After she had showered and had the chance to cool off, Stacy was subdued and thoughtful. She came out with a bath towel wrapped around her, and was careful not to flash me as she crouched down to pick up her clothes. We looked at each other a little warily, like we were both afraid to say anything. She retreated to her room to get dressed. When she came back out, she sat next to me again and picked up her laptop without saying a word.
The silence between us stretched out long enough to make me uncomfortable, so I finally looked at her and blurted, "Thank you, Stacy. I appreciate you taking care of me."
She smiled softly and licked her lips nervously. "You're welcome," she murmured. Then she shook her head. "That got out of control in a hurry."
"Yeah," I sighed. "In a way, though, it was
