My Heroes

Crashing with Tobey was a last resort. She was too broke to check into a hotel. A few days of discomfort as the third wheel seemed like a fair trade in exchange for hot showers, real coffee, and a happy little fish in the aftermath of the storm.

The bathroom became paradise as Josie filled the tub and caught up on a week's worth of shaving. She washed her hair three times and soaped herself up until she was convinced that all twelve layers of scum had been sloughed off. The smells of shampoo, men's shave gel and soap mingled all around her and she hated to leave, but her stomach grumbled, and the caffeine jolt she'd gotten from the cola she'd chugged while waiting for the bus was fading. In the hallway, the rich scent of coffee slammed into her and she went weak in the knees. She shuffled to the kitchen, poured a cup, and then tapped on the tank where Mercutio was now merrily swimming through his bubbles.

When she stepped into the living room, she stopped short. Matt was sitting on the sofa with his computer resting on his lap. "If you're working, I can..."

He shifted the computer to show her the army of little red men charging towards an army of little green men. "Classes are canceled at least until Tuesday, so I'm just killing time. Take a seat."

Josie slid into the recliner adjacent to the sofa. She tucked her feet beneath her and eyed Matt over the rim of her coffee cup.

After a moment he shut the laptop and bobbed his head at her. "You like the documentary station?"

She nodded and as her unease grew, she made a mental list of places she could go until Tobey came back. She was contemplating spending the rest of the day at the doughnut shop around the corner when Matt hit the mute button on the remote and turned to her. "Look, I'm not pissed at you. I swear to God I'm not pissed at you. I'm pissed at him."

"Really."

"Really. When the power first went out I brought an ex over to use the shower and fill a few jugs with water. Tobey flipped out on my head. It's got nothing to do with you, but just so you know, I plan on giving it back to him the same as I got."

Josie nodded. "Sounds fair. I mean, I'd do the same thing. Besides, he's a bit of an asshole like that."

He stood and stretched his arms over his head, giving Josie a glimpse of his flat stomach when the hem of his faded T-shirt pulled up. "Do you like macaroni and cheese? With hot sauce?"

"Put mine on toast, and you've got yourself a deal."

She watched while he padded barefoot to the kitchen. He had a nice ass, hugged by jeans not too tight but not too bulky.

Tobey has better taste than I do.