I try to concentrate on my workout, but I can still see Becky out of my peripheral vision...and she's watching me. Her eyes barely leave me as I move from machine to machine. It's obvious that asking me to be her personal trainer was just a ploy to get closer to me.

Oh well. If I'm lucky, she won't stick to the routine I gave her. If I'm even luckier, she will stick to it and start bringing Willow along. Now that Willow is dating Peter, I imagine she'll be looking for ways to make sure that he'll want to stay with her, and that includes keeping fit. All of that cardio she does will keep her skinny, but she needs to be building muscle, too.

I sigh to myself, wondering why I care anymore. She probably doesn't even want my help now that she has Peter.

I finish my workout, take a quick shower, and head home in a blah mood. I open the door, and Max rushes out to greet me. His tail is wagging, and he's wearing his big dumb dog-grin, but the apartment feels oddly empty. For the first time in a long time, I feel alone.

I sit on the sofa, but I can't even motivate myself to turn on the television. There's an irrational depression taking over me, something I'm not accustomed to. I think I know what it might be from, but I try my best to ignore it.

There's a knock on the door, rousing me from my thoughts. I go to answer it only to find Willow on the other side looking stressed out.

“What's wrong?” I ask, instantly going into concerned mode.

“Do you have water?”

I quirk an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”

“Water. You know, the thing that comes out of the faucet.” She makes a knob turning motion with her hand in annoyance before pushing past me to enter the kitchen and turn on the faucet. When she sees water trickle out, her entire body seems to relax. “Oh thank God.”

“Your apartment doesn't have water?” I put the pieces together.

“No. And I need to take a shower before my date with Peter tonight. No one is going to repair it in time, so I'm going to shower over here. I'll be right back.” She skirts past me to leave again.

My mouth falls agape. She didn't even ask me. Didn't care if I had somewhere to be.

Once the shock wears off, I shake my head and smirk. That's just the way she is. Such a strange and selfish girl. I've never met anyone like her in all my life.

I pace my apartment while I wait for her to return, obsessing over her rudeness, images of her taking off her clothing in my bathroom flashing through my mind. I don't know why I'm thinking about it, but my focus is slowly steering towards a different direction. My offense at her rudeness fades away, and all I see are the images. All I can think about is the fact that in a few minutes, she'll be completely naked in my bathroom.

I grip my head with both hands and squat down to be eye-level with Max, trying to distract myself. He immediately walks up to me and starts licking my face. “What in the hell is wrong with me, boy?”

Willow knocks on my apartment door again before barging in. Her hands are full of all of the things she needs for her shower. Soap, shampoo, conditioner, a robe. I see no clothes in her hands. I think about complaining or saying something snarky, but then I decide to keep my damn mouth shut.

“Thanks,” she tells me before hurriedly rushing into the bathroom.

The thoughts return. There's no distraction that can possibly drown them out.

I stay on the sofa with Max lapping at my fingers, and I stare at the bathroom door as I hear the shower turn on. I know that she's taking off her clothing. When there's a change in the sound of the water, I know she's completely naked.

“What the fuck is wrong with me?” I tear my hand through my hair.

I know what's wrong, though. It's not just that Willow is in my bathroom naked. It's the compounded feelings of my loneliness and trying to cope with the fact that two of my closest friends are now dating and I'm left on the outside. My apartment feels lonely because I am alone. And I'm only feeling this way because I'm slowly slipping free from being repulsed by the idea of getting into another relationship.

Maybe there's an iota of me that's even jealous. Peter didn't even have to try to find the perfect girl. She fell right into his lap.

I tried hard with Taylor, and all I got was hurt. Nothing I did was ever enough.

But I know that I'm worth something now. Someone out there will love me for me. Willow did once...

That thought lingers with a bitter twinge of pain. At one time I was her love object, and I didn't even see it. I didn't take the time to see what a wonderful person she was. God damn, do I ever regret it now. But that's karma, I suppose.

The water stops, and my focus returns to the bathroom. The door opens, and she steps out in just a bathrobe. My heart sticks in my chest, and when it starts beating again, it's deafening. I feel like I'm holding my breath, all of the blood in my body draining down South. I stare at her stupidly, at the tousled wetness of her hair, at her smooth, pale, flawless skin without makeup on. At this moment, she doesn't even know I exist, toweling her hair off without so much as a glance in my direction. But at this moment, she's all that exists for me.

Willow looks at me finally, freezing in place. “What?”

“Nothing.” I shake my head, trying to come back to reality.

“Thanks for letting me use your shower. I've got to go change.” She walks towards the front door.

“You're seriously going out in just a robe?” I stand to follow her.

“It's just across the hallway.” She gives me a sardonic look before shoving the towel against my chest and stepping out.

I wait until she's safely in her apartment before closing the door. I pull the towel away from my chest and stare at it, thinking about how she rubbed it all over her body. Silently, I curse myself for being such a pervert, but I can't resist the urge to draw the towel up to my nose and inhale her scent. It's fresh and clean and floral.

In fact, my entire apartment smells like her body wash. It's a good smell—a feminine smell. Almost like an aphrodisiac to me.

I look down at Max, but my eyes are instantly diverted to the massive erection pressing against my sweatpants. I almost double over to hide it in embarrassment, but it's way too late for that.

“Holy fuck, I hope she didn't see that.” I curse my stupid body for having a mind of its own.

The guilt is fleeting. I find myself drawn to the bathroom, to the strong scent of heat and femininity. When I step inside, I see that Willow accidentally left her body wash in her haste.

Briefly, I consider taking it back to her, but she seemed to be in a hurry, and I don't want to distract her. It's not that important, I decide. I can get it to her later. Either that, or she'll eventually come back for it.

I pick the bottle up from the built in shower shelf and pop open the top, giving it a good whiff. The scent intoxicates me, and my brain immediately associates it with naked girl in my shower.

Max is standing next to me, looking up at me in confusion. As soon as I notice him, I set the bottle back down and try to shake my perverted thoughts away. I need to get away from her scent.

“Is this what it's like for you, boy?” I talk to Max, trying to distract myself again as I go to open the balcony door...then every window in my apartment. “I can't be thinking about this.”

But I can't stop thinking about it. I can't stop thinking about her.

Fuck all, she's dating my best friend. I have to stop thinking about her.

“I think I need to get laid, boy,” I tell Max as I sit on the sofa.

Suddenly, Becky isn't looking so bad.