Paul emerged from the bathroom. The bathroom door faced directly toward the coat rack, leaving them no chance to avoid each other. Their gazes met instantly.
Paul was holding the clothes he had just changed out of. His hair was still wet, water dripping down and soaking his T-shirt. His neck and cheeks were also damp from a mix of water and sweat.
Paul’s mind went blank the moment he saw Miranda, as if a bomb had exploded in his brain. Miranda was dressed in a black tank top that hugged her figure, accentuating her perfect curves. The tank top was a little short and revealed a sliver of her waist. He could clearly see her navel underneath. Miranda’s slender arms, defined cheekbones, and fair skin glowed in contrast against the dark fabric. She looked exactly like the woman in his dreams.
Miranda froze in place. She completely forgot to put on the T-shirt she held in her hands. Stunned, Miranda didn’t move an inch until she regained her senses. “Dr… Dr. Jefferson…”
Paul snapped out of his trance and turned around immediately, taking a deep breath to calm himself. He tried to make his voice sound as composed as possible. “I’m sorry, I ended up using your bathroom.”
Only he knew how much effort it took to squeeze out that simple sentence. His throat was tight, his mouth went dry, and his breathing almost stopped entirely. Paul’s heart pounded furiously in his chest, as if it were about to burst out any second.
In fact, he had intended to go home and shower. After taking a change of clothes, he entered his bathroom and found it filled with workers.
The design of older buildings like his didn’t include designated spots for air conditioning units, so the external unit was mounted on the outer wall. Coincidentally, Paul’s external unit was mounted outside his bathroom. Strapped to a safety harness, the repairman was fixing the external unit on the wall outside, through his bathroom window.
Not only was showering out of the question, but using the bathroom normally was impossible. In the end, Paul decided to head back to Miranda’s home.
He had planned to inform her, but he hesitated as he reached her bedroom door. Would he be interrupting her? Maybe she was taking a nap.
After all, he could shower quickly. Just a few minutes would do. Their timing couldn’t be that coincidental, right?
As things turned out, the timing was indeed that unfortunate!
Miranda quickly pulled on the T-shirt and explained, stuttering, “I thought you weren’t here, so I just…”
This was so awkward. Miranda’s cheeks flushed red as she caught a glimpse of his back. “Dr. Jefferson, I’m dressed now. You can turn around.”
Paul turned, and their gazes met once again. The air was thick with embarrassment, awkwardness, and a hint of… tension.
Miranda averted her gaze first and retreated to her bedroom. She leaned against her wardrobe door and took several deep breaths to calm herself down. However, the blush in her cheeks refused to fade away quickly.
Miranda gazed at her reflection in the mirror. Her eyes were shining brightly as her breath quickened…
She was holding a clean towel when she returned to the living room. Handing it to Paul, she said nonchalantly, “Dr. Jefferson, this is clean. You can dry your hair with this.”
“Oh, okay!” Paul responded after some hesitation. He got up and took the towel.
Then, Miranda pointed toward the hairdryer. “You can dry your hair with the hairdryer over there.”
“Got it.”
After Miranda finished speaking, she turned and headed to the kitchen.
Before long, Paul followed her in. His hair was mostly dry, with some strands falling over his forehead. His casual appearance softened his usual stiff demeanor, making him look less stern.
“Let me help,” he said.