A preview from my 2014 novel, Sex Acts And Emotional Problems
White sunlight glowed through the bathroom window, shimmering in the steam while she washed her hair. Hot water sprayed powerfully down her back as Caitlyn opened the obscured glass window to her left. The muted sounds of foot traffic, neighbors’ voices, and cars occasionally gliding down the street convinced her it was probably closer to noon than four.
Caitlyn rinsed her body and shut off the water. She turned her panty inside out, strapped on her bra, and twisted her hair into a tight bun. Then she cleaned her nostrils with hot water and tissue, and she finished dressing.
Michael was in the hall when she emerged from the bathroom. White boxers with thin forest green stripes sat low on his waist. He stood against the wall opposite the door and smiled at Caitlyn.
“I thought you’d never finish,” he said.
He brought his weight off the wall, shoulders first, and moved toward her.
“Your shoes are by the door in the bedroom.”
“Thanks,” Caitlyn moved past him.
“You know how to get home from here?”
“I can take the 5 to Union Square,” she said, “and get the N right?”
“I’ll call you a car,” Michael offered.
“That’s okay,” Caitlyn declined.
“Trust me,” he insisted. “You don’t want to be on a crowded platform, waiting for your train when that hangover kicks in. By the time you get out of the tunnel to Long Island City you’re going to feel like dying.”
Caitlyn shrugged.
Michael stood in the bathroom doorway with his fingers spread against its frame, and watched her.
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