The Tyrant King And I

10. Man-Friend

Half an hour later, the bathroom door creaked open, and Adriel stepped out into the hall, his dark hair dripping, the sweatshirt clinging damply to his chest. 

His bare feet left wet prints on the hardwood floor. 

His expression was serious, as if he'd just returned from a battle instead of a shower, and he seemed completely unbothered by the fact that his jeans were sticking to him uncomfortably.

That was when the front door slammed open with the enthusiasm of a wrecking ball.

"Natalieeeeee," Nina sang out in a voice that was just this side of drunk and about three octaves too loud. "I'm home—!"

She cut off abruptly as she rounded the corner and almost walked straight into Adriel.

Soaking. Towering. And staring at her like she'd just jumped out of a bush with a spear. There was a half-second of frozen silence.

Then Nina screamed.

Adriel flinched back instinctively, his hand twitching toward where a sword would have been.

Natalie groaned. "Oh no." 

She leapt out of her room and into the hallway, standing between them.

Nina, wild-eyed and swaying slightly in her heels, pointed at Adriel. "Who the hell is that?!"

Adriel stared back at her, eyes narrowed.

Natalie forced a strained smile. "Nina, this is—uh—Adriel. Adriel, my flatmate Nina. She also lives here with me."

Nina squinted at him. "Is he... like, your boyfriend?"

Natalie blinked. "What?"

"Didn't know you were into hippies," Nina gestured vaguely at Adriel's broad chest, still damp under the hoodie. "He's hot though, damn."

Natalie's brain scrambled. Cousin? No, they didn't look related. Brother? No way.

"Yeah," she said finally. 

Nina's drunken suspicion melted into a sloppy grin. "Ohhhhhh. Nice. Well done."

Adriel, stared between them like they were speaking in code.

Nina wobbled toward the kitchen, grabbing a bottle of water from the fridge. "How'd you guys meet?" she asked, twisting off the cap.

Before Natalie could think of a plausible lie, Nina answered herself. "Tinder, right? That's where you've been hiding lately."

Natalie opened her mouth, closed it, then just nodded. "Yep."

"Classic," Nina said, giving a mock-salute with her water bottle. "Well, I'll leave you two lovebirds alone. Just... y'know, try not to be too loud? I've got to meet that girl from my group project at like, eight tomorrow morning."

Natalie managed a tight smile. "No problem."

Nina winked. "Get it, girl."

Natalie wanted the floor to swallow her whole.

As soon as Nina disappeared down the hall to her room, Natalie grabbed Adriel's sleeve and yanked him toward her room.

The second she shut the door behind them, he walked straight over to the bed and dropped onto it like he owned the place. 

He lay back, arms behind his head, his wet hair soaking into her pillow without a hint of guilt.

Natalie stared at him. "Seriously?"

He raised an eyebrow. "Is this not for resting?"

"You're soaking," she said flatly. "You didn't even dry off properly."

"Forgot," he said simply, not sounding the least bit sorry.

Natalie pressed her hands to her temples, trying to summon patience. He looked at her, contemplating.

"Why did your flatmate call me a 'boy-friend'? I am a man. Not a boy."

She paused. Of course he didn't know. Why would he? They surely didn't have the concept of dating back then.

"Right," she sighed. "I'm just going to call you my... man-friend from now on."

Adriel nodded once. "Then I will call you girl-friend."

That surprised a laugh out of her. "Oh my god."

He looked vaguely pleased with himself.

Natalie shook her head and crossed her arms. "Okay. Enough of that. We need to figure out how you're even here."

She blew out a breath and grabbed her laptop from the desk, flopping onto the floor beside the bed.

"Let's start digging," she said. "Can I have my phone back?"

He stared at her silently.

"Adriel... you left it in the shower."

"Yes."