Ashhbritt101 Bathtub 22 Work 2021 -

I remember the way the tub filled slow, the radio fuzzing between songs, your laugh echoing off the tile. Water warmed my shoulders while the city outside kept a different pace — honking, distant footsteps, the hum of late-night life. You said something about work that sounded important; I nodded, tracing the rim of the porcelain like it held a secret.

ashhbritt101 bathtub 22 work 2021

Later, when the water cooled and the towels smelled like lemon and lavender, you climbed out first. You tucked the circled 22 into your jacket, fingers brushing mine for a second that stretched and pulled like a seam. We left the bathroom brighter than we’d found it, but carrying the same pieces: a calendar, a faded receipt, the smell of soap. Outside, the city moved on. Inside, the moment stayed. ashhbritt101 bathtub 22 work 2021

We sank into the quiet there. Steam fogged the mirror; our reflections blurred together into one shape. Your fingers found the number 22 on the calendar pinned above the sink, circled tight with a pen that had bled through. “Remember this,” you whispered. I did. I remember the way the tub filled slow,