February 5th — National Shower With a Friend Day.

Alex brought it up first. Of course he did.

He popped his head into my room like he always does—without knocking—and grinned like he just discovered a loophole in reality. “Taylor,” he said, that familiar spark dancing in his eyes. “We should totally shower together.”

I blinked at him, halfway through painting my nails black. “The hell are you on about?”

“It’s National Shower With a Friend Day,” he said like it was obvious. “And also, you know, climate change. Water shortages. Gotta do our part.”

I stared at him.

He stared back.

I raised an eyebrow. “You seriously wanna shower with me to save water?”

“Exactly!” He beamed. “Totally selfless. Environmentally responsible. Platonic and heroic.”

“…You’re unbelievable.”

Ten minutes later, we were both standing in the bathroom, avoiding eye contact, peeling off layers of clothing like we weren’t secretly both freaking out inside. Alex kept making little jokes—“Hope you don’t mind shampoo that smells like strawberries”—and I just grunted back, trying to look chill while internally screaming.

The water steamed up the mirror fast. We stepped in. Side by side. Naked. Very aware. Trying so hard to act normal.

“This is fine,” Alex said, voice a little higher than usual. “Two dudes. One shower. For the planet.”

“Yeah,” I said, adjusting the water. “Nothing weird. Just very eco-friendly.”

We took turns with the shampoo. He helped lather my hair, his fingers lingering maybe a little too long. I tried not to think about the way his skin felt against mine. He tried not to squeak when I accidentally brushed his hip.

“Saving water is hot,” he joked, voice cracking slightly.

“Yeah,” I muttered, smirking despite myself. “Real steamy activism.”

We ended up laughing. Then standing too close. Then maybe—just maybe—pausing for a little too long under the hot stream, eyes meeting, cheeks flushed from more than just the heat.

But we didn’t kiss. We didn’t say anything we couldn’t take back.

We just stepped out, wrapped in towels and tension, hearts racing but hands kept to ourselves.

Later that night, we both posted selfies with the caption:

“Do your part for the Earth. Save water. Shower with a friend 💧🌍”

And the next morning? The bathroom was already foggy when I walked in.

Alex poked his head around the curtain, shampoo bottle in hand.

“Round two?” he asked. “Y’know… for the environment.”

I didn’t even hesitate.
“Yeah. Gotta stay responsible.”