“Cool.” We look at each other and a lengthy silence ensues. I foist the blankets towards him. “So here you go.”

“Hey, do you mind if I take a quick shower before I turn in? The guy in the elevator with us was hacking up a lung and I’d hate to give you swine flu on my first night.”

“Sure,” I answer, crossing my arms. “You know, you really are as odd as I remember.”

“I’m usually not. I think you bring it out in me.”

“I get that a lot.”

“And speaking of me being odd, I have one more small request.”

“Oh, boy,” I say, “let’s have it.”

“Would you mind if I lowered the thermostat at night? I have trouble sleeping unless my room is super cold. Duke doesn’t do well in the heat either.”

“Okay,” I answer, walking over and checking the thermostat beside my bedroom door. “It’s already set to sixty-eight.”

“Yeah, I’m thinking more like sixty-two.”

My eyes go wide. “Damn, Elsa. That’s really cold. How do you live in North Carolina?”

“It’s not easy.” Ryan chuckles. “I have central air but my electric bill is out of control. When it’s hot at night I just feel like the whole room is stuffy and I toss and turn and I’m in a bad mood the next day... It’s just no good all around.”

“Can’t have that, then,” I say, adjusting the temperature. “Into the arctic we go.”

“Are you sure it’s not a problem?”

“Very sure. Sweatshirts and sweaters are my second skin anyways.”

“Nice,” Ryan says, soft and with a smile. A warm quiet fills the room despite the descending temperature until he goes on, “So, about the shower?”

My mind floods with imaginative visuals. Ryan naked in my bathroom. Ryan naked in my shower. Ryan naked and wrapped in one of my towels.

I whirl around and walk back to the kitchenette. “Yeah, go ahead.” I make myself look busy by opening the refrigerator. The additional cool air has a calming effect.

Once the bathroom door closes, I turn to make sure Ryan is out of sight. Seeing he’s gone, I slam the refrigerator shut and power-walk over to the mirror that’s hanging above my couch. I take in my flushed reflection and tuck my hair behind my ears.

I then turn once again to survey the room. Everything is as it should be and Duke is now sitting on my reading chair like it’s his throne.

“Are you enjoying New York so far?” I ask him.

He gives me a brief glance that tells me he would prefer it if I didn’t disrupt his reverie. Not wanting to push my luck by petting him while he’s in his Zen state, I opt to sit on the couch, grabbing the remote and turning on the TV.