Duets - 1. Chapter One

Matthew stripped his clothes off and threw them on the bathroom floor. He mentally added a hamper to the list in his head of things he would need. His muscles ached in a way they hadn’t in years and he could smell his own sweat. He started to wish he had broken down and hired the moving company after all. He paused in his plans as the sound of water running in the apartment next door.

Oh great, these walls are paper thin, I’m going to be hearing everything. I hope my neighbors aren’t having lots of noisy or having lots sex or listens to horrible music.

Matthew turned the water on and let it heat up before climbing in. Over the sound of the water he picked up a soft voice, slowly growing stronger. His neighbor was singing. As it picked up in volume he really started to get into the song. Matthew couldn’t help but smile as his neighbor belted out Sugar, Sugar by the Archies. He was obviously not professional, but really not half bad. After the chorus he seemed to stutter over the next verse. Matthew chuckled before lending his voice to the show, just to help the boy out with the lyrics of course.

Before he had a chance to break into the chorus Matthew heard the water turn off and the sound of fumbling as his neighbor seemed to flee. He felt a little bad about scaring his neighbor away, possibly embarrassing him. But only a little. It was pretty cute.

⤐⤞

It had been a busy week. Between starting his new job and trying to get his new apartment together Mathew felt like he had barely sat down for five minutes. And now his new co workers were expecting him to meet them for drinks. How could he refuse when they basically said it was a welcome to the team party? He had to try not to fall back into his old anti-social habits.

He we into the bathroom to turn the shower on and heard the water running from next door. Looks like his shower buddy was back. Matthew turned on the water and waited for it to warm up. He could hear his neighbor singing softly and jumped in while it was still a little chilly because he really was curious about what he would be singing this time.

Matthew couldn’t help but hum along to I Believe in A Thing Called Love and something in his heart warmed as the guy next door started to belt out the chorus, stretching out the ‘yous’ and ‘mes’ almost ridiculously.

He knew he shouldn't, the poor guy would be so embarrassed. On the other hand, it should be comforting to know he wasn’t the only one who belted out The Darkness with guilty pleasure. Matthew only got through the next two lines.This time there was a squawk and the sounds of the guy jumping out of the shower before he turned the water off. Matthew chuckled a little and continued, why not right? It was stuck in his head now. He turned his voice volume up a little so his neighbor would still hear him as he let loose in his turn for the chorus.

⤐⤞

It was only a few days later and Matthew was in the shower first. He heard the water turn on and the slide of the curtain. He waited, practically holding his breath, waiting for his shower buddy to start up. A few minutes passed and Matthew realized he wasn’t going to sing. His neighbor must have heard the water and was playing shy. Matthew was surprisingly disappointed, he very much enjoyed hearing the stranger sing. He wasn’t the greatest singer, but he was pretty decent. It was how he sounded so full of life and happiness. He found he really, almost desperately, wanted to hear the man sing again.

Matthew racked his brain for the perfect song to convey what he was looking for. Finally he settled on Should I Stay or Should I Go by The Clash. He hoped it would encourage his friend to answer.

Matthew stopped and waited after the first verse, this time he really was holding his breath. Finally, the soft voice came through the wall. Hesitant at first but gaining strength and confidence as his duet partner picked up at the chorus. Matthew felt the smile stretch across his face and he felt a small chuckle slip out.

Matthew almost missed his line when his duet partner cut into the next verse with the Spanish lines. His accent was really very terrible, but at least he was singing along.

By some unspoken agreement the dropped the Spanish lines and belted out the rest of the song together. It was sloppy and amateur but it was probably the most fun Matthew had in the shower in a long time. At least when there wasn’t another warm body under the flow with him.

He couldn’t help but clap after they dropped the last note. His singing partner didn’t clap back, but he did giggle a little before shutting off the water and shuffling out of the room. Matthew stood for another moment under the hot spray with a smile on his face.

⤐⤞

It was a crappy week overall, but he took great joys in the one highlight he had found. In the last four days he had managed to get two more duets out of his shower buddy. They had matched tones to Pocketful of Sunshine by Natasha Bedingfield, and they belted out Don’t Stop Believing by Journey just two days ago. Matthew had already had a shower today but when he heard the water turn on he jumped to strip and join his shower buddy. He waited, it wasn't his turn to choose the song. Matthew had to admit he was a little surprised by his choice, but it was just one of those catchy songs that got stuck in your head. At least it gave him a little bit of insight to his possible age. Not many people under the age of twenty knew and appreciated Wheatus. Matthew wasn’t sure why his age mattered, but the idea that he was practically sharing a shower with someone under 18 made his skin crawl. He couldn’t help but picture a short, skinny little rocker boy with flippy hair as he listened his partner sing Teenage Dirtbag.

When the last note came to an end the two men clapped for each other before going their separate ways. Matthew was loving his little shower interludes. He was starting to think maybe he should go introduce himself. Part of him held back, he was slightly worried the man next door wouldn't be what he was expecting and he would find himself disappointed. Or that he himself wouldn’t be what his neighbor expected. If he wanted to meet Matthew he could always come over himself. The guy had been so shy at first, maybe if they met it would be awkward, maybe put an end to their duets. Matthew realized he didn’t want to risk it. That didn’t stop him from wondering if he had seen him before. Coming or going, or at the mailboxes in the lobby. For some reason he didn’t think anyone he had seen so far fit his shower buddy. Weather or not that was wishful thinking he couldn't say.