Friction

Chapter 26

As a friend, Max already knew that Nina was awesome.

As a roommate, he learned that she was neat and respectful but surprisingly introverted. Work seemed to drain her. Nina tended to be fairly unresponsive right after she got back from a long day at the office. He learned to stay out of her way until she had some time to recharge over dinner.

For the most part, however, Max was happy as a clam about their new living situation.

After the first few days, they fell into a routine of "Netflix and chilling" in the living room until one of them nodded off. Nina tended to pass out first. One time, her head had dropped onto Max's shoulder. Max assumed it had been accidental, so he forced himself to sit as still as possible for as long as possible even though all he wanted to do was lay down on the couch and cuddle up beside her.

Dealing with this kind of shit was really the only downside to rooming with Nina. It wasn't easy being roommates with his crush. Their close proximity continually pushed Max into unanticipated, awkward situations. For example, sometimes, not all the time, whenever Nina jumped into the shower, it became impossible to avoid thinking about what she was doing. Max tried not to imagine the warm water spraying all over her naked body. Her soft, smooth skin. Droplets running down her bare breasts. "Perfect handfuls" as he liked to call them. More water sliding over the sweet curves of her ass and her long, shapely legs—

Max knew he wasn't supposed to perv on his friend. He aspired to be a gentleman, he really did, but, most of the time, he failed. Needless to say, these naughty thoughts usually left Max with a very hard and uncomfortable problem that needed to be "addressed" before he could leave his room. Max's inability to control his Lower Brain embarrassed him, but he couldn't help it. His body reacted to Nina with a mind of its own. She was simply too cute and sweet and funny and... hot... for him not to take notice. And it was getting trickier and trickier to hold back because, well, Max began to suspect—at least, he felt pretty sure about it, anyway—that Nina wasn't completely ambivalent towards him anymore, either. The sexual tension between them no longer seemed to be a one-way street. Nina was beginning to reciprocate. Maybe. Hopefully.

On Tuesday, Max decided to put his theory to the test by "forgetting" to bring clean underwear into the bathroom. Once he finished showering, Max stepped outside with nothing but a bath towel wrapped around his waist. On the way back to his room, he made sure to linger in the hallway, giving Nina an eyeful of his chiseled half-naked body. He was working out regularly five days a week, and his chest, biceps, and abs had never looked better. When they locked gazes, he was pleased to note that Nina looked visibly flustered. Nina's eyes widened and her cheeks turned pink, and, most importantly, she hadn't looked away.

In fact, Nina kept staring in awe until Max winked at her and asked, "I can drop the towel if you want."

She blinked in surprise. "What?"

"I said, I can drop the towel if you want."

Nina seemed to consider his offer for a moment too long before her common sense finally kicked in. Her flushed cheeks deepened in color. "I applaud your confidence, but, uh, I'll have to pass."

With a slight smirk, Max had hooked his thumbs under his towel and gave it a playful tug around his waist. "You sure? You're missing out. Most girls and some guys would kill for an opportunity to see what's hiding behind my towel."

"I'm good, thanks," she answered, though, her voice didn't sound certain at all. It came out like a squeak.

He taunted, "You're good, huh?"

Nina dropped her gaze to the floor and attempted to change the subject. She started speaking much faster than usual, which made her sound a bit flustered, "So... are you ready for all my girls to invade your space this weekend? Connie and Shalani are flying in Friday night. We're probably gonna check out a few bars in the downtown area. Carson and her girlfriend, Zahara, will be in LA by tomorrow morning to attend the conference, but she said they'll be pretty busy until Saturday. We're invited to a party on Saturday night, though. One of Zahara's friends is hosting a small get-together in his penthouse apartment. I think it's somewhere out in West Hollywood."

Max crossed his arms over his chest. "You know what I think? Whether or not I'm ready for this invasion doesn't seem to matter. Sounds like you guys have everything planned out."

Nina tossed him a knowing look. "Psh! Don't act like you're not excited, Max. You know it's gonna be an amazing weekend!"

"Oh, believe me, I'm more than ready to get shitfaced and stupid with you guys! I'm just worried that you and your friends might not be able to keep up with me..."

Nina cocked her head to the side. "Dude. Are you suggesting that my friends and I aren't cool enough to hang with you? Rude!"

Max chuckled. "Might I remind you that my job used to center around partying and vlogging with a bunch of fuckboys and fuckgirls? You mentioned that Carson and Zahara are in law school, Connie is an accountant, and Shalani is a high school math teacher. No offense, but it's hard to imagine a crazy night out with your crowd."

Nina smiled. "I'm surprised you remember so much about my friends. I didn't realize you were such a good listener."

Max coughed. He didn't like the smugness in her tone. Now it was his turn to change the subject. "Anyway, I should go put something on. Unless... you changed your mind about the towel?"

"I don't know, Max." Nina eyed him mischievously. "What would you do if I asked you to... drop it like it's hot?"

Max's eyes rounded out with bemusement. This seemed like a very un-Nina-like thing to say. His heart teetered with hope.

Maybe his instincts had been spot on?

Maybe Nina wasn't as indifferent and unaffected by him as she wanted to be?

Immediately, Max decided to take advantage of her misstep. Whether Nina had been attempting to call his bluff or egg him on, he figured the girl wouldn't have teased him if she wasn't a little curious about seeing him naked.

With a roguish grin, he stuck his thumbs under the towel again and pretended to loosen it. Max had no real intention of unleashing his one-eyed monster, but he wanted to push Nina's buttons and mess with her like she was messing with him. He started jumping around and hollering the lyrics to Sir Mix-a-Lot's classic hit "Baby Got Back" while twerking his towel-covered ass like an idiot.

At first, Nina only yelped and cackled in delight at his over-the-top antics, but, then, he heard a shriek. Without warning, the white terry cloth, which had been holding onto his hips for dear life amid the frenzied singing and booty shaking, gave way. It fluttered soundlessly to the ground. Max's expression froze as cool air hit bare skin around his most sensitive parts.

Nina's mouth gaped at the sight of his everything. "Oh, my God, Max! I was kidding! I can't believe you actually dropped your towel..."

Max's hands dove between his legs in an attempt to shield his unmentionables, though, he couldn't quite censor all of the goods. "I swear, it was an accident!"

There was definitely some visual spillage of dick and balls.

Nina averted her gaze and started giggling like a shy young girl around a cute boy. "Not bad, Max. Not bad at all."

He resisted the urge to strike and pose and flex. "You think so?"

Nina glanced up briefly. Their eyes locked. When Max saw the approval on her face, he blushed against his will.

Her lovely features tightened shrewdly. "But don't you dare pull this shit when my friends get here!"

Max pretended not to hear her. "What did you say?"

"I mean it, Max!"

He winked at her. "Okay, okay! I got it, this is for your eyes only."

"Ha! You wish!"

"Maybe I do!"

Nina laughed as she sauntered away. "Well, if you're just gonna stand there in your birthday suit all night, then I'm going to bed. Have a good night, loser. As always, it's been real."

He grinned. "Night, loser."

As Max watched Nina disappear down the hallway, he picked up his towel and headed back to his room as well. The smile never left his face. Despite the slight hiccup in his dance routine, he felt as though his experiment had been a success. Maybe Nina wasn't ready to admit it yet, but she definitely wasn't immune to his charms. She must feel a spark of sorts. A magnetic push and a pull. Max's crush on Nina no longer felt completely lopsided, heavy only on his end. On the contrary, everything between them was starting to even out. This realization filled Max with an overwhelming sense of anticipation, and he intended to keep striking while the iron was hot.