This was definitely not good. Breaking and entering into a locked room was bad. Breaking and entering into a locked room where someone was showering was a whole new level of bad. The only plus was that the person showering had yet to notice the intrusion.

'Hello?'

Ok, so the person had noticed. Shit!

Nick debated what to do. On the one hand he could stay silent and let the other occupant think they had made a mistake and they would be none the wiser to the whole incident. On the other hand, if he stayed quiet and said occupant came out of the shower before he left, then he had just become the creepy guy who breaks into occupied washrooms and waits silently for his prey to emerge. And Nick really didn't want to be that guy.

'Er… Hi?' he answered cautiously.

There was a pause.

'What are you doing in here?' The voice was distinctly male, which for some reason made Nick feel much more comfortable. Perhaps it was the memory of shrieking fan girls which made this male voice so welcome.

'Hiding.' Nick supplied helpfully.

'From?'

'A screaming flock of crazed girls, sorry 'bout the intrusion.'

When the voice replied it no longer held the suspicious edge that it had before, instead there was very obvious amusement as it said,

'Nick Stokes I presume.'

Nick shouldn't have been as shocked as he was. His arrival had been the most talked about thing on campus. But here, shut in the small bathroom with a random stranger who might as well have been a disembodied voice, Nick felt cut off from campus. It felt like a safe space.

'Yeah that would be me. I would say 'how did you guess?', but I suppose it was pretty obvious'

The stranger chuckled, it was a nice sound. It was genuine and happy, and not that he would admit it, but it sent tiny electric shivers up and down Nick's spine. Shaking his head, he frowned at his reaction.

'So… is this anywhere near as awkward for you as it is for me?' came the voice from behind the shower door.

'I don't think so, seeing as I was the one who broke in on you… and also, I have all my clothes on.'

'Well I should hope so; it would be very creepy if you didn't Mr Stokes.'

It was Nick's turn to laugh and little did he know, but his deep laugh had a similar effect on the stranger in the shower, than their laugh had on Nick.

It was strange, but for the next couple of minutes the two had a pretty normal conversation. It was relatively relaxed and as awkwardness free as one could hope due to the situation. Nick talked about the reasons he moved, and when pressed, spoke about his role on a new crime solving show.

'Let me guess, you are the young, handsome, charming but occasionally hot headed police man. Oh and did I forget, a totally ladies' man?'

'Did you just call me handsome and charming?' The smirk was evident in Nick's voice. The response wiped it clean away though.

'Well, actually, I said that was the part you are playing, I never said whether or not I think you would be well suited for it.'

This was followed by a pregnant pause, and then,

'For the record, I think you suit it perfectly.' The answer was slightly less confident and assured than the stranger had been throughout the whole previous conversation, but it made Nick smile, none the less.

Conversation continued flowing after a slight lull, and it wasn't long before Nick was perched on the sink chatting away happily about his life before and after the fame. They swapped stories about their childhoods and teenage years, and laughed and joked around as if they were old friends. That was what really got at Nick, this was the first time in a while he had felt completely comfortable just talking to someone. The first time in a while he had laughed and smiled this much without having a camera pointed at his face recording every little detail of it. He loved acting, but it was moments like these that he wished that he could take a break from it for a while.

Well, not times exactly like this. This was definitely a first.

'Nick?' the sound of his name broke him out of his reverie.

'Yeah?'

'Would you mind leaving, the water is getting cold and I would kinda like to get out without flashing you.' Came the amused voice, but Nick could detect a faint shiver in the voice and realised that they had talked for quite a while and the water must indeed be freezing. Smiling he replied

'Awww, and here I was thinking that we had reached that stage in our relationship. My mistake.' He cut the sorrowful tone that he had been using and waited till the shower guy stopped choking on the water he had inhaled while snorting at Nick's comment.

'Nah, no worries dude. Catch you later?' At a noise of approval from the other man he turned to the door and opened it. After checking that the coast was clear, he slipped out into the corridor and started back to his dorm room.

He couldn't stop thinking about the way he had felt in that room. The way the conversation had flowed so easily. The way they talked as if they had known each other forever. Him and… shower guy?

He had never gotten a name. Damn it.

Nick turned and sprinted back the way he had come. It wasn't that far but when he got to the washroom the door was open and the room was empty. He looked left and right but there was no sign of the mystery man.

He was gone.

Three guesses who the mystery man is! I'll give you a clue, check the pairing. Anyway hope this is going ok, and that you are enjoying it. I know that the chapters are short but it is easier to post more frequently if they are.

Love you all X CM X