The chores give him something to take his mind off everything else. Taking a shower isn't as great as he thought it would be; the calming splatter of hot water on his skin just gives him the opportunity to remember and try to examine what happened, what he's done. Rinsing the shampoo out of his hair thoroughly, he tries to knead the unwelcome thoughts out of his skull.

It sort of works -- and when the memory of Jade on his knees in front of him returns, he even manages not to let himself get aroused too much, spraying cold water into his face before stepping out of the shower.

Afterwards, he gets busy again. Vacuuming the living room and bedroom, cleaning the kitchen, chopping vegetables for dinner. He easily finds things to do. Just looking closer reveals dust in spots he thought he'd already taken care of and he goes over them twice or even three times until he's satisfied with the result. And by the time the slices of chicken sizzle in the frying pan, he's fallen back into a state of complacency.