Out of Sight

Totally Let My Guard Down Bad

I woke up because someone was making French toast. My head still ached as though I had run it through a strainer, and I did try to go back to sleep. But, you know, the great enemies of sleeping in came in for a counter-attack: full bladder and empty stomach.

Groaning, I sat up to find, not my mom's Navajo blanket or washed out blue sheets, but a thick fuzzy blanket on a black couch. Coals glowed in the fireplace, nibbling on a new piece of wood someone had thrown there. Soft sunlight shone through the sheer gray curtains.

From the kitchen came the quiet chink of pan and a soft sizzle.

I rubbed my eyes hard. This was weird. Yeah, I remembered why I was here, but...forget that I was in the house of the guy I liked, I was in my professor's house. It was like passing by your homeroom teacher at the supermarket. For a moment, the two battled in my mind for dominance on just what kind of awkwardness I felt.

Bladder tapped my shoulder. I didn't have time to think about this.

The moment I stood up, the too big gray sweats I wore slid down my hips. I caught them like lightning and searched for some sort of string, but nope. I get to hold on to my pants like a derp.

I was aware of the feel of the wood floor as I shuffled to the kitchen.

Naru stood at the stove, reading something on his phone with a spatula in his other hand, two pieces of French toast sizzling in a wide pan. He looked up at me, which ruined my dream of being able to sneak into his bathroom without his notice. Oh gawd, what if he could hear me pee? Just got to stand there and—

"You look like you could have slept longer," he said, glancing back to his phone. "It is Saturday."

Thank God.

"Just the usual culprits," I mumbled before hurrying into the little hall made of doors on each side. The one forward was a bathroom with an old fashioned clawed tub with a ring-like shower curtain rod hanging from the ceiling by wire.

It took me a second to figure out the lock. It could have been a hundred years old. Well taken care of, but still old fashion and wiggly.

I switched on the sink before seating myself on the toilet. It was white, but dusty. Did he never dust?

When I came back out, Naru had a plate of French toast in one hand and syrup on the other. He headed towards the tiny dining room.

"Food, Mai?"

I blinked. "You sure? I mean, you don't have too..."

He came back from the dining room with one of his droll looks.

"Oh no, two slices of bread, an egg, and some milk. I'll be eating ramen for a week."

"Ugh, shut up, only I can use sarcasm. You say it like it's true."

"Just go eat. Coffee or tea?"

"Um, do I wanna wake up?" I said it more to myself than him, yawning halfway through.

Naru's mouth twitched up into a line. "I got milk too."

"I'll go with that."

The little table, which was actually a light maple wood, could have fit four people tightly. It used the window seat for seating on one side and mismatching old fashion, dark wood chairs on the other three sides. At least the chairs matched. And the furniture all had the theme of well cared for wood. None of that fake stuff.

Naru set a glass of milk beside me just as I had worked off my first bite of French toast. It was just at the right crispness, no squishy liquidy insides.