There was an emptiness beside Piers when he faded into lucidity.  He felt around, thinking maybe the extra room on Annais’s mattress allowed her to sleep on her own side instead of having to be right under him. Yet he couldn’t feel her.  He rubbed at his bleary eyes and pulled himself upright.  There was a light coming from her bathroom.  Now that he was a little more aware of his surroundings, he heard the faint stream of the shower.

Again, Piers thought to himself.

They’d been dating for about two months now, and had grown exponentially close.  Nights when she didn’t have obligations the next day, she’d sneak to Spikemuth.  Those when she was home, but would need to be somewhere the following day, he’d make the trip to Ballonlea.  Many of those nights, no matter which home they stayed at, Piers would wake up to an empty bed just like tonight.  He’d hear the shower going off.  Or, he’d be awakened by her climbing back into bed with him, still slightly damp. He was often too tired to think about it, and forgot to ask by the time morning rolled around.  He had to admit, this was beginning to concern him.

She showered before bed. He saw her do it.  Sometimes, she showered with him.  This didn’t matter.  More often than not, she’d end up taking another one.  It would be different if she was washing off after sex, but she still did it on nights when Marnie was home and they didn’t touch each other at all.

Piers patted the sheets beside him.  It wasn’t like she was a bed wetter; that would mean she’d be having to change sheets too.  Was it him? He thought he was a pretty hygienic person.  Did he sweat too much?  Or did he cause her to sweat profusely?  He decided he was going to find out.

He dragged himself out of bed and padded to the bathroom, pushing open the door.

“Ann?”

Annais pulled back the shower curtain.  Her eyes widened.

“Oh, Nez,” she whispered back.  “S-Sorry I woke you up.”

“S’okay,” he yawned. He walked inside and seated himself on top of the toilet seat.

“You can lay back down,” said Annais.  “I’ll be back in a minute.”

She closed the shower curtain.  Piers rose to his feet and peeked inside.

“Is it me?” he asked.

Annais’s face went blank at this question.  “What?”

“Do you always have to shower because of me?” he asked, leaning against the wall.  “You do it most nights we’re together.  Am I sweatin’?  Or makin’ you sweat?  Or like… I dunno…  Somethin’ gross?”

She frowned and sighed. “It’s not just you.  I do it most nights period.”

“Can I come in?” he asked.

Annais gave him a small smile.  “Sure.”

Piers shucked away his bed clothes and stepped into the tub with her.  The water was blissfully warm as it rained onto his bare skin.  He reached for the rag she was holding. “May I?”

She nodded and handed it to him.  He spun his finger in a circle, telling her to turn around.  She did.

“Talk to me, Ann,” he said as he began to wash her back.  “What’s wrong?”

“I just can’t sleep,” she admitted.  “It helps relax me so I can try to drift off again.”

He hummed as the rag rubbed over her arms.  “Has it always been like this?”

“As long as I can remember, yeah.  Probably since I was a teen,” she confessed.  “I don’t know.  If I wake up in the middle of the night, my mind races.  If I take a shower, I can usually calm myself down.”

“I see,” he replied.  

Piers wrapped his arms around her to wash her chest.  She leaned back against him, practically purring as he lathered her breasts.

“Is this relaxin’?” he asked.  “Helpin’ you get sleepy again?”

“It is relaxing,” she said.  “Dunno if it’s helping me get sleepy or turning me on.”

A soft chuckle came from Piers.  He continued to soap up her breasts for a moment.  He then lowered the rag, brushing over her abdomen, then washing over it in sensual circles.

“I mean, you do get sleepy after we fool around…”

Annais looked back over her shoulder at him.

“I’d be happy to help ya doze off again.”

“Switch places with me,” she said.

He removed his arms and stepped before her.  Her arms reached around him.  One of her hands cupped his chest, the other reached between his legs.  She rested her face on his back as she took his cock into her hand with soft, languorous strokes.  Upon feeling it stiffen in her hold, she smiled to herself, knowing pleasure was coursing through him with each slow gesture.  Piers hummed from the attention, but his hand came up to stifle a yawn.

“Sorry again for waking you,” said Annais.  “I know you don’t sleep well either.”

“If you didn’t wake me, we wouldn’t be doin’ this,” he reasoned.  He brushed her hand away and turned around, pressing a kiss to her lips.  “An’ I sleep like a bloody baby around you.  I wanna help you do the same.”

After his hands found her hips, he guided her back against the shower wall.  He took her hand and placed it on the handle so she could keep steady.

“Let’s try not to topple over,” he laughed, causing her to giggle as he positioned himself between her legs.  He eased himself inside while holding her.  Once fully sheathed, he leaned in to kiss her neck, trying his best to hold in another yawn. Her free arm wrapped around his waist to keep him close to her.  She did find herself getting drowsy from the coupling of warm water and each languid pump of his hips.  It was difficult for her mind to wander in a moment like this.  She couldn’t focus on failures or slip-ups or the uncertainty of the future with him holding her close, filling her up, and panting softly into her skin.  He was lulling her with every thrust.

“How ya feelin’, Ann?” he asked, pressing his lips to her temple.  “Gettin’ kinda limp.”

She weakly nodded against him and yawned into his chest.

“Ah…” he chuckled.  “Right then, lemme hurry this up.”