Because I don’t know how I will recover from my roommate seeing me wearing nothing but a towel.
When I get home from work that night, Miles is already there and in the kitchen, puttering around. I’d sincerely hoped I would never have to look him in the eye again.
Not after our awkward interaction this morning.
“Oh, hey! You’re wearing clothes!” he says by way of greeting.
My jaw drops open. “You’re going to mention that unfortunate incident?”
Miles grabs an orange out of the fridge, peeling it as he gives a cheeky grin.
I wonder if my cheeks are bright red as I walk into the kitchen and set about making a pot of coffee. I like to live life on the edge sometimes and have caffeine in the evening to calm down.
“I’m going to attach a warning bell to you,” I mutter as I find the coffee beans. I grind enough for the coffeepot and fill it.
Miles tosses his peels in the garbage and walks back to the fridge. “I forgot my phone and had to come back for it. I didn’t even realize you were inside until I stopped at the counter to get a drink.”
“You were so fast coming in the house, and I panicked,” I explain.
I try to fight the laugh bubbling up, but I can’t. If I put myself in Miles’s shoes…it would be hilarious.
To be minding my own business, only to see my roommate sitting on the kitchen floor, barely wrapped in a towel?
My hands shake as I pour the water into the coffee. I snort as I try to fight a laugh. But it’s too much. I have to set the coffeepot down and plant my hands on the counter, my shoulders shaking.
“Oh, uh…” I hear Miles behind me. Then there’s a stiff hand on my back. “It’s okay. I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings. Everyone runs around the house…naked.”
The comforting pat bursts the floodgates. I turn to him so he can see the laughter on my face as the first audible sounds burst out of me. His hand falls to his side.
“I just—” I gasp. “I just imagined being thirsty, and then seeing someone sprawled out on the floor, and then having to pretend like I didn’t see them.” I press a hand against my stomach as I laugh harder.
Miles starts chuckling with me. “I didn’t want to make you feel weird, but then I felt like I’d be a creep if I didn’t tell you I knew you were there,” he admits with a laugh.
“Fair point. It probably would have been more awkward that way,” I say as I straighten and open the cupboard to grab a mug. I glance at Miles and grin slyly as I reach for theStud Muffinmug.
Miles’s eyebrows shoot up, and he tries to get the mug before I can.
He’s just a little too slow, his hand brushing against my arm as I set down the mug in front of me.
“Oh, did you want this one?” I ask in an innocent voice.
His eyes narrow on me, and I do my best to keep my features relaxed.
“I could let you have this one if you want,” I suggest as I carry the mug to the fridge and pour some creamer in the bottom of the cup.
Miles shakes his head and smirks. “No, you go ahead. I’ll use one of these other mugs that works perfectly fine.” He pulls out a mug that saysBest Brother Award: Second Placeand sets it down with a clink.
“Want some of this?” I ask as I pass him some of the salted caramel coffee creamer. It’s my new favorite that I found at the local grocery store.
“Thanks,” he says as he pours as much as me into his cup.Good man.
“Do you suppose we’re enabling bad habits with each other?” he asks as he pours coffee into his mug.
I scowl as I hold out my mug and he fills it up for me. “What do you mean?”
He tilts his head toward the clock on the stove. “It’s seven in the evening. Reasonable people wouldn’t be drinking caffeine at this time.”
“I definitely didn’t putreasonableon my roommate application, so…” I drag out the last word like it’s really his fault.
