Nothing yet - his roommate just got back

As Joe is contemplating what to do with this “Tome of Reality”, he hears a knock at the door, followed by a familiar voice: “Hey Joe! If you’re here, can you help me out? I’m double bagged.” It’s his roommate Becky, back with this week’s groceries.

He sighs, then yells back, “I’ll be right there!” Naturally, he can’t let her see the Tome yet - not until after he’s determined whether it’s real or not. He runs over to his room and hides it in his desk before dashing back to the door.

Opening it up, he’s greeted by the sight of Becky precariously balancing two very full paper bags, one half-perched on her leg and the other buried in the crook of her arm. It looks like she was trying to get a hand free to open the door herself, and she breathes a huge sigh of relief upon seeing Joe.

“Oh good! I don’t know how long I can hold this - here!” She practically shoves one of the bags into Joe’s arms and repositions the other one so it’s much easier to carry. “I know I’ve said it before, but it is not easy to carry two armloads of groceries down a hall, up a flight of stairs, and down another hall.” With a flick of her head to get her hair out of her eyes, she moves to head inside.

Joe closes the door behind her, taking the opportunity as always as she walks by to get a good look at her. She’s not very tall, at only around 5’5”, with bright blue eyes, a button nose, and full lips. Her blonde hair surrounds her face in a well-maintained curly bob that ends just below her chin. The t-shirt she’s wearing partially hides her curves, but he can still see the outline of her relatively average-sized breasts. Her jeans, however, not only don’t hide her perky rear or her shapely legs, but in fact accentuate them.

Before he can be caught staring, Joe catches himself and gives himself a mental shake. Get it together, man. She’s your roommate. It’s not gonna happen, he thinks to himself. He walks over to the kitchen, grocery bag in hand, and helps Becky put them away.