Last Christmas (Private 0.60)

Her skin prickled with heat even as the water turned colder. She had to get out of the shower before she got

pneumonia. As she grasped the shower nozzle and turned it all the way to the left, the sound of screeching

pipes echoed in the bathroom, but the water temperature didn't change. Ariana held her breath and ducked

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under the chilly spray, combing the shampoo out of her hair with her fingers.

Something caught her ear and Ariana froze. Had she just heard a creak, or was she imagining things? Out of

the corner of her eye, she saw a shadow slip by. She grabbed her arm, anxiously digging her fingernails into

her flesh.

"Hello? Thomas? Is that you?"

Nothing. But she was sure someone was there. Who was it? Was some random person watching her? For a

long moment, Ariana didn't move. She simply held her breath and listened. There was nothing. It was her

imagination. She was seeing things.

Then, another creak. Ariana turned off the icy cold water.

"Hello?" she called. The word hovered in the air a moment after she'd spoken. "Is someone there?"

Silence.

She opened the shower door a crack. The bathroom was empty. Single drops of water were falling slowly

from the porcelain sink. But it had been dripping earlier, too, right? And everything was in its place: Noelle's

cubby stocked with shampoo, loofahs, and expensive clay facial masques; Ariana's electric toothbrush; her

towel, draped over the bench just outside the shower door. She blinked. Strange. She could have sworn she'd

hung it on the door hook. She always hung it on the hook.

She shook her head. It was just her imagination. That was all. She was in Billings, alone, for the first time,

and it was creeping her out. She'd obviously been rushed and upset and put her clothes in a different place.

Not a big deal. She exhaled a shaky sigh of relief and reached for her towel.

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Suddenly, the door to the bathroom swung open. Ariana screamed.

"Perfect timing," Thomas Pearson said with a leer.

"Thomas!" Ariana screeched, wrapping the towel around her as tightly as possible. "You scared the shit out of

me!"

Oh my God, Thomas Pearson just saw me naked. Completely. Naked.

His features contorted, like he was trying to keep a straight face. There was snow in his hair and his cheeks