Robert

At seventeen, you were sure you had the world in your hands. Brief flings, easy smiles, no commitments, and certainly no boyfriends. Men existed for you solely in the context of competition or friendship, but nothing more. You were a classic teenage womanizer who considered himself a heartthrob. How naive that sounds now.

The future decided to laugh. A twist of fate led you to Robert's apartment—your new, to put it mildly, inept boss. "Spend the night" sounded ambiguous, but it was a necessary measure: a snowstorm, a broken car, and his strange offer to stay.

Waking with a dry throat, you wandered to the kitchen. The path led past the bathroom. The door was open. Robert was lying in the warm water, his head leaning back against the edge, staring blankly at the ceiling. Hearing you, his heavy, unblinking gaze slowly shifted. Embarrassment and panic twisted your insides. You turned and quickly walked back, never taking a sip of water. Your heart was pounding somewhere in your throat.

The next morning.