It's Just the Quarantine

Two near-strangers find themselves having to share an apartment during quarantine. Their growing mutual attraction is clearly just the isolation getting to them, right? Right?!

Anika had rarely been so frustrated. At this precise moment, she was supposed to be on an airplane, flying back to Amsterdam. Just a few hours ago, everything had bene lined up perfectly. She had reached a stopping point in her thesis work, had sent messages to her family and boyfriend, had packed up everything. And after her initial flight on Saturday was cancelled, she'd managed to get a seat on a Friday flight. Going home a day early!

And then, just as she was almost at the airport, she got a text. Thanks to travel ban, her flight was cancelled.

Now she was trudging up the stairs to her apartment, sweaty, tired, angry and worried that she might have been exposed during her cab ride. Her trip home was postponed, and, by the look of things, it might be a long time before she could reschedule. She was stuck in New York. And while she loved the city, she did not want to wait out the pandemic there.

She finally reached the small apartment she shared with Rachel. Rachel had gone home a week ago when spring break began. But the University was now going fully remote and Rachel was almost certain to stay home. Anika sighed in resignation as she unlocked the door, knowing she was about to be alone for a long long time.

She got into the tiny entry and closed the door. And as she put down the bag, she was overwhelmed with a feeling of uncleanliness. She'd been out there, in the world, getting heaven knows what on her clothing. She quickly began to strip. Her short skirt hit the floor, her blouse followed. She even unleashed her bra, leaving her in nothing but her panties. For a moment, she felt a little better, like she had shed off the outside world and could be herself.

She got the phone out of her purse. As she crossed the living room, heading toward the hallway and the bathroom to take a shower, she texted Rachel.

You are not going to believe what just happened to me?

???

My fucking flight was cancelled! I'm stuck here!

That's awful! What are you going to do?

I'm guess I'm going to have to wait things out in the apartment.

That sucks. Are you on your way back?

I'm already back. Going to wash up just to be safe.

Well, say Hi to Adam for me.

Anika froze in the hallway.

"Shit," she said.

In all the chaos, she had forgotten about Rachel's brother. He was up in New York for a job interview and to hunt for a place to live. They had agreed to let him use the apartment while they were away. She'd even taken her valuables with her just to be on the safe side.

Her eyes drifted rightward toward the bedroom. She gasped.

A strange man -- presumably Rachel's brother -- was lying asleep in one of the beds.

Time stood still. She wasn't sure what she should do. Then she heard a ringtone from Adam's phone beside the bed. He flailed for the phone, lifted his head up and glanced at it. Then he sat bolt upright and slowly turned toward her.

For a second, they stared at each other. Adam wondered if he was dreaming this vision of a curvaceous woman with reddish-blond hair and bright blue eyes clad in nothing but a pair of bikini panties. Even with the shock, he couldn't help but notice her.

Anika was a bit less impressed by his slightly pudgy physique. Her eyes widened a bit at the sizable disposition between his legs before it processed that the reason she could see it was because he didn't have a single stitch on.

With mutual cries, they moved. Adam covered up his crotch with a pillow. Anika's hands flew to cover her breasts, a task to which they were somewhat inadequate. She turned and scampered into the bathroom and slammed the door.

Shit shit shit shit.

What is it?

I totally forgot your brother was staying here.

Oh, he's not bad. A little dorky, definitely. But he's a good guy. You're perfectly safe with him.

That's not what I meant. I mean I forgot. So I walked in on him naked.

OMG!

And I was heading toward the shower so I was almost naked too!

OMG! OMG! LOL

I feel so humiliated!

I'm sorry. I shouldn't laugh. I know it must be humiliating. But I can't help it.

This is not the way I wanted to meet your family!

You've met him before.

Well, I don't remember him.

I'm sure you will now. A great story to tell your grandkids Hahaha. }:)

Not funny, Rachel!

Anika stood over the sink and looked at herself in the mirror, a thousand thoughts buzzing through her head. She had no idea what she was supposed to do now. But she knew she couldn't go back out into the apartment. Not with him there. Not with ...

She realized her clothes were still in the hallway. All she had in the bathroom was a washcloth.

