Cleaning before Lisa comes

Natalie was bustling about when Aiden stepped out of his room. She had a rag in one hand and a spray bottle in the other as she worked her way along the counters, wiping them down. The cleaner she was using left a faint citrus smell in the air.

“You’re up early,” he said, scratching at his back as he came toward the kitchen.

“Yeah, I didn’t sleep much,” she admitted, leaning to wipe down the backsplash. “And since your mom’s going to be here tonight, I was hoping to get the place cleaned yesterday, but the work I brought home took longer than I expected.”

He leaned against the corner of the wall, watching her scrub at whatever surfaces she could find. “You don’t have to go crazy. She’s not coming here to inspect the place.”

Natalie shot him a look over her shoulder. “It makes me feel better to know the place is clean before company comes.”

“Then I guess I should help,” he said, stepping closer.

“I don’t want you to be late for class.” She turned back to the counter, scrubbing at a mark that only she seemed to notice.

“I’ve got time,” he said casually, pulling the rag from her hand before she could argue again. “Besides, it’ll go faster if we both do it.”

Her lips parted like she wanted to object, but instead she set the spray bottle down on the counter between them. “Fine. But if you miss some quiz because you were cleaning, I’m not taking the blame.”

He smirked faintly. “Fair enough.”

Grabbing another rag from beneath the sink, they worked in silence for a few minutes, in a rhythm that felt more normal than it had in days. Eventually, as Aiden bent toward the sink to rinse out the rag, Natalie straightened from the drawer she’d just closed.

“I was thinking,” she said, wiping her hands on her shorts, “about making something for dinner tonight. Thought it might be nice when your mom gets in.”

He glanced over, listening as she continued.

She shrugged, as if downplaying it. “If you want, you could help. I think it’ll make her feel better to see that you’re learning to take care of yourself.”

Aiden leaned on the counter and grinned slightly. “So, is this really about you scoring points with her, or me?” he teased.

“Maybe a little of both,” she admitted, tilting her head. “You’ll get credit for helping, and I don’t look like I’ve let you starve. Win-win.”

He let out a quick snort, shaking the water from his hands. “I guess that seems fair.”

“Good,” she said, picking up the spray bottle again. “Then it’s settled.”

They got back to work and Natalie bent to spray and wipe a streak on the lower cabinet door. “I’ll stop at the store on my way home,” she said, scrubbing vigorously. “Pick up whatever I need for tonight.”

“K. Anything you need me to do?” he asked.

She shook her head. “No, I’ve got it. Just get any work for school done, so you can visit with your mom while she’s here.”

Aiden nodded, though his attention strayed. She had shifted to the next cabinet which caused her T-shirt to tug across her back as she leaned into the scrubbing. He wasn’t sure if she was wearing a bra, but her breasts visibly swayed with each stroke, pulling his attention to the outlines moving under the thin cotton. The loose sweats she wore also clung and shifted as she put effort into cleaning, so that her hips were making her ass move with each push of her arm.

There was nothing intentionally sexy about what she was doing, but he watched her anyway, the sight of her causing his attraction for her to resurface after trying too hard to keep it buried over the past week. He caught himself and turned back to the sink, reaching up to wipe at one of the upper cabinets.

Natalie didn’t seem to notice his attention, humming faintly under her breath as she kept working. She shifted down a cabinet, crouching down to reach the lower front edge. Beside her, Aiden turned slightly as he moved to the next cabinet. The change angled his hips toward her. Without meaning to, her eyes flicked in his direction, catching on the noticeable swell beneath his sweats. The fabric was pushed forward enough to make her pause, and her hand fumbled mid-swipe before she dragged it across the wood again, trying to cover the stutter.

The image quickly lodged itself in her brain, bringing her attention to the fact that she hadn’t worn a bra under her t-shirt. The steady sway of her breasts as she scrubbed was something she hadn’t thought twice about before he came out, but now she suddenly felt exposed in light of her realization that she may be unintentionally contributing to his current state.

Not wanting to draw any attention, or risk him catching her looking, Natalie pushed up to her feet and moved into the living room. She crouched to swipe at the edge of the coffee table, then leaned across to buff out a streak. Aiden trailed in a moment later, moving toward the windows to dust the blinds.

They continued to work for a while, each tending to different corners of the room, mostly silent except for the muffled squeak of her rag when she scrubbed too hard and the soft clap of blinds as he cleaned them, then the windows and patio door. It wasn’t quite easy, but it wasn’t tense either. By the time she went to the kitchen and tossed the rag into the sink, the apartment looked cleaner than it had in some time.

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