In Love With My Bully Step-brother

Chapter 6 | A problem with the plumbing

Ashleigh’s POV

The next morning, I woke up feeling some pressure in my abdomen. That usually happened when it was that time of the month. I stood up from the bed and as I passed in front of the mirror, I saw that I had already stained part of the dress I wore. Ugh. This was why you never slept in your fancy clothes.

I didn’t know how my mother would react if she saw this but it certainly would not be good. Quickly, I took off the dress and dropped it in a wicker basket I found in the closet. I wasn’t sure how laundry worked around here yet but I definitely needed to wash that out before it got too hard. Perhaps, luck would be on my side this time and I would find that maid and get her help.

After my shower the previous evening, I had taken my shower kit back. So, I quickly grabbed it from the shelf I had placed it on and walked into the bathroom in my soiled underwear.

That day, I was going to call Waldo and ask him if I could come back to Phoenix. There was no place for me here and I wasn’t going to pretend about it.

I saw that I was almost out of tampons when I searched my bag. But that wasn’t the only thing I was out of. Almost half the contents of my shower kit were almost finished. I would need to go to the supermarket. I decided that after classes that afternoon would be a good time as any. Hopefully, I could locate a store with some help.

The pressure increased slightly, both from the mild cramps that were beginning to come on and my full bladder. I lifted the lid off the toilet bowl and sat down to relieve myself. Even though I still had a couple of hours before I needed to leave for school, I was too unclean not to shower right then.

I started to take off my panties so that I could wash them out in the basin immediately. Then, the door to the bathroom came open. No, not the door from my room. A completely different door I hadn’t noticed before. And none other person than Kane walked in and of course spotted my bloody panties the moment he did.

I screamed. He cursed.

“What the f**k?!” I heard him groan as he turned around and walked back the way he had come from.

My heart was beating rapidly in my chest. I felt sweaty and itchy all over and it was really disgusting. I quickly washed out my panties and grabbed all my properties before leaving the bathroom.

Someone was knocking at my door when I walked back in.

“Ashleigh?”

It was my mom.

I hadn’t unpacked my bags yet so, I just stuck my hand in one of them and pulled out the first thing I touched. Thankfully, it was a robe which I quickly wrapped around my body before going to get the door.

“I heard you screaming, what’s the matter?” Susie asked immediately the door came open.

I blew a breath. “Well, I was hoping you could tell me that.”

Just as my mother was about to ask what I meant, Reginald came up behind her still looking very sleepy-eyed. He had on a long black robe which matched the one my mom had on. Cute.

“Did you find out what the problem is?” Reginald asked. Even half-awake, his voice still commanded authority.

“Well, she was just about to tell me,” Susie replied.

“What the f**k dad?! You didn’t tell her she’d have to use the guest bathroom?”

It appeared that Kane had exited his bedroom. Soon after, his sister followed, asking what the raucous was so early in the morning. Had I really screamed that loud or the house wasn’t as big as I thought?

I was so uncomfortable with the scrutiny but I realized I had brought it on myself and could hardly complain.

“Oh, um, that.” Reginald scratched at his beards.

“Yeah, that,” I responded.

Kane glanced at me from where he stood behind Reginald. The look of disgust in his eyes were clear and I suddenly felt even dirtier now. My cheeks flushed a crimson that I wasn’t sure I would ever recover from. This had to be even more embarrassing than spilling my noodles on him.

Reginald then proceeded to explain that I was to share a bathroom with Kane. When they were designing the house, the specifications hadn’t allowed for an extra bathroom in that part of the house because of plumbing.

“So, I have to share a bathroom with Kane?” This was the first time I had ever said his name out loud and it felt oddly…comforting.

“Well, Willow could, um…”

“Uh-uh,” the concerned party said, speaking up for the first time. “I’m not sharing my bathroom with anyone. In fact, I’m going back to my room and locking the door. Tell that girl not to scream so loud again. Sheesh!”

Shortly after, there was a bang and a click as Willow returned to her fortress.

Reginald turned to me, apologizing with his eyes for the rudeness of his child. I could hardly blame him. The two of them together were definitely more than a handful.

“So, where’s um, this guest bathroom?”

“It’s downstairs,” he responded sheepishly.

I groaned. My mother asked if there wasn’t any other way around it and I wondered if she was just learning about this herself. Why hadn’t she made sure I had a comfortable room? I was trying not to be irritated but it was becoming increasingly difficult.

“Well, I could call someone to have the locks changed so both doors into the bathroom can be locked either ways,” Reginald suggested. So, that way, once the bathroom was occupied, no other person could get it.

“Sounds like a plan,” Susie immediately perked up.

Yeah, a terrible one. I held the words back. Where in the world was it even normal for a guy and girl to share a bathroom? And it such a big house!

I really couldn’t understand why this room just had to be mine but it seemed like no one was going to suggest changing rooms.

“Whatever,” Kane and I said at the same time.

He walked away to his room and I moved back into mine, giving the two adults a small smile before politely shutting the door in their faces.

Now, what? I wondered. Was I going to wait till the doors were fixed before having a bath? I decided that wouldn’t be happening.

So, I walked into the bathroom after listening to check that it was empty. Then I turned on some music that was not so loud, it disturbed others but loud enough to tell anyone who came close to the door that there was someone inside. Hopefully, that was enough sign for Kane.

I tried not to spend so long anyway even though that meant skipping a few of my necessary routines. The lesser time I spent in here, the lower the chances of getting walked in on again.

I already knew this place wasn’t for me, but this whole bathroom ordeal just confirmed it.

I was delighted to find out that Reginald was indeed a man of little delay. By the time I was ready to leave for school, a locksmith had arrived to fix the doors.

The same maid from before called me downstairs for breakfast and I showed her the dress. She smiled her understanding and said she’d have it back in my room before I returned. I thanked her.

As I sat down to have a breakfast of toasts —with my choice of spread— fried eggs with bacon and sausage, I decided that the morning couldn’t get any worse.

If only I had known how wrong I was…