Untouchable

Netflix and Chill

The cell phone rang again from where it was still plugged in on Mike's nightstand. It had just stopped ringing moments earlier. He decided it must be important, so he shucked off his rubber cleaning gloves and left them on the side of the bathtub as he hurried to grab it. Maybe it's Chester. I hope he's not cancelling. Please, please don't be Chester.

With a frustrated huff, he realized it was Jason. He swiped right and put the phone to his ear, brushing away the hair sticking to his sweaty forehead with the back of his hand. "What's up?" he answered.

"Well aren't you cheery this morning!" Jason's voice was thinner over the iPhone.

"I'm cleaning, Jay. What's up?" Mike said again, a little more irritably. He looked back toward the bathroom and his abandoned yellow gloves.

"I just got tickets to the Dodgers game this afternoon, and you're coming with me. They're great seats, right behind home plate."

Mike sighed. "I can't Jay. I'm, I've..." He scrambled for words, for some excuse that wasn't telling him about Chester. "Lexie has a vet appointment," he blurted out.

There was silence on the line, then, "really. Really, Mike? You're giving up fifth row tickets to take your cat to the vet?"

What a stupid excuse, damn, Mike. You couldn't come up with anything better? "Well, yeah," he mumbled. "I can't cancel it, they charge you anyway if you try to do that on the same day. And I need refills on her flea stuff, I can't have fleas, Jay." He shifted back and forth on his feet, thinking of the long list of things he needed to clean, just in case. It wasn't that Mike really thought Chester would end up staying over, but it couldn't hurt to be prepared.

"Fine, I guess I can give Rob a call. Maybe he'll be around." Jason paused, then said, "you know, if you have other plans, Mike, you can just say so."

Mike looked up, catching his own surprised face in the mirror. "Plans? Yeah, I've got plans with Lex. She needs to go to the vet."

"Okay..." Jason's voice was clearly skeptical, causing Mike to fidget back and forth on his feet uncomfortably. "Well, if you're sure that's all... I'll go eat my ballpark hot dogs without you."

"It's not personal, Jay. You know me. Last minute plans are just not my thing. I love baseball, but it's just not going to work today. You can tell me all about it at mom's tomorrow." Mike held his breath, hoping that Jason was finished. He knew his excuses were awful, but he wasn't ready to talk about Chester yet.

"Fine. Don't bail on tomorrow, Mike. I'll see you then."

Mike could hear the resignation in Jason's voice. His brother was just trying to get him out of the house, and with the complication of keeping Chester a secret, there was no way for him to know that Mike had real, actual plans he didn't want to cancel. "I'll see you tomorrow," he affirmed, then ended the call. He stood for a minute, looking at his phone, then set it back on the nightstand. He had a bathroom to clean, so worries about Jason would have to wait until later.

With his rubber gloves back on, he finished the bathtub and shower, then the toilet. It never took him long to clean his space, since he was ridiculously neat from day to day, but Mike was being extra meticulous this morning. Every inch of the bathroom was sparkling when he ran his rag over the countertop one more time, looking up to make sure the mirror was spotless.

As soon as he turned away from the sink, Lexie waltzed into the bathroom, her tail straight up with a quirk at the end, like a question mark. She sniffed the air, then shot Mike a look before she jumped up on the counter.

"Oh, come on, Lex, I just cleaned the counter!" Mike exclaimed, reaching for the cat. She allowed herself to be picked up, and Mike cuddled her close to his chest. "I know you hate the smell of cleaner," he cooed soothingly, "but I'll open up the windows, and it won't be so bad. Let's go." He walked out into the bedroom, spying his clothes from last night on the floor still. "God, Mike, look at this place. One kiss and the whole house goes to hell." He kicked the pile closer to the hamper as he scratched under Lexie's chin and felt her purring. "Lexie-girl, I'm going to need you to start pulling your weight around here. Can you vacuum every once in a while?"