I was frozen in place, on my knees, staring at a very wet, very naked young man who was now staring incredulously at his best friend's mom.
I opened my mouth to speak but nothing came out. Much to my chagrin, my eyes kept involuntarily dropping from his face to other parts of his body. That is, until I watched one of the above mentioned body part start to lengthen and stiffen and begin to rise.
It was at that point that I regained my senses, leaping to my feet, assuming my role again of morally upright role model. I grabbed a towel and shoved it against his chest.
"For goodness sakes cover up!" I said in an tone of forced exasperation.
He raised an eyebrow at me and smiled slightly as he dutifully wrapped the towel around his waist. "It's not like I'M the one who walked in on someone when they were showering..."
I could feel my cheeks burning, my body feeling hot and coated with a slick layer of perspiration under my robe from the steam in the room and the awkwardness of the whole scenario. I felt myself struggling once again to maintain control of the situation, wondering how on earth my morning tea on the back step had evolved into the predicament I was in.
"Don't be sassy with me, Aaron." I was trying for stern but knew it was probably coming across as forced bravado.
"I wouldn't have had to be in here if I didn't have to retrieve-" I shook the still damp panties out from where they'd been balled up in my fist and waved them in his face. "-these!!"
Now it was my turn to raise an eyebrow, my arms folded and face smug as I watched his cheeks flush a little and his eyes drop from mine with a sheepish grin. But our years of bantering and sharpening wits against each other had prepared him well for this situation. He raised his face to mine, his eyes shining and I knew I was in trouble.
"Don't you think it would have been much more proper of you to wait outside until I was done and demand I return them? Instead of crawling on your hands and knees through the bathroom where I was innocently showering, never suspecting to be EXPOSED like this. Ms. Keys, what would my mother think of your behaviour??!!"