“Excuse me?”
I turn to him, and Rowan turns his head in my direction. We’re not so far apart that we can't study each other, but not so close that we can touch each other.
“Your T-shirt.”
Rowan looks at it, then back at me. “Yes.”
“And what’s it like? University life, I mean.”
“I have no idea.”
I stand up, my hands on the mattress to support me, my eyes braving the darkness to catch his expression.
“I went to night classes. I worked during the day. Delivery boy. By bike.”
“Is that why you have those nice, muscular, toned legs?”
I realise my words too late.
“I mean…” Good thing there’s not enough light to see that I’m on fire! “You’re fit, sure, from so much gym…” I’m still recruiting him without restraint. “God, what a disaster I am at breaking the ice.”
“Breaking the ice?”
“Well, yes. I wanted to get to know each other better, since we’re going to be living under the same roof. I wanted you to feel comfortable with me, but I failed miserably. Haven’t I?”
“Not at all.”
“Please don’t feel obliged to answer my bullshit.”
Rowan is silent for a while as I die of a new-found and ever-present fear.
“The bike has certainly helped,” he says suddenly. “But it’s true, I work out a lot.”
I smile at the ceiling.
“You are no less.”
“What do you mean?”
“You look… fit.”
“Oh.” Was that a compliment? “Thank you?”
“Was that a question?”
“I’m just… surprised.”
“Why should you be?”
“You don’t strike me as the complimenting type.”
“I suppose you’re right.”
But he did it to me. I heard it. I didn’t imagine it!
“I walk a lot.”
“Hmm?”
