"I just feel a little bad that you caught me naked yesterday," Josh exclaimed as they sat in the coney island awaiting their food.
"Don't feel bad. I've seen naked guys before," Cynthia assured him as she flashed a grin.
He sighed sarcastically. "I know!" he laughed. "I just want you to understand that I didn't think that you were going to be in the hallway waiting that late last night. I don't wear clothes when I go to bed; I have to wear them all day. So my naked time is at night."
"So you don't slip some shorts on when you get up to use the bathroom?!" Cynthia clued.
He rolled his eyes in sly sheepishness. "It's a six foot walk from my room. And it's my apartment! Sorry, I just thought I could pull it off."
"You just love walkin' around naked, don't you? You should join one of those resorts."
"C'mon Cyn," he groaned.
She aligned her thoughts. "Well, it was gonna happen eventually," she declared smiling. "Roommates, right?" She paused only to find the awkward silence. "I guess I always knew you were kind of a hippie - I noticed you don't groom down there."
Josh smiled in embarrassment but recovered. "No! I'm not doing that. I don't think guys should have to trim down there. Or chicks. I'm a naturalist; everyone should just be comfortable in their own skin - I mean hair - I mean-".
"Okay Josh," she spurted in respectful finality. Cynthia was a grad student and open to having a male roommate. Moving out of her parents' house where she had resided with her three younger sisters was one of the best things that she could have done for herself; there'd be no more bickering and two-faced confrontations and she could become independent and delve deeper into her career aspirations. A man was just what she needed, be it a simple roommate or a long term relationship with someone.
---
After grabbing the bite to eat, the thought of the nude encounter of Josh the previous night lingered in Cynthia's mind as she retired to her bedroom. What was it about him? She'd experienced naked men through various romantic and sexual experiences in her lifetime and had even taken an art course where she'd sketched out a stationary nude male model, so her run-in with Josh shouldn't have made her flinch. She remembered his lean abs and bony shoulders glistening under their pungent bathroom lighting. She chuckled at the thought of being attracted to such a skinny man; at only 5'8'', she knew he couldn't have weighed more than 135 pounds. And the body hair was something else she kept remembering. That thick bushy trail beginning at his belly button converged with his dense pubic jungle, sparing little chance of escape if one got lost in this lush and sensitive area. Almost all the men she'd slept with had trimmed or shaven down there. She didn't mind the way a man kept it, but Josh's raw confidence with his natural body and the way he walked with it, Cynthia determined, was the reason for her overnight attraction that she didn't know where to sweep under.
---
"He was naked."
"Naked?!"
"Yeah, naked," Cynthia confirmed to her friend.
"Doesn't he put something on to get up to go to the bathroom?"
"No Julia, he was totally naked."
Her mouth gaped in weird amusement. Then she narrowed with a straight-face. "What'd his cock look like?"
Cynthia squinted in annoyance. "I don't remember! The whole thing lasted two seconds and then he rushed to shut the door!"
"Well it's a decent question! If I saw someone naked I'd probably be able to give you at least a one word description of his cock!"
"That's not what's important Julia. How would you go on living with someone if that happened to you?"
Julia raised an eyebrow as Cynthia waited in horror. "Make him your boy-toy."
Cynthia giggled nervously.
"I mean that's what I would do. If you think he's cute and you've seen him in a vulnerable state, you've got leverage girl!"
"Well I never liked him like that but the last couple days I've just been feeling strange and sad and I don't know what to tell him - there's a feeling there."
"You're in a good situation. You have a free guy to live with and if you don't wanna commit, you can just move out. If you think you like him then I'd tell him." Julia went on. "You'd have the life hun. Tell him to clean the place looking like that and then after you pretend you're not watching him you can go up and squeeze his ass-cheek. If that's not what a girl wants, I don't know what is!"
Cynthia was on the verge of tears from laughing. "I'm so glad I come to you for this stuff!"
---
It was a weeknight and both inhabitants were in the living room area of the apartment. Josh was working the remote and had just switched to Thursday Night Football.
"We really should watch something else," Cynthia pushed.
"Why?"
"Football is just another violent team sport that's a product of masculine aggression. Men feed off it and the testosterone-filled society gets reinforced."
"Okay Ms. Sociologist," Josh conceded. "Isn't it about building rapport and constructing something strong with your teammates?"
"It is, but men are taught to do it in ways that promote violence. If you take a social psychology or gender norms course you'll see that it's true."
Josh let out a sigh. "You know I'm not a fighter, Cyn. So you want me to repress my masculine energy? Is that the answer so I can survive the new-age feminist onslaught?"
"No silly. You have to balance your divine masculine and channel that action-oriented testosterone into serving us ladies!" She dealt a coy smile. "Worship the goddess."
"Give me a hot goddess to worship and it's a done deal," he joked. "Maybe people would be more religious if it was like that."
"Mayyybee."
"Is this about me not cleaning the bathroom tub last week? I went out with friends and then totally forgot I had a class project due."
She lightened. "No! You've done your part of the cleaning since we've lived here, I just like talking about goddesses and stuff."
"How would a man serve a goddess?"
She put her fingers to her mouth and pondered. "Hmmm. Well he'd definitely do a lot of the cleaning for her (not that you don't), oh, and he'd massage and pamper her all the time."
"So basically he does whatever she wants." He burst out in laughter.
She couldn't help herself and joined him in giggles. "Basically. As long as it's agreed upon and he's comfortable with it."
He shrugged. "Sounds like I'd be her dog. Well, at least I'd get my meals for free."
Cynthia cried out hysterically. "You're so funny!" She rubbed her face with her palms and regained composure. "And since you'd be like a vulnerable animal you'd probably be naked doing it."
Josh beamed her passively with his mouth wide, lost in thoughts. "Well that'd be easy for me cuz I love being naked."
"I know! See, it'd be fun for both of us!" After playing with her index finger she looked back up and fortified her expression. "I'm being serious. We should try it."
"Okay." He squinted. "Well should I undress?"
"Yup. To start we can just watch t.v. with you like that since we're new to it. I want you totally naked...and I want you to call me Princess."
As nonchalantly as possible, Josh stood so his side was facing her, removed all his clothes and tossed them one by one on the couch next to them.
---