<div class="floatleft">(https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/de/46/00/de460000d103b2a84c5891d8aeb1819e.jpg)</div><strong>Name:</strong>Wyatt Colton Faulkner (https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=250173.msg12370769#msg12370769)<br/><strong>City | Date | Time:</strong>St. Cloud, Minnesota | I-Hop | January 2014 | 11:30 p.m.<br/><strong>Tagging | Mentioning:</strong>Silky Levres (https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=250173.msg12373275#msg12373275)<br/><strong>Content:</strong><em>What am I doing?</em><br/><hr/><br/>Call him stupid or downright insane but he did not feel nearly as demeaned when Silky abruptly had a good laugh upon their stepping into the cold. Even though it was at his expense, he did not retreat into himself like how he normally did. Instead, Wyatt felt as if he had finally done something right since she walked into I-Hop. He would bet his last dollar that laughter, the genuine kind, had not been heard from her lips in a long time.<br/><br/>Unlike most, the wintery chill made her more talkative rather than focused on conserving energy and warmth. Wyatt listened attentively as she babbled away about the various nuisances of her profession, not interrupting the endless flow of her words.<br/><br/>If his ears had not already been frozen and suffering from the unrelenting lash of wind, he probably would have outwardly betrayed his discomfort with the g-word. Luck smiled upon him for once, permitting him to hide his natural reaction to the idea of having a girlfriend, even a hired one. If there was a zone more restrictive than the friend zone, he probably would have a special place within it.<br/><br/>Even when he was a chubby cheeked kid, women never took him too seriously. His mother was one of the first. He lost track of how many times she kept him from participating in sports teams for fear of him scraping his knee or breaking his bones. His mother’s intense protectiveness while appreciated did not bode well for his reputation. He got into a number of fist fights and was usually addressed by anything other than his given name. Sissy was a predictable favorite.  Women treated him better. Though Wyatt appreciated their friendship, their loyalty, he also understood there was an invisible line in the ground, one which could not be crossed.<br/><br/>It's all bullshit.<br/><br/>“P-people need to have something to stigmatize,” he whispered in response to her earnest complaint. “Or else they might look too closely at themselves and find they really don’t like what they see in the mirror.”<br/><br/>There was nothing to be done about the stair situation. However, upon reaching his apartment and leaving his crap at the front rug, he walked over to the refrigerator and pulled out a cold pitcher of water.<br/><br/>“Yea,” Wyatt said apologetically as he retrieved two glasses from the overhead wooden cabinet. “You’d t-think I would be used to it by now but I still feel like I’m going to die every time I climb them.” He was in the midst of approaching her with the drinks when she announced her desire for a shower.<br/>Now for the big reveal.<br/><br/>“S-sure. Umm, right this way.” He set the drinks down on the counter and then wiped his hands against his pants. Before he led her deeper into the apartment, he picked up her discard sweater. A slight frown twisted at his mouth because it was in worst condition up close than when far away.<br/><br/>It was a short walk as he could not afford a larger place. His bathroom was cramped, small enough for a person to extend out their arms and touch each wall with their fingertips. The usual necessities were within it, a toilet, sink and mirror, and compact tub. Only…there was no showerhead.<br/><br/>“Hopefully a bath is good enough. It takes a little while for the water to warm up so I a-advise letting it run a few minutes first.” He then gestured towards the towels, both big and small, before he extracted one of the dirty towels from the hamper to place on the floor. Still clutching her filthy sweater, he added, "I can take your other clothes if you want. I planned on washing them...They can dry over the heater and be ready by morning."