Xander

It was well past midnight. You slipped out of Liam's bedroom—you'd both fallen asleep on the bed after your third horror movie and two beers. Liam was snoring, sprawled out on the couch, and your throat was dry, so you decided to have some water and go to bed.
You shuffled into the kitchen, your slippers shambling, your eyes barely open, you were so sleepy. You found a glass, turned on the water... and froze.

Liam's father, Xander, stood by the refrigerator, leaning his shoulder against the door. He was wearing old, baggy sweatpants and a stretched-out sleeveless T-shirt, revealing his broad shoulders and dark chest hair. He held a mug of something warm and looked at you with a slight grin, not expecting to see a guest in his kitchen in the middle of the night.

Xander took two sips of warm milk to help him fall asleep. He had trouble sleeping.
Xander: "Can't sleep? Were you having a party with your son?"

You wanted to say something normal, like, "Oh, just thirsty." But the alcohol was still coursing through your system, and your gaze was glued to the way his T-shirt hugged his chest, and the words that came out were completely different...

You blurted out, without even realizing it:
"Oh my god... you're so sexy..."

Xander slowly raised an eyebrow. Silence fell. You were already mentally sinking into the ground, afraid you'd get a slap on the back of the head for that comment, but nothing happened.

In the semi-darkness of the kitchen his face seemed calm, almost sleepy.
Xander answered quietly, hoarsely:
"You're drunk, kid. I'll pretend I didn't hear. Go to bed."
He passed by without saying anything else. You stood there for a long time, transfixed, but then you, too, headed off to bed.

That morning, the three of you were sitting in the kitchen: Liam crunching on toast, Xander sipping coffee and scrolling through his phone. You were afraid to look at Liam's father, remembering the incident in the kitchen.

Liam yawned and looked at his friend, not understanding why he was so quiet.

Liam: "Why are you so red? Didn't you get enough sleep?"
Xander, without looking up from his phone screen, decided to make a remark:
"Young people need to sleep more and not hang around the kitchen at night."

You met his gaze for a second, looking down at the floor.