She jumped when there was a gentle knock on the door.

"What do you want?" she barked, more harshly than she intended.

"You're Anika, right? I'm sorry about that. I thought there was no one here."

Silence.

"Look, I ... I brought your clothes over. I can just leave them outside the door and go into the bedroom if you want."

Anika felt her embarrassment diminish slightly but only slightly.

"I don't want to wear those. I wore them outside."

"Oh. Well, yeah. That's why I was, uh ... well, you know. I'll put them in the laundry. Do you want me to bring you something else?"

Anika didn't like the idea of him going through her clothes.

"I could use a towel."

A moment. And then another knock.

"I'll just leave it out here and go into the hallway."

"Ok. Thanks."

She heard his footsteps move away and then the door close. She opened the door cautiously, grabbed the towel and wrapped it around her body. Then she hurried into the bedroom. She quickly found a minimizer bra and the baggiest sweater and sweat pants she could.

She hesitated a bit. She really didn't want to let ... for a moment, she was so flustered she couldn't remember his name ... Adam, that was it ... back in. But she supposed she had little choice. She opened the apartment door and then stepped back defensively into the living room.

Adam stepped in, looking mortified.

"I'm really-"

"I heard you the first time. It's not your fault."

"Look, this is your place. I can understand if after ..." He waved his hand vaguely toward the bedroom. " ... you don't feel comfortable with me around here. You guys only agreed to give me the place because you thought you'd be away. I'll get a hotel or something and ..."

He looked down at his feet. His obvious embarrassment made Anika feel a little better. She didn't feel comfortable with the idea of sharing the apartment with him for even a few days; especially not after their mutual exposure. But seeing his genuine awkwardness about it made her heart soften a bit.

"It's not safe to be in a hotel right now. I can't let you endanger your life."

He looked up. "Oh ... well, that's ... look, I promise I'll stay out of your way. You won't even know I'm here."

"It's a one-bedroom apartment."

"I'll sleep on the couch or something. I'm not going to be here long, after all."

Anika nodded. "I guess that's OK."

Her phone buzzed. Anika glanced down at it.

I know it's weird but please give him a chance. Blame me for what happened.

I'd like to. But I'm really blaming myself.

That's the spirit!

"So maybe we just ... pretend that didn't happen?" said Adam.

Anika nodded slowly. She didn't think she actually could pretend it didn't happen; she was still a bit weirded out. But she could pretend to pretend. And least for a few days.

"I guess so."

"I'm honestly not a bad guy, I swear. If I had known-"

"It's OK. I mean it's not OK but ... just stop bringing it up," she said, with a slight grin that made Adam's heart lift a bit. Now that the shock was gone, she was kind of cute. And even her baggy clothes couldn't erase the memory of the curvaceous figure he's glimpsed.

He smiled. "I think I can do that."

-------

That night, Anika tossed and turned in bed. She really didn't like the idea of sharing an apartment with any man, let alone Rachel's brother. She'd only known him for a few hours but Rachel's assessment of him was right: He was a dork. And, although he wasn't being obvious about it, he couldn't seem to take his eyes off her.

She knew her own behavior that evening had not been great. She'd been short with him and refused to engage in the conversations he'd tried to start. The more she thought about it tough, the more she felt her embarrassment begin to fade. What had happened earlier wasn't anyone's fault, just a stupid accident brought on by an unusual circumstance. It wasn't like no man had ever seen her naked before. And he'd treated her like a gentleman ever since, not even making a wisecrack about it.

She realized that she was just frustrated with the whole situation and she was harboring some resentment toward him because ... well, because he was there. And she needed to be angry at somebody. And that realization settled her spirit. She resolved to be a little nicer to him the next day and then fell into a decent if uneasy sleep.

Out on the couch, Adam tossed and turned as well, and not just because the couch was too small for him. He couldn't get the image of Anika out of his mind. He'd met her very briefly a year ago, but she didn't seem to remember him. And he didn't remember her being so pretty. Of course, she'd been wearing clothes on that occasion. Even though it had only been a few hours, he was finding her likable, on the rare occasions he could elicit more than two words out of her. And when her dour demeanor gave way to a tiny smile or a little laugh, it was like the sun coming out.

