I woke up ten minutes before my alarm.
The sun trickled in gently through my curtains as they moved in the breeze and a gentle chorus of birds underscored the peacefulness of the morning.
You never would have known that I lived in the heart of downtown.
I swung my legs over the side of my bed and turned my feet down until my bare toes just hit the cool wooden floor. It was something I had done since I could remember and it always helped me start the day off right.
I loved my little apartment that was tucked away down a rare quiet street in the downtown core. It felt like coming home to a cottage every day.
I let my toes push against the floor for another few moments before I stood up and walked over to my mirror.
I counted myself lucky because of how comfortable I felt looking at my own reflection. My short brown hair framed my fresh, pretty features and my fit skinny body was the envy of all my friends.
Of course, there were still things I would change about myself. I always wanted to fill out my outfits a little more and I always felt like my lips were a little thin but ultimately I wasn't complaining. I knew I looked good.
Unfortunately, my new roommate Tanner also seemed to know it.
I needed a roommate to afford this incredible apartment after trying to keep it afloat by myself for a few month. I posted on socials first to hopefully get somebody I knew but one of my college acquaintances - not even a friend - begged to let Tanner take the room. Normally I would have been more picky but I had really left the roommate search go for too long and nobody else seemed to like the location the way that I did, and so I agreed.
In the grand scheme of things, Tanner was a good roommate. He did his fair share of the chores, he respected the mutual spaces, and he checked in with me about having friends over, and he even made me food once in a while.
It was just the staring.
He stared at me constantly.
I was used to men looking at my body and although it bothered me less than it seemed to bother most other women, I did not want the experience at home. Also, I hated the way that Tanner did it. It wasn't even like he was leering at me or lusting after me or even just appreciating my form; it was like he was appraising me.
I knew that I could have just talked to him but he was a perfect roommate in all other senses. I didn't want to ruin that, and so I just dealt with it.
I pulled a clean towel out from the drawer and made my way to the shower. Tanner and I both worked 9-5 jobs but I always got up significantly earlier than he did. I loved to shower and read and make myself a cup of coffee. As far as I could tell, Tanner just rolled out of bed and walked to his work across the street.
The bathroom floor was ice cold as always and I lept to the bathmat before straining my reach over to push the door closed with my fingertips.
The door clicked shut but I stared at the knob and considered taking a step onto the frigid linoleum to lock it.
It wasn't like Tanner was a true risk to enter while I was having a shower but locking the door would give me that extra peace of mind.
Instead of braving my bare feet on the bare floor, I slowly shuffled the bathmat over to the door and locked it shut before I shuffled back to the shower to undress.
Less than a minute later and I was relaxing against a wall of hot water splashing on my naked body.
I used to masturbate every time I showered in the morning but I had stopped that habit when Tanner moved in. His room was too close.
Still, the itch was ever present. I tilted my head back and ran my hands through my hair. I let my fingers linger over my small breasts as I washed them. I closed my eyes and imagined myself in the arms of a strong decisive man who listened to me and respected me.
I allowed a moan to escape my lips.
Maybe if I was quiet...
I let my fingers slide up to the detachable shower head. I traced the top like it was a lover and not a curve of unfeeling steel.
"Don't be silly, Cora," I said to myself and resisted the urge for the rest of my shower.
*****
Like usual, I had given myself enough time to read a few chapters of my book with a coffee before I had to leave for work. I sipped the fresh cup of black coffee as I tapped to the next page on my reader. I had resisted fantasy novels for years but after a recommendation from a friend, I had found myself hooked on the Lost in Saddlecrook series by Jamie Lee Benn. I was on book three of fourteen (and counting) and I felt thrilled to still have so much adventure in front of me.
I jumped when I heard Tanner's door open. My eyes snapped to my phone, nervous that I had lost track of time and was late for work; Tanner never woke up before I left.
But it was only 7:45, I still had plenty of time.
"I'm sorry, Tanner," I said to the tall blonde young man when he stepped out into the hallway. "Did I wake you up?"
"Not at all!" he said with a bright smile. "I start a new job today. I've got to take a page out of your book and start my mornings off better."
"New job?" I asked before he got into the bathroom. "You didn't tell me about that!"
"It came on kinda fast," he said. "I'm in sales now. Anyway, I gotta shower unless you want to continue our chat in there?"
Then he laughed and disappeared into the bathroom before he could see my irritated expression.
I quickly collected my things and rushed out the door. I was feeling furious that Tanner was about to start infesting my mornings.
*****
It was crunch time at work and I was staying late on a consistent basis to help a software update get out in time for a client deadline. I didn't mind - my company paid great overtime - but I did always get home exhausted.
It was after 8pm when I finally got home and I was met with a burst of incredible smells.
"Welcome back, beautiful!" Tanner said brightly. "I made you dinner!"
I didn't really know how to reply. For all his staring, Tanner had never called me beautiful or flirted or made sexual comments like he had in the morning. Maybe it was all a part of him needing to be more outgoing as part of his new sales job?
"I have to admit," I finally said after hanging up my green bomber jacket in the closet and tossing my work bag on the coffee table, "your timing is really good. This was a long day for me."
"I noticed that you had been coming home late so I figured it was another crunch week," Tanner said.
"That's actually really sweet of you to notice," I said. "You're always making me food, are you sure I can't give you some money for the grocery bill?"
"Oh no way," said Tanner. "I'm not hurting for cash, even before my promotion. I'm just glad I can pay you back for sharing this perfect apartment with me."
I smiled back at him and sat down at the table. It wasn't as if he had had a full personality turnaround but there was definitely something different. He was being more friendly and complimentary than normal but I wasn't upset about that. Maybe it really was just because of his new job.
Tanner had outdone himself. He had made tacos but everything had been made from scratch with freshly chopped vegetables and perfectly seasoned meat. I might have even believed him if he told me that he made the cheese from scratch too.
