object on the shelf at Bed Bath & Beyond, otherwise known as the Nexus of Unnecessary Things. Pretty sure thereâs some kind of vortex or force field right smack dab in the middle of this store attracting all the weird, bizarre, and odd home goods. âWhy canât they sit on the kitchen counter? Or, how about in a bowl?â
âMaybe the bananas just like to dangle?â she suggests. âHang free and all?â
Smacking my forehead, I go along with it. âAha. That makes perfect sense.â
âIâm here to help.â She tugs on my shirtsleeve. âBut can we please get to the sheet aisle? You canât sleep on a naked mattress.â
âThat may be true, but I could definitely sleep naked on a mattress,â I offer, and she laughs as we navigate through another sardine-packed aisle in the mammoth store.
Itâs one in the afternoon, and I just moved in this morning. That took all of two hours. Spending my twenties in med school and as a resident gave me very little time for the acquisition of things, so most of my possessions fit in a duffel bag. I have very little. Not even sheets for a queen-size bed. Ergo, Iâm spending Saturday at Bed Bath & Beyond, which is a bit like wandering through a Buzzfeed post titled âTen Things Iâll Never Use.â
More like five hundred. Wait. Make that five hundred and one, because I just spotted the new number one item on the list.
âThat,â I say as I make a beeline for a shelf of crème brûlée torches. Grabbing a silvery one, I hold it up. âPlease say we can have a housewarming party, and youâll make crème brûlée, and I can stride all proud and awesome into the kitchen,â I say, puffing out my chest and deepening my voice. âAnd I can light it with a torch, and weâll all ooh and ahh at the manly fire I made when I lit up a dessert.â
She arches an eyebrow. âA manly fire?â
I nod vigorously. âAnd then youâll let the guests take turns punching me in the face for being a total douche for owning a crème brûlée torch.â
She narrows her eyes. âYou actually want people to punch you?â
Iâm deadly serious as I answer her. âIf I ever own a crème brûlée torch, you have carte blanche to punch me, Josie. You really should.â I drop the torch on the shelf and take her hand, clasping it tightly in mine. âPromise me. From this day forward. Promise youâll punch me if I ever own a crème brûlée torch, a rotating tie rack, or more than one kind of cheese grater. This is part of our roommate pact.â
She grips my hand tighter, her green eyes glowing with stark seriousness. âI solemnly swear to pummel you under all the aforementioned circumstances. As proof of our friendship and roommate solidarity.â
âYouâre a saint,â I say, then wrap a hand around her head and tug her close for a quick kiss on her forehead.
And hello, sweet, sexy scent of Josie. What is this delicious smell? Is it . . . oh fuck me. Cherries. My God, she smells like cherries. Like the perfect summer fruit. Like the naughtiest fruit. And Iâve got to wonder if that cherry scent is her face lotion, her shampoo, or her body wash?
Body wash.
My mind is adrift, and the word association begins. Because what goes with body wash but nudity?
Naked woman in the shower. Washing. Lathering. Soaping.
Ah, hell.
Snap the fuck out it, Summers.
I stuff those images into a far corner in the dark closet of my mind and pull back from Josie, leaving the questions unanswered. I slap on a happy, wholesome smile. âThank you for your commitment to my non-douchery endeavors.â
âIâve got your back,â she says, and pats me.
Then she points to a cupcake tin. She pants like a dog. âMust. Have.â
âDonât you have twenty of those?â
She nods as she grabs it from a shelf. âYes. But I
Marcus Emerson, Sal Hunter, Noah Child