He kicked himself for what had happened earlier. She was being diplomatic but he knew she wanted him out. She disliked him, he was sure. And his experience was that you never got a second chance to make a first impression with a woman. He knew any chance had been remote to begin with; she had mentioned her boyfriend Max back in Amsterdam within the first few minutes of conversation. Despite Rachel's text messages assuring I'm that everything was fine, he knew he was going to spend a few days trapped in an apartment with a pretty girl who wanted nothing to do with him.

-------

Within a few days, however, it was clear that Adam would not be moving out right away. After a few days of futilely trying to find another place to stay, the city was locked down. Adam's employer had met with him briefly, hired him and immediately shifted him to work-from-home, processing economic data for investment decisions.

That evening, they sat down to dinner and laid out the situation.

"I'm finishing my PhD," said Anika. "But I've done almost all the lab work. So I can work from home."

"What are you studying?"

"Viruses, actually, if you can believe it. But ... different ones."

"Oh."

"So I just need to be able to set at my computer and work in peace and quiet."

"That's what I need too."

She looked around. "How about ... I'll take the living room. And you take that little dining area. We'll screen it off with sheets. That way, it's like we're ..."

"Not in the same place," concluded Adam glumly.

"So there's no chance that you'll be able to go back home," he said.

She shook her head.

"I shouldn't have tried anyway. I'm high-risk. If I caught this thing ... it could be bad."

Adam didn't push her.

"Type 1 diabetes."

"Oh," said Adam. "I didn't know."

She shrugged. "How would you know? I manage it. Mostly."

"Is there anything I need to know? Anything I might have to deal with it?"

"No."

Adam knew that wasn't true. But he didn't push on it. Finally, he said. "Well ... maybe it's best if, at least for a while, I run any errands we need. You know, grocery shopping, drug stores, all that."

"Why?"

"Well, you're high risk. I'm not. So ..."

"If you bring it home, I'll catch it anyway."

"Well maybe not. If we keep our distance. And if we can cut the odds just a bit ..."

Anika smiled with a genuineness that made Adam melt a bit.

"Well ... I guess it would be nice."

-------

Their arrangement worked well for a few more days. But one night, Anika was tossing and turning in bed, unable to get within screaming distance of sleep. Every time she would start to nod off, she would hear a siren in the distance; someone else headed to the hospital. It felt like the world was ending. She had never felt so alone in her life. Her family and friends were thousands of miles away. All her friends had gone home. And the only person to talk to was the jackass on the couch.

"That's mean," she said to herself. "He's not a jackass. He's nothing to write home about but he's not a jackass. We just got off on the wrong foot."

She actually giggled slightly, thinking about that moment. It was so ridiculous. The look on his face had been one for the ages. There was shock and amazement, yes. But he was such a male that, even in that moment, he couldn't help but notice her body. It was almost cute the way he looked at her, in a puppyish kind of way. For the first time in the week and a half since that day, she relaxed ever so slightly.

She sat up in bed, a thought forming. She looked around the empty bedroom again. As she did, another siren wailed in the distance, sending a shudder down her back.

She got out of bed and quickly pulled on some shorts. Then she unlocked the door and stepped through the short hallway into the living room. She could see Adam passed out on the couch. She hesitated just a moment and then spoke.

"Adam?"

Nothing. She bit her lip.

"Adam?!"

He started and looked up at her.

"Look, this is ... this is stupid. Why don't you ... why don't you come into the bedroom and sleep in your sister's bed?"

Adam shook his head to clear the cobwebs, not quite believing what he'd just heard. He sat up, blearily. He couldn't help but notice how pretty she looked in the dim light from the street lamps. The light caught her face just right and the t-shirt, as baggy as it was, couldn't hide her generous bust.

"What?"

"You heard me."

"Are you sure?"

She nodded. "Yeah. You're going to destroy your back sleeping on that thing. And ... I think I can trust you."

