I glance over at the door when someone knocks. I know it’s Matt because he texted me a few minutes ago and said he was coming over. I open the door and nod at him, then walk back to the couch, throwing myself down. He follows me and falls into one of the armchairs, then we stare at the TV in silence. Around ten minutes later, he glances around.
“Hey, where’s Laura?”
I laugh. He’s just realized she’s not here?
“She’s gone out.”
“Out?” Matt says with an incredulous snort.
“Out. I’m actually surprised you made it sound like she never leaves the house, considering she’s been out nearly every night since I got here.”
“Laura?” he says nearly choking on the word. “My sister? No fucking way. She’s like allergic to fun and socializing. If she went any farther than next door, I’d be shocked.”
“What’s next door?” I ask suspiciously. Is there some hot guy living next door that I didn’t know about? Why does that thought make me feel so tense?
“She’s made it her mission to befriend her neighbor, who is like a hundred years old.”
I smile because I can totally see her doing that.
“I think she’s avoiding me,” I finally say.
“Why would she do that?” Matt asks, confused. “Unless she’s got a reason to want to avoid you.” He smirks and nods at me.
I shake my head. “No, nothing like that. Want a drink?” I ask, pulling myself to my feet.
His phone buzzes before he can answer. He frowns and shakes his head as he examines it, then he gets up with a sigh.
“No, I have to go. Annie is freaking out about her parents coming in, and apparently, me being over here, relaxing, isn’t going down too well.”
“Okay… so, did you come over for an actual reason?” I ask him with a chuckle, following him to the door.
He shakes his head as he walks out.
“I’ve got a nearly full-term, pregnant wife at home, stressing about the impending arrival of her parents, who she hates, and who are staying with us for the next three weeks. Is that not reason enough?”
Laughing, I shut the door. Point taken. A few seconds later, I hear Laura’s laughter filter through the wall. Matt was right. So why did she make it sound like she was going out on some hot date? Was that just for my benefit? I lean against the door thoughtfully. What if me being here is making her feel so uncomfortable that she doesn’t want to be home? Maybe I need to even the playing field somehow.
I smile because I know the perfect way to do it.
#
I glance at my phone, an unfamiliar feeling of panic rising in my stomach. Half an hour ago, this was the best idea in the world. But now? Not so much. The doubts are beginning to creep in. This is never going to work. What I need to do is just sit down with her and have a real conversation. I nod to myself, all but decided to abandon this plan, but just as I’m getting up, the door swings open. I stand up, my eyes darting to the door in horror as Matt walks in.
“Hey, what the hell does this note on the door mean…”
He stops mid-sentence when he sees me standing there, ass naked and in full frontal glory. He laughs and throws his arms over his eyes to shield himself from the beauty that is me.
“Jesus, fuck, man. Put that thing away.”
Shit.
My heart pounds as my hands shoot down to cover my manhood, while I try and cling to the shred of dignity I have left.
“What the hell are you doing here?” I snap, glaring at Matt.
“I forgot my phone,” he says. He saunters over to the couch and rummages between the cushions my bare ass was covering only seconds earlier. He holds up his phone for me to see. “The question is what are you doing?” he asks, crossing his arms over his chest. “Would you like to explain why your standing naked in my sister’s living room?”
I glare at him. This whole confrontation would be much more intimidating if he didn’t have the biggest smirk on his face.
“I thought you were Laura,” I mutter, shaking my head. Matt’s eyes widen as he lets out a laugh. “Don’t worry, there’s nothing going on.”
“Well, that kind of makes it worse, you know.”
As if things couldn’t get worse, I look up just as Laura walks through the door. She stops in her tracks, her eyes darting from Matt to me. She blinks, her expression confused.
“Uh, what the hell is going on?” Her gaze falls back to me. “Why are you naked?”
Matt chuckles to himself as he saunters over to the door.
“I think that’s my cue to leave. Have fun,” he calls out.
He closes the door behind him, then opens it long enough to slap the note back on the door. Laura stares at me, her arms firmly crossed over her chest. Her eyes unwillingly slide down to what my hands are covering. I laugh, because what else can I do? This isn’t quite going like I expected.