I shot him a look meant to slaughter him on sight before storming down the hall. I opened the linen closet, grabbed the closest towel, and shoved it at him.
"There," I gritted between clenched teeth. "And before you ask, no, the towel does not come from the foothills of Mount Fuji, nor did blind nuns weave it."
"Now, why can't you show me the same kindness and gracefulness as your sweet mom?" He shook his head before wincing. I openly grinned at his discomfort.
"I'm gonna take that shower."
I followed him into the bathroom. "There's a spare toothbrush under the sink. You reek enough of a brewery; lord knows what your mouth smells like."
I watched him move slowly to the bathroom before leaning over the sink, his head down. "God, I feel like death."
"You need to leave after your shower," I reiterated, not caring about the state of his hangover.
"Maria is still pissed. I'm gonna give her 'til ten am, and then I'll get my shit."
I glanced at my watch. "Oh, hell no," I stated. He wasn't going to spend two more hours under my roof. Any longer, and someone was going to get murdered.
I left his miserable form and strode straight to my front door with steely determination.
"O fea ete alu iai?" Where are you going?
"To my neighbor's. They borrowed something that I need back."My peace and quiet.
Without hesitation, I thumped on the white door that read 4F. Hard.
After a delay, I lifted my hand again and banged on Maria's door three more times.
That worked. The door swung open in a hurry. A stunned and disheveled Maria greeted me. She was in the middle of hastily tying her robe.
"Wha-"
"Give me Simon's stuff now, or I'll call the police."
Maria's face reddened as she glared at me. "What, are you his new bit on the side?" She sneered. "Never thought you were his type."
Her insult flew straight past me. "Give me Simon's stuff.Now."
"I'm not giving you his things. He can come get them himself."
"He would love to! Except your bitter ass keeps telling him to fuck off."
Maria's mouth twisted in an indignant jeer, but she otherwise remained quiet.
"He has to leave for Helensville today, so if you don't give me his shit, I will call the police and advise them that you are holding onto stolen property."
I wasn't sure if this particular circumstance fell under that umbrella, but I could bullshit with the best of 'em.
Maria visibly swallowed as she considered her options. "Fine!" She huffed. She slammed the door on me, and I folded my arms, tapping my foot as I waited.
Ten minutes later, the door flew open, and Maria dumped a fancy-looking black bag at my feet. "There! Tell that fuckboy 'good riddance.'"
I stuck my foot out, blocking the door from slamming shut again.
"Hey!"
"Just a minute." I rifled through the bag's contents until I came across a set of keys. Bingo. I didn't care if he was missing half his wardrobe - as long as he had his car keys, there was no excuse to leave.
I moved my foot and strode away without a word, wincing as Maria's door slammed violently behind me. Trouble was, I couldn't blame the poor girl for being pissed.
