What It Cost

Boundary

After hours of gaming and laughter, everyone began retreating to their rooms.

"Good night!" they called out to one another as footsteps echoed through the house.

Lilly followed Noah up the stairs, a warm buzz from the night's drinks still in her system.

"Oh, uh..." Noah stopped suddenly at the top of the stairs, turning to face her. "We share a bathroom. I figured we should work out some kind of system so we don't run into... problems."

Lilly blinked up at him, her thoughts catching up a second too late.

"Is that okay?" He rubbed the back of his neck, his voice softening. "If not, I can move my stuff downstairs or..."

"No, no!" Lilly blurted, placing a hand on his arm. "It's fine. We'll figure it out." A smile spread across her face, the alcohol in her system making her a little bolder than usual.

Noah glanced down at her hand, his lips twitching into a small smile. "Alright. Want to use it first?"

She shook her head, quickly removing her hand. "You go ahead. I'll change into my pajamas while you're in there."

"Sounds good," he said with a nod, disappearing into the bathroom.

Lilly shut her door behind her and grabbed her phone. She texted her best friend:

OMG. Bro, I gotta share a bathroom with Noah... SAVE ME.

Her phone buzzed with an immediate FaceTime request. Tasha's grinning face filled the screen as Lilly plopped onto the floor.

"DUDE!" Tasha exclaimed, her voice a mix of disbelief and glee.

"Shh!" Lilly hissed, laughing. "The bathroom's right next door!"

"Are you drunk?"

"Maybe a little," Lilly admitted, biting back another laugh.

Tasha cackled. "Well, don't do anything dumb! Its literally your first day there."

"Trust me, I'm too wildly self-conscious for that," Lilly said, waving a hand. "Though I did grab his arm when we were talking about the bathroom thing..."

"You're gone," Tasha teased, shaking her head.

A soft knock interrupted them.

"Yeah?" Lilly called out.

Noah's voice came from the other side. "I'm done in the bathroom. It's all yours."

Lilly fumbled to her feet, laughter spilling out. Noah peeked into the room, eyebrows raised.

"You need help?" he asked, stepping in and offering her his arm. Lilly grinned and dropped her phone, holding her hands out. Noah helped hoist her up to her feet.

"She's a lightweight," Tasha teased from the phone. "I doubt she's eaten much either."

Noah leaned down and picked up Lilly's phone, glancing at the screen. "Your friend?"

"Tasha, meet Noah," Lilly said with a grin.

Noah smiled politely. "Nice to meet you."

After some playful pleasantries, Noah ended the call and gently tossed the phone onto Lilly's bed. "Can you make it to the bathroom?" he asked, smirking.

Lilly closed her eyes dramatically. "Mmm... help me..."

Noah chuckled, shaking his head, and guided her to the bathroom. "Alright, lightweight. Here you go."

Once inside the bathroom, Lilly gave Noah a small salute before shutting the door behind her. She stared at herself in the mirror, her heart still racing from their interaction. Deciding to shower, she shed her clothes off and reached for the unfamiliar handle, only to realize she had no idea how to work it.

"Ugh, seriously?" she groaned, grabbing a towel to wrap around herself before cracking open the door.

"Noah?"

His voice came from his room. "Yeah?"

"Can you... help me?"

A pause, then footsteps. He appeared in the hallway, his gaze flickering briefly to the towel wrapped around her.

"How do you work this thing?" she asked, stepping aside to let him in.

Noah cleared his throat. "Here, let me show you." He demonstrated, pulling the handle out and twisting it. The water roared to life. "Pull, then turn right for hot, left for cold."

"Thanks," she said, clutching her towel tighter.

Their eyes met, lingering for a beat too long.

"Good night," he murmured, stepping back and closing the door behind him.

-------------------------------

The next morning, Lilly was awoken by a symphony of clattering pans and loud chatter. Grabbing her glasses from her nightstand, she rolled out of bed and walked down the stairs.

"Morning," she mumbled, rubbing her eyes as she walked into the kitchen.

"Morning!" Jolly called from the stove.

"Coffee?" Folio offered, holding up an empty mug.

"Yes, please," she said gratefully, taking the mug from him and walking towards the coffee pot. "Creamer?" she asked, glancing over her shoulder as she poured the liquid into her cup.

Noah was already opening the fridge. He set the bottle on the counter without a word.

"Thanks," she said quietly, pouring a splash into her coffee.

One by one, the other boys found excuses to leave: showers, errands, fishing trips. Soon, it was just her and Noah left in the kitchen.

The silence was palpable until Noah broke it. "We should talk about last night."

Lilly froze, then slowly turned to face him. "What about it?" She looked at Noah who was leaning against the counter.

"I don't want you to feel weird about the bathroom thing," he said, his tone serious. "Or me being there while you were... you know."

Lilly gripped her mug tighter. "I don't feel weird," she said, forcing a small smile.

"Good," Noah said, nodding. "I just think it's important to keep things professional."

"Of course," Lilly agreed, though the words felt like a knife twisting in her chest. "I couldn't agree more."

Silence filled the room as the two stared at each other.

Lilly cleared her throat. "I should get started on my work." She set her mug down and walked towards the stairs.

"Right," Noah said, stepping aside as she brushed past him.

As she reached her room, she leaned against the closed door, her chest tight. "God, get ahold of yourself..." She murmured.