Daylight

16 False Assumptions

I AM SO GLAD IT'S SATURDAY, I'm caught up on everything: no laundry to do, no errands to run. Just a day to relax and Elliot says he's coming over later. We've been spending more time together lately and really getting to know each other.

I decide to start the day with a nice long bath and then I'll decide what we should do for the rest of the day. I'm thinking of going to the park or just spending the entire afternoon reading. I wonder what Elliot likes to read, does he still love the Harry Potter series?

I start the bath and light a few candles so the whole bathroom smells like a field of roses.

I test the water and it's just beginning to make its way up the side of the giant tub so I decide to make a little coffee before I settle in. I walk downstairs to the kitchen naked and yawn as I measure the beans for the grinder.

I toss a few spoonfuls into the filter and turn to get water. As soon as I turn on the faucet, water from the sink shoots straight in my face.

I blink furiously, confused until I realise the water is shooting out the top of the faucet, spraying the entire kitchen. "Shit!" I scream, trying to turn it off. No luck.

I run back upstairs to my bathroom, still swearing and the tub faucet is also spraying wildly all over the bathroom. "What the fuck?" I cry, trying again to turn off the water. Then I begin to panic. It is like the entire apartment had gone haywire at the same moment. There is water spraying everywhere.

I am naked, slipping wet, and freaking out.

I grab a towel, trying to calm down. There must be a shut-off valve somewhere. Sebastian! Call Sebastian!

Minutes after calling Sebastian I hear banging on the front door.

I wrap a towel around myself and still cursing enough to make a sailor blush, I leap to the door trying not to slip.

I swing the door open, Sebastian stands in front of me only wearing black plaid boxers with sleep hair.

Survival mode kicks in, and I grab him by the elbow and drag him forcibly into the apartment. "Where the hell is the shut-off valve in these apartments?" I shriek.

He looks around at the chaos: water spraying from the kitchen, water all over the floor and me dripping in water.

Even in crisis, Sebastian takes 2.5 seconds to look at my nearly naked body. To be fair, I might have taken 3.2 to look at his lean muscles. I expected him to be covered in ink but it's the opposite. I could see the edge of a subtle lettering tattoo wrapped around his ribs right under his chest.

We have been friends for many years but I have never seen him shirtless, let alone only wearing boxers. In passing, I've seen glimpses of his tattoos but seeing all of its entirety is captivating.

He runs to the kitchen like a man on a mission, and I can hear him knocking around. I run behind him to help and collide with Sebastian as I slip on the wet floor. Unbothered, he slides across the floor and opens the doors under the sink. He begins throwing my cleaning supplies all over the floor, so I assume he is trying to get at the shut-off valve. I can't help but note the way his muscles move under his inked skin. His back has no tattoos on it, which is a little strange since his arms are covered. He is dripping in water as well now, and then his feet slip out from under him, crashing him to the floor.

"Ow," he says from under the sink, his legs now splayed out across my wet kitchen floor.

"Get over here and help me. I can't get this one turned off," he requests over the rushing water.

Remembering that I'm only wearing a towel, I gingerly kneel next to him. One more random jet of water straight to my eyeball is enough to pull me from my stupor, and I renew my focus.