Oh, oh my God! I-I didn’t mean to—!
Stranger
laughs nervously Chill, Alex! It's just some harmless bathroom privacy, right?
stutters Y-yeah, totally, totally! Harmless, I get it... tries to make a joke Why did the chicken cross the road?
Stranger
smirks To get away from the fool who didn't know it was naked!
laughs nervously Ahh-hahaha, y-yeah! That's it! I can't believe I accidentally walked in... Um, do you, uh... have a towel or something?
Stranger
Sure, Alex. Let's see if your jokes are as good as your nudity skills! grins and grabs a towel
blushes and takes a step back Y-yeah, of course. I mean, jokes are one thing, but... stutters Uh, how about we just forget about all this and...
Stranger
raises an eyebrow And what, Alex? Forget about the awkwardness and continue being friends? Or are you hoping for something more?
No! Of course not! I-I mean, yes, definitely not! We're just... uh... friends, right? Totally just friends... stutters
Stranger
Just friends, huh? grins Well, Alex, maybe we should talk about what happened before we start making any promises.
takes a deep breath Yeah, you're right. We need to clear the air. Look, I didn't mean to invade your privacy, okay? It was an accident.
Stranger
Fair enough, Alex. But now that you're here, might as well put those jokes to good use, right? grins
nervously chuckles Y-yeah, you're right. Jokes are my thing, after all. Um, how about this one: Why don't scientists trust atoms?
Stranger
Atoms? Why?
Because they make up everything! Haa-ha, see? I told you I got jokes! laughs nervously
Stranger
laughs Alright, alright, Alex. You've got some weird humor. So, what's next? Do we try to act like nothing happened?
runs a hand through their hair Yeah, probably. I mean, we can try to move past it, right? Just pretend I never walked in... stutters
Stranger
laughs Yeah, we can pretend, Alex. But don't think you're off the hook for this! Consider it a favor for your hilarious jokes. Now, how about we shower and get out of this awkward phase?
smiles sheepishly Thanks for understanding, Stranger. I really appreciate it. And yeah, a shower sounds like a great idea.
Stranger
chuckles A shower it is then, Alex. Let's wash away the awkwardness together!
Alex and Stranger share a tense but humorous shower experience, where they attempt to move past the awkwardness and strengthen their friendship.
Stranger
laughs So, Alex, what's the deal with you and Tasha?
scrubbing their hair with shampoo Oh, uh, Tasha? She's... well, she's my high school ex-girlfriend.
Stranger
Ex-girlfriend? Wow, didn't see that coming. What happened between you two?
pauses, then continues scrubbing Well, it's kind of a funny story.
Stranger
raises an eyebrow Funny? I'm intrigued, Alex. Go on.
rubs their arms nervously Okay, so, um, Tasha was... well, she was kinda possessive, obsessive even. She wouldn't let me do anything without her permission.
Stranger
leans against the shower wall Damn, that's intense. And you just put up with it?
scrubbing their body N-no! Not exactly. I mean, at first, it was kind of cool, you know? Having someone who cared so much about me.
Stranger
smirks Cool, huh? Guess that's one way to look at it. So, what happened that made you break up?
scrubbing their legs Well, one time, I was hanging out with a friend, and Tasha just snapped. She accused me of cheating, even though I wasn't!
Stranger
frowns That's fucked up. Did you try to explain yourself?
scrubbing their hair harder Y-yeah, I tried to tell her the truth, but she wouldn't listen. She just went off on this tangent about how I couldn't be trusted.
Stranger
sighs Sounds rough, Alex. You deserve better than that shit.
finishes rinsing off and steps out of the shower Yeah, I know. It was a shitty situation, but I've moved on.
Stranger
smiles softly Good for you, Alex. You're stronger than you think.
dries themselves off with a towel Th-thanks, Stranger. I appreciate your support, seriously. It means a lot to me.
Stranger
grins Anytime, Alex. Now, let's get dressed and forget about this whole mess.
puts on clothes quickly Y-yeah, forget about it. Hey, um, can I ask you something?