As Michelle finally eased herself into bed and was ready to attempt to sleep, she heard a knock at her door. "Who would be here at 11:00pm?"she thought, annoyed that she had to leave her warm bed. She reached the door and pulled it open to reveal Tony standing on the other side. He was drenched from the pouring rain that had pounded the usually beautiful Los Angeles nights, and Michelle couldn't help but notice how his wet shirt clung to his muscular chest and arms.
They stood for what seemed like an eternity before he finally spoke. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't be here." As he turned away to leave Michelle spoke, "No! Wait! Tony come in." He slowly turned and walked into her apartment. As she closed the door, Tony looked around her apartment, saw the pictures of friends and family, took in the entire scene, her scent, and thought to himself, "Her apartment is exactly how I imagined it."
His thoughts were interrupted by Michelle's voice. "Tony?" "Huh?" he answered. "Oh great… smooth answer…" he thought. "You're soaked, hold on, I'll be right back," Michelle said and left the room. She popped her head back out of the hallway to see Tony standing awkwardly by the kitchen table. "You can sit down, make yourself comfortable," Michelle said wit ha smile. Tony returned her smile and tentatively sat down on a kitchen chair.
Michelle entered her room and found what she was looking for. As she walked out into the kitchen area with it she had to suppress her laughter at his facial confusion. She handed him the pink robe and he finally found his voice. "What's this for?" "For you to wear while I dry your clothes," she answered, still trying to hide her giggles. Noticing her amusement at the situation, Tony began to smile. God he loved her smile. It was what got him through the long, sometimes fatiguing, days at work and what he thought about when he got home. "Uh…okay, where's the bathroom?" "Down the hall and to the right," she answered.
As he began to make his way to the bathroom, his arm brushed gently against hers and they both felt a shiver course through their bodies. After a few minutes, he exited the bathroom, pink robe and all, with a sheepish look on his face. When Michelle saw this, she couldn't help but laugh openly. Tony saw this and laughed, letting out the breath he didn't know he'd been holding. He handed her his clothes and she went to put them in the dryer.
Michelle reentered the room and motioned for Tony to come over to the couch. He followed her and sat down. Both of their hearts were beating rapidly, waiting for what the other would say next. Michelle broke the uncomfortable silence. "Tony, how's your ankle?" "It feels a lot better, thanks," he replied. The awkward silence returned, as neither knew what to say, and was broken by the buzz of the dryer.
Michelle got up and retrieved Tony's clothes. "Here are your shirt and boxers," she said. "Where are my pants?" he inquired with a slight smirk. Michelle inwardly giggled at his face and replied, "They weren't completely dry and I didn't want to shrink them… so I guess you're stuck with me for a little while longer." "I don't mind," Tony said with a genuine smile coming to his face for the first time all night.