Page 69 of Oblivious Roommate

On the upside, the curtain is not yet wet and doesn’t cling to my skin, but with the showerhead being fixed about my head, it’s not like I can only wash the important parts. Agony awaits.

I psych myself up by staring at the round handle attached to the tiled wall, but it’s all for nothing when the water starts flowing. The liquid ice turns me into a stiff, shrieking maggot, who twists in the fake rain while Cassian laughs in the main room.

“It’s not funny!” I yell, shivering. It takes all my willpower to not jump right out, but I’m gonna be in bed with Cass, so I need to clean up. I can only hope my dick and balls will un-shrink by then.

“It’s so funny. You’ve become so soft, Matt,” Cassian says, and as the door opens, the gust of air it sends my way propels the damn shower curtain toward me, making it stick to my skin.

I am revolted.

“Nooo!” I cry out in frustration, but Cass makes it worse. He grabs me through the curtain, wrapping it around me.

I’m dying.

“Keep that up and I’ll be soft all night!”

He releases me immediately. “Have it your way. I shall make a cup o’coffee for his majesty,” Cassian says in a bad rendition of how English butlers talk in movies. “I shall be ready once his majesty finishes his evening ablutions. No attention will be spared until you reach the optimal level of comfort,” he says and leaves me in the wet, cold plastic cocoon.

I snort and shake my head despite the cold.

Once clean, I get out, and I’m happy to find a large fluffy towel in the cupboard, so I wrap myself in it with relief. My teeth still clatter though.

“Have you found the blankets?” I ask, but when I come out, there’s already a whole pile next to Cass.

He pats them with a smile. “Yep, the motherlode.”

I give a happy grunt at the sight of food he’s laid out by the fire, and while it’s now his turn to get overwhelmed by the shower, I don’t feel like pranking him the way did me. All I want is some warmth and food, and maybe once we both don’t feel like ice sculptures, we could make use of the privacy of this cabin. Even back home, there are noises coming from the other apartments, and I can only assume it works both ways. Here, only the forest critters can overhear our moaning, and since they can’t report us to the administration, I don’t care about their opinion.

“Wish me luck,” Cass says and disappears in the bathroom while I rub the towel over my skin to get my blood circulation going. I smirk when water starts flowing, and Cassian utters a high-pitched curse word, but my attention is on the comforter and pillows resting on the bed. They’d warm up fast if we placed them close to the fire.

The glow and heat of the fire doesn’t quite reach the bedroom corner, but I walk toward it nevertheless. I’m almost at my destination when something scratches at the door and I freeze all over again.

“What was that?” The towel loosely hanging off my shoulders now doesn’t feel protective enough, so I wrap it around me and stare at the doorway, unsettled when I realize we might not have locked the cabin. If there’s a massive bear on the other side, we’re toast. The flimsy fabric can’t protect me from being ripped apart, and I’m not even sure if the walls could if the bear is hungry enough.

What if we’re attacked, and Cassian remains ignorant of the blood-crazed animal coming ever closer? The worry about him being hurt puts me in motion, and I grab the biggest pan I can find in the kitchen. There’s no time for me to get dressed when the scratching intensifies, so I’m stuck in the towel.

“Cass! We have a problem!” At least my increased heart rate is warming me up, so there’s that.

The bathroom opens, and he walks out on unsteady feet. I swear I can hear the chattering of his teeth all the way here. “What is it?” he asks, rubbing the cold water off with the other towel. I don’t have the time to admire his stunning body, because what's the point of abs if you’re dead?

“I think… There’s something out there,” I say, approaching the door with the pan. “What if it’s another mountain lion?”

He stares at me before breaking into laughter. He bends down, wiping his legs with the towel. “They’re rare in Indiana. What are the odds of us stumbling on another one?”

There’s a noise outside. As if something fell over. My heart is in my throat.

“The odds are our bad luck. But what else can it be, smartass?” I approach him to whisper. “I think someone’s circling the house.”

Cassian shrugs, and I’m annoyed with myself that even in this precarious situation, the droplets falling from his sleek wet hair make me focus on his stiff nipples.

“The wind could have just knocked over something. Relax.”

I shake my head and straighten up. “No. I will not have your death on my conscience.” The pan is not enough, I grab a knife from the kitchen in my other hand.

Cass blinks. “Come on, this is rid—” He freezes when something scratches the door again. It’s as if the wood is warning us with a long, agonized cry. “What was that?”

“Exactly what I mean. It’s like someone is trying to pick the lock.” With my heart in my throat, I put the knife between my teeth to secure the towel around my hips. Seconds later, back in Rambo mode, I approach the door with both weapons.

“Wait!” he says, grabbing my shoulder. “What if it’s people? What if someone’s fucking with us like in one of those creepy slasher movies?”