I follow the cord that runs from the camera to the laptop on the table. The website header on the screen reads, Dream Cams Live, followed by the greeting: Welcome, UntouchedLibrarian.
Why does April have an account on a cam site?
The shower cuts off with a metallic screech. My pulse kicks into fifth gear. I can’t let April find me in her bedroom.
I backtrack to the door and quietly pull it shut behind me. The top step creaks as I lower my weight onto it. I curse under my breath.
April’s door whines open. “Jonathan?” she says. I freeze, heart hammering. “Did you want to speak to me?”
I pivot just enough to place her in my peripheral vision. She’s wrapped herself in a towel. I try not to think about what she may or may not be wearing underneath.
“There’s um... There’s pizza downstairs.” I don’t wait for her to respond before I continue making my way back to the kitchen.
I’m on my second slice of pizza when April saunters in wearing pajamas with cartoon eggs on them, holding the cat in her arms.
“You didn't tell me you have a cat,” she says.
"I don't.”
“Oh...” She looks down at the tabby. “I probably shouldn’t have let him in then. Oops.”
“It’s fine. I’ve been trying to get him to come inside for weeks."
"Does he have a name?"
“Probably.” I don’t mean to be brusque with her. On top of almost getting caught snooping in her room and discovering her camera setup, I’m not used to talking this much after work hours.
"We should give him one.” She sets him down on one of the kitchen chairs and pets his back. "How about Mango?"
The tabby lifts his back end in the air as she scratches the base of his tail.
“He is very...orange.”
"I think he likes it.” She sits across from me at the table and teases a slice of pizza from the box. “Thanks for sharing your pizza. I’ve been so busy cleaning that I forgot to eat.”
“Don’t mention it.”
“Next time, I’ll treat you to ham and pineapple.” She laughs out loud at the face I make, and the sound makes my ribcage feel tight around my heart. “What? It’s the perfect combination of sweet and salty.”
I squint at her. “Get out.”
She grins once she realizes I’m not serious.
“I’ll win you over to the dark side one day.” She has no idea how far she’s already won me over. “Where’d you live before you bought this place?”
“A rental in Lincoln Park,” I tell her. After a short pause, I tack on, “You?”
“I lived with my dad and my stepmom in West Hills.”
“Why’d you move out?”
"It was time for me to find my own space." Her tight smile makes it clear there’s more to the story than she cares to discuss. If I had to guess, the amateur film studio upstairs probably had something to do with her decision to leave home.
The neckline of her shirt dips as she reaches for another slice of pizza, confirming my cock’s suspicions that she isn’t wearing a bra.
She catches me staring and frowns. “What?”
My throat closes. I shrug.
“Nothing.”
“I like to eat.” Her firm gaze challenges me to comment further. Does she think I have an opinion on her taking another slice?
“Who doesn’t?” I reach for my next slice, grateful she hasn’t yet realized what a pervert her new housemate is. At the same time, I can’t stand the thought of her feeling self-conscious about her appetite.
April isn’t gorgeous in spite of her curves. She’s gorgeous. End of story. Whoever fed her the lie that she’s anything less than perfect had better pray the two of us never cross paths.
“You’d be surprised,” she says. “By the way, when you have a sec, I’d like to get the latch on my door fixed.”
“I’ll fix it tonight.” I finish eating and push up from the table to go get my toolbox.
“Jonathan?” April looks up at me from beneath thick, dark lashes. "Thanks again for letting me move in."
I nod and force my feet to carry me away from her sweet smile.
The whole time I’m fixing her door, I keep thinking about that camera, aimed at her bed. It’s not there anymore. She must’ve moved it before she came downstairs, knowing she’d ask me to fix the door. Still, it doesn’t matter whether or not I can see it. The camera’s existence is all I can think about.
I know what cam models do, though I’ve never sat down and actually watched one. They put on stripteases and play with sex toys for the pleasure of their audience. It’s the same stuff you’d find on any adult streaming site, only live and interactive. Call me old-fashioned, but I generally prefer my me-time to be a solitary act.
But I can’t deny that I’m intrigued by the thought of watching April take her clothes off.