Ch.2 - The First Week
ERIN
BEEEP BEEEP BEEEP BEEEP... I groaned and flung my arm out to swat at my alarm clock. I lay silently for a moment, looking at the time.
Gods, 5 am
. My brain slowly began working, remembering that it was my "in-office" day for the month. I groaned again, recalling I had meetings all day.
Rolling onto my back, I arched as I stretched out and pushed my hands into the headboard. I love the feel of that first stretch in the morning. I paused when I heard a faint electronic pinging noise through the wall. A momentary shock of fear radiated through me before I remembered Griffin had arrived yesterday, and I wasn't alone in the house. I sat up in bed and swung my feet to the floor before shuffling to the en-suite bathroom to brush my teeth and start the day.
Stepping into the hall, I heard movement in the kitchen and the gurgle of the coffee pot. My new friend must have started the coffee. I walked into the living room and peered into the kitchen. Griffin was standing still, watching the coffee pot run; he looked as if he was still half asleep.
"Good morning, Griffy," I called, as I walked into the kitchen. I was a bit shocked to see he was wearing nothing but a pair of black trunk-style underwear. He looked at me with a smile before suddenly appearing concerned.
"Oh, no. I should be dressed!" He exclaimed before stepping towards the doorway with deep embarrassment.
"No! No, you're fine!" I reached out to stop him, placing my hand in the middle of his chest. "After last night, I think we're a little past all that."
His expression softened before he spoke again, "Are you sure that was okay? I feel I rushed you or something."
"I told you it was okay. Was it fast? Sure. But I don't really care. This whole situation is strange, and I'll just go with it." I paused, "Besides, it felt so good."
He pulled me into a hug and traced his arms down my back. "Good, I was worried. The last thing I ever want to do is upset you. That would go against everything I am."
I wrapped my arms around him and gave him a little squeeze, "That's sweet of you. Try not to worry about it. I promise I'll let you know if things start going in a direction I'm uncomfortable with."
"Sure thing," he replied as he let me go. I immediately missed the sensation of his warm, firm body enveloping mine.
Did he get bigger? I swear he got bigger.
"I'm going to go for a run. You're welcome to stay here if you want, or you can come with me," I told him as I stepped back into the living room and pulled my sneakers from the rack.
"I'll come along. I've never run before, so I hope I don't slow you down," he offered, padding down the hall to his room.
"I'm sure you'll do fine!" I called after him and sat to tie my shoes.
He came back a couple of minutes later in a tank top and snug athletic shorts that did a surprisingly good job showing off his powerful thighs. He sat next to me on the couch to tie his shoes.
We took the next few minutes to go through a few stretches and warm ups before walking out onto the porch. I started my run program on my smartwatch, and we set off. I let him set the pace since he'd never done this before. I was shocked to see his form was excellent; it was like he'd been a runner his whole life. He seemed to run easily despite his bulk. His pace was perfect, not too hard but not too easy either. We cruised together, side by side and zoned out. We covered the five miles like it was nothing. It was nice to have someone to do this with; it had been years since I'd gotten to do that.
Back at the house, we stepped out of our running shoes and put them back in the shoe rack. Sitting on the floor to do our cool-down stretches together, I caught him stealing glances at me as I bent to stretch out my hamstrings.
I guess he was a man, after all.
With that done, I walked down the hall and called over my shoulder that I was going to shower. He replied he would do the same.
GRIFFIN
That was fun! I'd never exercised before. It felt good to use my body. I stripped my shirt and shorts off, dropping my sweaty clothes in the sink as I entered the shower. The hot water made me shudder as it flowed down my body. I guessed I was still getting used to things. I worked quickly, lathering myself up and rinsing off. I wanted to get a little breakfast together for Erin before she left to go to work. I didn't remember her telling me she was going to the office today, but I had a feeling.
After drying, I dressed, pulling a clean blue Henley over my head, and put on a pair of soft gray sweats before walking back to the kitchen. I grabbed a skillet from the cupboard and lit the stove before taking a couple of eggs, some bacon, and a slice of cheddar from the refrigerator.
Erin walked into the room as I was plating the eggs for her. "Hey, Eeby, have a seat. This will be done in a second."
She poured a cup of black coffee and sat at the table as I placed the bacon and eggs in front of her. "How did you know?" She asked, looking up at me.
"I don't know. I felt like you would want bacon and scrambled eggs with a little cheese." I smiled bashfully as I poured a cup of coffee for myself and sat across from her.
She ate quickly before downing the rest of her coffee and walking to the door. I followed behind as she slipped into a pair of black flats that matched her office attire and grabbed her purse from the hook by the door. I walked her to her SUV before she gave me a long hug and got in the car.
"Are you going to be alright by yourself today?" She asked.
"Yeah, I think I'll manage," I replied.
"There's the TV, and I have an Xbox, too, if you want to play video games. I have meetings most of the day, but I'll check in with you when I can. I'll be home as soon as possible," she spoke quickly, glancing at the clock in the dashboard.
"Alright, don't be late," I winked. She said goodbye and backed out of the driveway as I went back into the house.
Standing in the silence, I didn't quite know what to do with myself. I realized I hadn't seen all of the house and spent a little time wandering from room to room for a couple of minutes, familiarizing myself with the medium-sized dwelling. I leaned into Erin's bedroom momentarily and noticed the laundry hamper was full. I grabbed the basket and took it to the laundry room, where I spent a few minutes separating darks and lights, putting the underwear in a mesh lingerie bag before I tossed it in with a load of darks, added detergent and started the machine. Moving back into the main room, I went into the kitchen and took a few minutes to tidy up before loading and starting the dishwasher.
With the house tidied, I sat on the couch before turning on the TV and reaching for the Xbox controller.
Let's see what video games are all about.
ERIN
The meetings simply refused to end. I sat and watched our section manager click through slide after slide of a presentation about the new software we were putting together for our most recent client. This was all figured out weeks ago, but they kept requesting new features, further pushing the deadline. I was sure we would get there, but this part was the absolute worst.
I wondered how Griffin was doing. I bet he was having more fun than I was, even if he was napping on the couch. This was such a weird situation. I would have thought I'd be more freaked out about him randomly showing up on my doorstep with a note saying he was a present from Aunt Sarah.
BZZ BZZ
I looked down at my phone and saw a text from Aunt Sarah. Speak of the devil.
Aunt Sarah: How's it going?
Erin B: You know how it's going. Don't screw with me.
Aunt Sarah: How do you like him?
Erin B: He's nice.
Aunt Sarah: Just nice?
Erin B: This is so weird. I really wish you'd have said something before he showed up.
