I forgot to lock the bathroom door."
"No, no, my bad!" She alternated between saying she had sleepwalked into the wrong bathroom and taking all the blame upon herself. She hadn't realized that it was actually because Douglas had been initially attracted to her body. He mentioned carrying her to his bed, which led to what happened next.
"I'm sorry." Regina apologized repeatedly for intruding on his privacy. She didn't know if he had finished... Either way, she continued to stand there, which only made things more awkward. Facing him, she slowly took two steps back.
"I'll go out first." She tried to act composed, but her retreating figure betrayed her nervousness.
Watching her shyly run away, Douglas raised an eyebrow slightly.
After that scene, Regina couldn't fall back asleep.
Fortunately, dawn came quickly.
Regina had no intention of sleeping. She got up early, intending to leave early. However, Douglas was already awake. For some reason, Douglas seemed to think nothing had happened, but she felt very embarrassed.
"Good morning," Regina greeted him and then went to the dining room.
She was a bit hungry and thought of having some breakfast. However, Douglas was sitting opposite her, making her feel a bit awkward.
Douglas knew she had a habit of drinking a glass of milk before breakfast. He calmly poured a glass and handed it to her.
Regina hesitated for a moment before clumsily saying thank you. She took the glass of milk from him and took a sip.
"You seem quite reserved this morning. Seems like last night left an impression on you?" Regina almost choked on the milk she had just drunk upon hearing this.
"Not really." Regina's face blushed slightly, but she tried to remain calm. "I was just worried about causing you any discomfort." She sounded as if she was considering his feelings.
"If you're really worried, you can help me next time. After all, with your cooperation, things would be even more perfect."
Regina's mind couldn't help but recall that scene again. When she mentioned helping, was it with her hands or... The more she thought about it, the more confused Regina became. She was usually quite rational, but in front of Douglas, she felt like a rabbit ready to flee at any moment.
Regina tried to hide her embarrassment and took another sip of milk. "I'm not very experienced, and I'm afraid of making you uncomfortable," she said.
Douglas patiently said, "It's okay. I can teach you. You'll get better with practice."
Regina didn't know how to respond.
Discussing such topics in the morning, the cook nearby turned curiously to look at them.
