“I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to interrupt. I…I just…I’ll go,” Chloe babbles. “Just wanted to say you can bring Chewie. Okay, see you later. At noon or whatever. Bye!”
Nova gives me a dumbfounded stare. Chloe scurries around the corner of the house, out of view, and without thinking, I run down the path. “Chloe! Hold up a second.”
She teeters to a halt and starts to spin to face me. I can fix this. She won’t think I’m some player douchebag who is doing something illicit with another woman before going to see her. But then Chewie bolts past me. Evidently, barking wasn’t a big enough greeting and he wants to say a proper hello to Chloe. As he bolts past me I reach for his collar to stop him from jumping on her but he’s running full tilt and it’s not that easy to stop a hundred pound puppy in bare feet on an icy sidewalk. He ends up pulling me with him and I lose my balance instantly. I let go of my towel and my dog in an attempt to use my arms to break the fall that is coming. Chloe reaches out for me, trying to keep me on my feet, but it’s futile. After a quick, panicked moment of flailing limbs, we both end up in the snow bank.
I go down first, my naked body sinking into the cold, wet snow. Chloe lands directly on top of me. She tries to stop the impact, her arms darting out to stop her fall. But her hands land in the snow on either side of my neck and they sink until her body is flush with mine, nose to nose.
Our eyes lock. “Are you…”
“Naked? Yes,” I reply because I can’t exactly hide that fact. “My towel went flying one way and I went the other.”
“Oh my God,” she whispers and her face explodes with pink color. I can feel myself blush too because, shit, I don’t embarrass easily but this is definitely worthy.
Chewie, who skidded to a halt as we both yelped and fell, turns to run back into the house, stopping only to grab my towel. “Chewie! Drop it!”
He picks this exact moment to ignore all the training I spent time and money on since I adopted him and disappears into the house with my towel between his teeth. Chloe watches him go and then turns back to me and bursts into a fit of laughter.
“Honest to God, I was really hoping that there would never be a time in my life when being naked and horizontal with a woman on top of me would make her burst out laughing,” I say, and then I can’t help but laugh myself.
“I’m sorry. It’s not you.” She curls her face into my chest in an attempt to hide her smile and laughter, which is still going strong. “It’s panicked laughter. Nerves. I…I’m embarrassed.”
“You’re embarrassed?” I repeat, eyebrows sky high. “You’re not the one who looked like he was macking on his sister-in-law and who is currently bare-assed in a snowbank.”
“Logan!” Nova calls out from inside my apartment. “I’m leaving your towel by the front door and hiding in the bathroom until you’re decent.”
“Thanks Nova!” I call back. “She’s married to my older brother. I was just comforting her over something. She’s always been like a sister, and I couldn’t think of her any other way.”
Chloe looks back up at me and her eyes are brimming with tears from her laughter. She’s fighting another burst of it, I can tell. “You must be freezing. I’ll get up.”
“Are you okay? Any dizziness or vision issues? This could make your concussion symptoms worse,” I warn her.
“I’m fine, just embarrassed,” she assures me and starts to push up and off of me but I instinctively wrap my arms around her waist, stilling her and keeping her pinned to me. Our eyes connect again and suddenly, for a second, this isn’t just an awkward, slap-stick situation. There’s a flicker of heat between us. It’s brief, deep, and sobering.
“Just to let you know, I’m freezing,” I say quietly. “And cold and nudity don’t do a man any favors.”
Her blush deepens. “I promise not to look, let alone judge.”
She pulls herself off me, snaps her eyes shut as soon as she has her balance, and turns away from me. As soon as there’s space between us I cover my junk with my hands. Seriously, could this be more awkward? I’m almost scared to ask the universe this question in case it takes it as a challenge. “I’ll see you upstairs in a few. Bring the towel stealing dog-horse.”
She marches around the side of the house and out of view. Only then do I extricate myself from the freezing cold snow bank and make my way back to my apartment. As she promised, Nova has left my towel in the middle of the kitchen floor. Chewie is lying directly on top of it. I grab a corner and tug it out from under him. He looks up innocently, wagging his tail. I point at him. “Worst wingman ever.”
Wrapping it back around my waist I call out, “It’s safe now.”
Nova comes out of the bathroom and stares at me from the hall. She’s wearing a giant grin and her shoulders are shaking from a silent giggle. “So, I think I can safely say I did get some intel to share with Terra. Brunette. Chloe.”
“Can you not tell Terra about Chloe yet, please?” I ask and Nova cocks her head inquisitively. “I mean sure, say brunette if you have to, but not her name. Terra kind of knows Chloe. I mean she met her once, and I just don’t want Terra to ask me a million questions. It may just be one date.”
“What part do you want to keep quiet? That she’s your landlord or that you’re dating her?” Nova asks.
“Yeah. All of that. Please.”
“Come on,hermano. You know that your family loves you and just wants you to be happy,” Nova says softly with a tender smile.
“I know they mean well.” I nod and then shrug. “I just feel like Terra and Finn and everyone will add pressure to the situation. It’s not like riding a bicycle, this dating thing. I forget how and don’t need an audience while I fumble my way through it.”
She pinches my cheek like an old granny does to a five-year-old. “You’ll do fine Logan. You’re a natural charmer, just like your twin.”
She marches past me to the door, giving Chewie a small scratch behind the ears as she passes.
