Page 77 of How Not to Date an Angel

Rami leaned against the doorjamb of the bathroom, watching as he stoppered the tub and turned on the water.

Then he spun toward the cabinets and pulled a door open, only to find extra towels and toilet paper and cleaning supplies.

“It’s the—” Rami began, but Julian interrupted them.

“No, no, Feathers, I’ve got this,” he said, holding a hand out. The next cabinet revealed the bath items he was clearly in search of, judging by the little triumphant noise he let out.

Rami’s lips twitched, and a swell of something like affection bloomed in their chest.

The bottles of bubble bath soap clinked together as Julian pulled one out, opening it and sniffing.

He wrinkled his nose, which Rami found hopelessly adorable, and placed the bottle back on the shelf before trying the next one.

“You have a lot of choices here,” Julian mused aloud, as he sniffed the third bottle.

“Well, I enjoy them all. A little variety is nice.”

Julian hummed at the scent of the fourth and—

It occurred to Rami suddenly that Julian was picking a scentheliked, only for Rami to be the one to bathe in it.

Their cheeks flushed, and they averted their gaze as Julian leaned over the tub to pour some of the bubble bath in.

“Don’t use so much,” Rami whined, and stepped away from the doorframe to peer over Julian’s shoulder.

“Well, I assume you want enough in there to cover your delicate bits,” Julian retorted. “Or where your delicate bitswouldbe,” he added, tipping the bottle for one last drizzle into the water before closing it and moving around Rami to place it back in the cabinet.

The only reason Rami would need to cover theirdelicate bitswould be if Julian planned to stay—

“Venting is a proper step in the relaxation process, didn’t you know? It requires two people.”

Rami didn’t quite know what to say.

“Don’t worry,” continued Julian, who clearly wasn’t having the same problem. “I’ll step out and then you can just call me in when you get settled. Sound good?”

“But I’ll benaked,” Rami finally managed to hiss.

Julian paused halfway through the door, one hand on the frame and the other on the knob, ready to pull it closed.

“I won’t peek, promise. I’ll even sit with my back to the tub. Shout when you’re ready!” he said with a smile, and then the door was shut and Rami was alone.

The bathroom was already warm from the steam of the hot water, and the mountain of bubbles was slowly growing.

Rami pursed their lips, gaze bouncing between the door and the bath.

Julian was right. The bubbleswouldcover Rami’s body. And if he did sit with his back against the side of the tub, there’s no chance that he’d be able to see through the water.

And if they just ate pastries and drank wine and vented about their lives, what harm could it do?

Rami cocked their head to the side. Maybe they could finally learn a bit more about Julian.

This was their chance.

With a sigh, Rami gave in, and grabbed the hem of their sweater before pulling it off. Their collared shirt followed and chills erupted across their skin in the air of the bathroom.

They shivered, and hurried to push their pants and boxers off their hips. With deft movements they opened the closet and tossed their clothes in the hamper before shutting it quietly and turning toward the bath.

They knew Julian would wait for their signal, but they still moved quickly to slide into the hot water and hide beneath the bubbles.

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