A little thrill went through Adam at the sound of those words. He stood up and stretched. And this time, it was Anika's turn to take notice. He was never going to be anyone's idea of physical specimen, but he wasn't hideous. The darkness made him look a little less dorky. And as he stood up, the boxer shorts emphasized the substantial presence between his legs. For a moment, she remembered that moment when they'd met. She hadn't noticed at the time; she'd been in a state of shock. But replaying it at a distance, she realized he was quite gifted down there.

"Well that's as maybe," she said to herself. "It's not getting anywhere near me."

But she did enjoy the view. Just a bit.

Anika felt a bit like she was dragging him back to her cave as she led him into the bedroom. But he flopped down on the other twin bed without a word. Anika rolled her eyes and then climbed back into hers.

"It's crazy, isn't it?" he said.

"Yep."

"It'll be fine, though. You'll see."

He rolled over and, within minutes, was asleep. Anika now felt less lonely and nervous, having someone in the room with her. She looked at him one last time and then fell asleep herself.

-------

That seemed to break the tension. Within the next few days, they were comfortably in a routine. They barely spoke during the day but would sit down to dinner together or watch TV while eating. They had very different tastes in TV, but both were patient when the other had the remote.

They began alternating nights cooking. It took Adam a little while to get used to her dietary needs but he was not a bad cook. Not as good as Anika, but not bad. And at least he tried, which was more than Anika could say for Max back home.

The best time was at night, however. They would lie back in their beds and talk. Or even just listen to each other's breathing. With so much happening in the world, it was good to just not be alone. And it was good to have someone who would go out into the world for her.

Anika was beginning to think she'd misjudged him based on that first impression. He was OK. Not great, but she could stand having him around until things got back to normal. He had a brain in his head and was a gentleman to her. And he would listen when she talked ... really, listen, which was something she desperately needed now.

She even stopped minding the way Adam looked at her. She'd always been self-conscious about the attentions of men, rarely dressing to emphasize her figure and almost never wearing makeup. But he wasn't creepy about it. He never made a suggestive remark or touched her unnecessarily. She wasn't even sure he was conscious of the way his eyes would linger over the curve from her waist to her hip or fixate on her eyes or hair. There was almost an innocence in the way he just ... liked looking at her. And knowing she was safe with him made his attention flattering rather than threatening. She wondered if he fantasized about her and found herself almost hoping that he did.

For his part, Adam was happy but with a bit of bittersweetness. Having Anika as a roommate was great. But he also could feel himself starting to fall for her. It was getting more and more difficult to ignore how attractive he found her -- intellectually, emotionally and physically. She wasn't just a pretty face; she was smart and kind. She was willing to have conversations about his interests -- action movies and science fiction -- as long as he had conversations about hers -- science and celebrity gossip. And he was slowly beginning to feel more at ease with her than he ever had with a woman.

He knew he had no chance with her and that bothered him. The boyfriend -- Max -- was obviously a factor. They talked on the phone or on Zoom almost every night and he had developed a distaste for him (although he did like hearing Anika's voice chattering in Dutch, even if he didn't understand a word). But even sans Max, he could tell she didn't think about him that way and never would. And he was determined not to even try to go beyond their friendship lest he ruin it. Being friends and roommates was better than nothing after all. Talking to her, making her laugh, even just sitting on the couch with her while she rolled her eyes at his taste in movies. This was already one of the better relationships he'd had.

But still. The way her hair moved when she shook her head. The way her smile began in her eyes. The way her clothes tried and failed to conceal her shapely figure. He couldn't deny where his heart was going.

-------

Months passed before the city began to re-open. Adam dreaded that this would mean he would have to find his own place. He managed to look at a few but they would stretch his budget. And Anika, who went with him on the tours, seemed to find fault with each one.

After a week of searching, she came into his office, looking rather nervous.

"Look," she said. "I don't want you to waste your time on this. Your parents are still paying half of the rent for this place for Rachel. Why don't you just ... stay here? It's working out OK, yes?"

Adam felt a weight left off him and he agreed enthusiastically. Anika also felt better as she went back to her computer. The idea of spending the long nights alone had been bothering her. Later that afternoon, she got a text from Rachel.

Oh, he's staying there? Is something going on I should know about. :)

Not at all. Just hard to find a suitable place.

OK. Just let me know when I should I pick out my bridesmaid's dress.