Page 51 of Hypothetical Heart
“Yeah, one second!” I look around the bathroom as if a new closet will magically appear for me to hide in, and because I’m not inThe Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, I fall short.
There’s only one option left, which makes me cringe, but I don’t have a choice once I hear the door handle start turning.
Before I can contemplate anymore about the decision, I pull the shower curtain back and step inside, making direct eye contact with a soaked, very naked Logan.
He goes to say something, probably“What the fuck are you doing?”but I cover his mouth with my hand.
“Okay, you can come in!” I shout to my brother, squeezing my eyes shut for a moment as the water from the shower runs down my face.
The bathroom door opens, and I keep my hand suctioned to Logan’s face as I hear Weston shuffling through the drawers.
Logan’s eyes are wide and he’s still, like he’s trying not to move a muscle.
“Did you have someone over last night?” Weston asks.
“Huh?”
“Your bed is unmade on both sides,” he continues. “Usually, it’s not that messy in the morning.”
“No one else was here. I must not have had a great sleep, I guess.”
“Alright, well, I have to leave, so I’ll see you later.” One last drawer shuts. “Sorry for interrupting your shower.”
The door clicks shut, and I let out a sigh of relief, letting my hand fall from Logan’s mouth. I’m soaked from head to toe, clothes and all, and even with the uncomfortable feeling of my leggings sticking to my skin, I can’t get myself to get out of the shower.
“That was really the best idea you could come up with?” Logan asks, a smile encroaching on his face.
“I didn’t know what else to do!”
“Winnie,” he sighs. “I’m naked right now.” As if that wasn’t obvious.
My eyes scan down his body unintentionally, which makes Logan grab my jaw and pull my head back up to meet his eyes.
“Sorry, sorry.” I flinch, embarrassed that I tried to catch a glimpse of my best friend’s penis.
“It’s okay,” he replies. “I don’t even want to imagine how I would respond if you were the one naked.”
We both start laughing, the tension from moments before finally breaking. But then, as the laughter fades, we’re left standing there, inches apart in the cramped shower, the sound of the water the only thing filling the space between us.
His smile softens, and I feel the air shift as his gaze drops to my lips, just for a second. My heart pounds so loudly that I’m sure he can hear it over the running water. Without thinking, I find myself leaning in, drawn to the warmth of his body, the intensity of the moment.
Logan’s breath hitches, and for a moment, it feels like time stops. Our faces are so close now that I can feel theheat of his skin, the way his chest rises and falls with each breath.
But just as our lips are about to meet, he pulls back ever so slightly, his hand gently catching my arm. “Winnie...” he whispers, the sound of my name on his lips enough to send a shiver down my spine.
Reality crashes back, the closeness of our bodies, the fact that we’re in this tiny shower, the mess we’ve just narrowly avoided with Weston. It’s enough to make me take a shaky step back, the almost-kiss leaving an undeniable tension in the air.
“Sorry,” I mumble, not entirely sure what I’m apologizing for.
“Don’t be,” he says softly, his eyes lingering on me for a moment longer before he turns back toward the wall.
“Okay, I’m getting out now.” I step out of the shower, grabbing a towel from the rack and trying to dry myself to some degree.
“Hey, Win?” Logan asks.
“Yeah?”
There’s a moment of silence, where everything in the bathroom is silent besides the sound of the water running cold.
