I’m gasping. I’m reeling. He nearly gave me a heart attack.
“Omigod.”
He’s laughing. His eyes then slowly peruse the entirety of me and the look on his face makes my blood run cold. I suddenly feel very vulnerable down here.
“Havin’ a good workout?” he asks.
“Uh, I was, until you scared the crap outta me.” I’m annoyed and not hiding it, but I’m also feeling my heart gallop in my chest as I really don’t like the look on his face. Nor, the fact that I’m in the bowels of the building with him between me and the doorway.
Everything strikes me as just wrong right now.
“You all sweaty?” he jerks his chin up and then he licks his lips.
I hear something in the distance, and Seth turns to look out into the hallway. That’s when I hear Ally’s voice.
“There’s a freaking pool down here?”
Oh, thank God.
He looks annoyed for a split second, but then winks at me. “Later.” He slips out of the doorway.
Ally and Meryl are both in workout clothes and now they’re in the room with me.
“Heyyyy,” Ally says.
I let out a big breath and reach for my bottle of water.
And then I fill them in on that, that… whatever it was.
They both agree it was creepy and we decide to come down here in pairs from now on.
After my workout is cut short, we all hang out with our feet in the pool, and decide we’ll come down for a swim together on the weekend.
***
I get back up to the apartment and head into the bathroom, strip, then turn the water on for the shower. Or, I try. No water comes out.
Hm.
I need a shower, and this shower seems to be broken. I look at the soaker tub. I really don’t want to sit in a bath when I’m all sweaty and I don’t have much time. Should I go down to Ally and Meryl’s to get a shower? They have one full bathroom and one half bathroom so that’s probably a bad idea as we all have to get ready to go out. I have two and a half bathrooms, two of them with showers. But, one is in Aiden’s room.
Hm.
Darn.
What to do?
He’s not here. I could be in and out in ten minutes, right?
Fuck it.
I wrap myself in a towel and grab extra clean towels and my shower essentials and I go in.
His bed is unmade. Satin sheets all rumpled, his comforter half hanging off the bed. His room is messy. Clothes on the floor, closet wide open with some stuff hanging, loads of stuff on the floor, two suitcases that are sort of exploding on the floor in there, and a mess of shoes. Like… more shoes than I even own.
I step into the bathroom. There’s an overflowing hamper and two towels on the floor, lik
ely from that morning. His shaving stuff is on the vanity and the sink is filled with stubble, dried shaving foam, and toothpaste.