Layers of Heat

Layer 21

Ken came back from his date late in the evening and heard the shower running, meaning Miles was home as well. Taking a moment to himself, Ken laid on the bed, unable to hide the smile on his face as he closed his eyes.

At first he was nervous about the date with Leila—in fact, thinking back to it still made him feel jittery—but he was glad she seemed to genuinely have had a good time. It made him look forward to their next date, and he began to think over other places they could go together.

Lost in his own thoughts, he didn't hear Miles get out of the shower, and his half-naked roommate flatly stared down at the utter bliss on his face.

"Glad to see the date went well," Miles remarked.

Ken snapped out of his daze and smiled at him. "Thanks."

"Not to cut your mood short, but seeing as how everything seems to be going smoothly between you and Leila, I need a favor."

"Sure. Does it have something to do with Winnie?"

Miles already told Ken about what had happened between them and how he was doing his best to right the wrongs of his past actions. However, almost two weeks had passed, and there wasn't any progress. He knew he shouldn't rush things, but at this rate, they would graduate and become nothing more than forgettable acquaintances.

"It does," he replied. "Winnie would never hang out with just the two of us, so I need you and Leila to tag along. Keep it casual."

Ken blinked. "Leila mentioned something like that just the other day. She wants you two to make up and would be more than happy to set up a date. Except Winnie seemed a little reluctant."

Of course she would, Miles grumbled in his head. "If I mentioned meeting up outside of our classes, Winnie would refuse without hesitation. That's exactly why Leila has to be the one to bring it up."

"I'll let her know."

"Thanks."

As Miles dried off and picked out his clothes to sleep in for the night, Ken asked, "Have you told Winnie the real reason why you're working so hard to get on her good side?"

Maybe it was still a sensitive topic, but Miles suddenly looked at him with narrowed eyes. For a moment, it seemed like he wouldn't answer, but he eventually said, "I don't think she's ready to hear it yet."

There wasn't much that could make Miles defensive, but Winnie was one of them. Whenever she came up in their conversations, Miles did his best to hide what he was really feeling, but it seemed the facade was over—or at least, it was finally beginning to crumble.

Ken just hoped Winnie was prepared for the onslaught...because it was a long time coming.