“Are you ready, my love? We don’t want to be late.”

Alec cringed as Ellie reminded him, yet again, of the timing of the evening. He lethargically removed another piece of clothing, as he did the last three times she asked him. As he peeled off his thin white t-shirt, he realized all that was left was his boxers. He had no choice but to get in the shower.

He called out to Ellie, “Can throw my button-down in the dryer?” as he let the steam build in the shower and the hot drops of water roll off his body. He was not looking forward to this evening. Alec knew Ellie was in the laundry room now, folding and pressing the wrinkles out, even though the dryer would’ve been fine.

Ellie was spectacular. Witty, charming, quirky, and absolutely beautiful in his eyes. She made terrible coffee and burned toast, but she loved him unconditionally. The only real problem was her friends.

Alec and Ellie were getting ready for another evening in a small apartment uptown. The routine had become trivial, as Alec preferred staying home to order Chinese and trace the curves of Ellie’s naked body with his fingertips.

The problem with this particular apartment was not the scratchy furniture or musty bathroom smell. It wasn’t Andrew, the real estate lawyer with a mouth louder than the buses honking in the street. It wasn’t Layla, the med-student who easily outsmarts the “briliant” surgeons in the OR. The problem was the cocktails and kittens.