Their eyes locked, and an awkward silence hung in the air. Alise's gaze shifted downward, and so did Auston's, which is when he suddenly realized that he was still wearing only a towel wrapped around his waist.
Alise hastily retreated into the bathroom, leaving Auston to grumble a quiet "Shit" under his breath.
However, instead of letting embarrassment consume him, Auston decided to knock on the door and offer her the clothes. "Here are the clothes," he said.
Alise slightly opened the door, creating a gap, and reached out to grab them.
As he was about to place the clothes in her hand, she unexpectedly reached for the air and inadvertently grabbed his towel. His eyes widened with shock, and he exclaimed, "Wait! That's my towel! Stop!"
In surprise, she opened the door and exclaimed, "Whattt?" But he quickly closed it, realizing that his towel was barely clinging to his waist anymore.
Surprised, he spoke up, "You pulled my towel down," while he held the door firmly shut.
She replied, "I know, I heard you."
He questioned in confusion"Then why did you open the door?" raising his voice.
She shouted in response, "I don't know!"
After a brief pause, he finally let go of the door, and she heard the doorknob jiggling.
He uttered, "I left the clothes outside the door. Wait a moment before you come out." With that, he quickly walked away, Leaving Alise some time to change and giving himself the opportunity to get fully dressed as well.
Alise, her face flushed with embarrassment, took a deep breath. She cautiously cracked the bathroom door open to ensure that Auston was nowhere in sight. She was relieved to find the coast clear. She quickly grabbed the clothes he had left for her and shut the bathroom door to change.
The shirt was oversized on her, and the shorts he had provided went past her knees. She couldn't help but laugh at her reflection in the mirror, and after a few minutes, her face was no longer crimson red with embarrassment .
She Mumbled under her breath in the mirror as she reflected, "We're adults; we can be civil. No need for the high school act where you avoid each other after each embarrassment." Feeling more composed, she stepped out of the bathroom.
She crept through the hall, searching for Auston with the intention of glossing over the awkward moment. Her aim was to ensure that by the time they woke up tomorrow, any lingering weirdness between them would be resolved.
She continued walking down the hall until she reached two rooms. She decided to knock on both doors, hoping to find Auston in either of them.
Auston, who had been in one of the rooms, heard a knock at the door. His heart skipped a beat, and he hesitated for a moment. However, he decided it was best to address the prior awkwardness by talking and pretending it never happened, so he replied, "Yeah?"
He got up and walked toward the door, his steps hesitant, and slowly turned the doorknob. On the other side stood Alise, wearing his clothes that were noticeably oversized on her. Auston couldn't help but stifle a laugh as his eyes met her.
She hadn't anticipated his laughter, but she seized the moment to alleviate the awkwardness. Playfully scolding Auston, she raised an eyebrow and quipped, "Hey, don't laugh!"
His laughter faded into a smile, and she followed up, her eyes dancing with mischief, "Do I pull off the 'baggy clothes' look or what?"
And as she said that, she twirled around in his oversized clothes, acting in a comical manner, and she confidently placed her hand on her hip.
Auston couldn't help but be charmed by Alise's playful and light-hearted demeanor. He leaned against the doorframe, still grinning, and replied in a sarcastically playful tone, "Absolutely, you make baggy clothes look fantastic."
Alise widened her eyes in mock offense and exclaimed, "Heyyy, I sense sarcasm in your tone!"
he replied, trying to look as sincere as possible. "You genuinely look great in my clothes.
She responded with an "uh-huh," as if to say, "Yeah, right," and then continued, "Well, it's getting late. So, where will I be sleeping tonight?" Her gaze never leaving his eyes.
Auston replied with an "ahh," and continued, "I actually have a couple of spare rooms available for you. You can choose which one you'd like to stay in."
Alise replied, "It doesn't matter; any one is fine." Auston asked, "Are you sure?
Alise nodded and and he walked out the room saying , I'll go get you some fresh sheets and get it ready for you."
Alise expressed her gratitude as he departed, then took a seat on his bed, her thoughts drifting to her family and how they were faring at the moment.
She pondered whether her family had been trying to contact her, despite her having powered off her phone. She could only imagine that when she eventually turned it back on, it would be flooded with notifications.
She smiled, realizing her parents were likely upset but not excessively angry, given that she was with Auston, and they could easily deduce that since he was missing too.
Her siblings, she knew, they wouldn't be mad. They were well aware of her Nature, and although they hadn't expected her to just leave, they understood that she wouldn't have stayed in one place for the entire event, as she never did that just wasn't like her.
That's when Auston returned with fresh, clean sheets. As he entered the room, they started to strip the old sheets off the bed. Alise asked, "Do you think our phones are blowing up with notifications by now, since they're off?"
Auston responded, "Yours is off, but mine isn't. Remember, I had to call Lester to pick us up."
Alise pondered and then said, "Ahh, that's right. So you haven't gotten any by now?."
He repiled, My phone is on 'Do Not Disturb.' Honestly, I'm sure I have, but I'm going to pretend I didn't."
Alise laughed as they finished putting the fresh sheets on the bed. She remarked, "That's why mine is off."
Auston chuckled as they finished making the bed. He then said, "There you go, a fresh and cozy bed for you. If you need anything else, just let me know."
Alise smiled and thanked him, feeling more at ease as the awkwardness of their earlier encounter continued to fade into the background.
"We should get some sleep," he suggested. Alise agreed, saying, "First thing when we wake up, we can go check out the house."
Auston replied, "Cool," as he left some pillows and a cover on the bed, ensuring she had everything she needed.
Alise said goodnight as he left, closing the door. He responded with, "You too," and as Alise got into bed, her thoughts started to flow.