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We stood in the spacious bathroom together, our laughter lapsing into an awkward silence. Finally, Nathan cupped the back of his neck.
“Well, I should probably let you…get to it then,” he said. “Just leave your clothes outside the bathroom door, and I’ll come pick them up.”
“Sounds good.” I smiled. “Thanks again for this, really. I’m glad I won’t have to fight afternoon airport traffic alone.”
“Not a problem.” He smiled too. “See you in a bit.”
When he left, I closed the door softly, unable to resist the call to be nosey. I opened his medicine cabinet, my eyes touching upon this over-the-counter drug or that one. He had an array of colognes, five in total. I picked each glass bottle up and took a tentative sniff, closing my eyes to savor each one.I wonder which one is his favorite.
There were his and hers sinks, and I smiled as I imagined me and Nathan standing side-by-side, brushing our teeth. Then, I frowned as I realized it was exactly the kind of homey image I was supposed to be avoiding.
Sighing, I undressed, making sure to leave my clothes in a neat pile on the other side of the door. I made my way over to the tub, inspecting it. It was deep and seemed to have a number of different sprayers. Right above it was an opaque window that I assumed let in a lot of natural light in the daytime, and across the room from the tub was the shower. I turned on the shower after putting the shower cap on, stepping into the stream of water. The water trickled down my body, eliciting a content hum from me. Being in the winter cold made the warmth of the shower relaxing.
After what felt like no time at all, I shut off the water and stepped out of the shower. I quickly dressed, finding that though the shirt was big, the pants were not. I frowned, a realization popping into my head.Are these the pajama pants of someone he’s hooked up with?They were way too small to actually be his. And the silk scarf—though Nathan seemed to take care of himself, I doubted he used a scarf for his hair.
I decided to let it go, though my animosity for the unnamed woman burned. Padding down the stairs, I found Nathan spread out on the comfy-looking couch. There were two wineglasses full of wine and a bowl of popcorn, and he had pulled up some kind of cartoon on the screen.
As I came closer, I realized he was watching one of my favorite cartoons—Johnny Test. “I didn’t know you watch cartoons,” I said.
He grimaced as he turned to look at me. “Is it weird?”
“Not to me,” I said. “It’s the perfect escape for a busy adult, the nostalgic joy. It’s part of why I want to be an animator.”
“Because you’re nostalgic?” Nathan asked.
“That, but also because I want to provide that for others,” I said. “While I do love the adult ones that used to come on Cartoon Network after hours, I think there’s something to be said for adults enjoying ones likeDexter’s Lab. OrJohnny Test.” I smiled.
“I agree.” Nathan gestured for me to come lay my head on his shoulder, and I sat and obliged.
I didn’t even try to stop the sigh that left me as I snuggled in. “This is nice,” I murmured.
Nathan’s chest rumbled as he hummed his agreement. “Yeah, I rarely get to do this anymore,” he said. “I never have time to see anyone but my family, and they don’t want to lay with me on the couch. The only one that’s slept over recently was Mack. Those are her pajama pants and scarf by the way,” he added. “In case you were wondering.”
I blushed, feeling guilty for my thoughts earlier. “I didn’t want to ask.”
He hummed, sounding as if he understood. “Well, now you know.”
We sat in a comfortable silence for a moment, watching Johnny’s antics. “It must be rough to be the owner of a business,” I mused. “Being responsible for a whole company of people. It would give me hives.”
“Eh, it’s not so bad,” he said. “It’s busy, and there are rough periods, sure, but it’s not bad. It’s satisfying to see the fruits of my labor, and to see that my efforts haven’t gone unnoticed.”
I sat up to grab a glass of wine and some popcorn. “Do you feel that way outside of work?” I asked.
He shrugged. “Sometimes. Especially in my family. It’s just assumed that I will lead everyone, to the point where no one notices when I do. They only notice when I don’t.”
I nodded. “I could see that,” I said. “What happens when you tell them you’re not going to do it?”
He tilted his head back and forth. “I don’t remember the last time I said the words aloud,” he mused.
“What, the word no?”
“Yeah. I think my resistance has been more passive, if anything. Like I know how to say no,” he assured quickly. “I just don’t get a lot of practice with it in my family.”
“You mean, you don’t get practice saying no to Mack?” I teased.
He shuddered. “Never.”
We laughed.
