AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I lean back on the two pillows I snagged—Charlotte doesn’t need all four—and close my eyes while I listen to the toothbrushing noises in the bathroom.
Getting ready for bed with Charlotte feels like an incredibly intimate experience. I mean, how many people in your life do you get ready for bed with?
It might be intimate, but it’s also more than a little awkward. I stripped down to my boxers and T-shirt as quickly as I could when she went into the bathroom and raced to wrap myself into this blanket burrito before she reappeared. The last thing I want to do is make her feel even more uncomfortable than she undoubtedly already does.
Nor would I want her to notice the embarrassment in my underwear I’ve been struggling with since the moment at the front desk when it became obvious we would be sleeping in the same room.
The water in the bathroom stops.
My heart quickens with the anticipation of her return.
The toilet flushes and the faucet runs again.
My breath stills as I wait for her to emerge. I should probably keep my eyes shut for decency’s sake. But as the door squeaks open, my eyes sneak a look, as if acting independently of my brain.
And I immediately start to chuckle. She’s still wearing her work skirt, but on top there’s now a T-shirt with the words “Keep Calm, I’m a Planner” across her clearly braless chest.
“Who knew planner T-shirts were such a thing?”
“Says the man who probably has a whole wardrobe of nerdy shirts.”
“Only originals. There’s a 1985 Back to the Future one with the Delorian on it, a Pac-Man from ’82, then for Dr. Who?—”
“So don’t ever give me a hard time about my planner shirts again.” She pulls back the sheets and sits on the edge of the bed, her back to me. Her freshly brushed long brown hair is now free from its ponytail and falls halfway down her spine. “I get them on loyalty points.”
“Must have a giant stack of them then.” It’s impossible to resist teasing her. Particularly when she looks over her shoulder and makes her oh-for-god’s-sake face like she’s doing now.
“Anyway, you sure you’re okay over there?” she asks, reaching around her back and under the T-shirt to undo her skirt.
“Just fine.”
She pulls the sheet over her lap, then shimmies the skirt off underneath it. “I don’t know why I’m bothering to be so discreet. It’s not like you haven’t undressed me yourself.”
It takes all my willpower to stop myself from saying, “I can help you out again now, if you like.” Unable to think of a suitable alternative, I stay silent as she produces the skirt from under the bedclothes and lays it on the floor.
“You look incredibly uncomfortable,” she says, pulling the sheet up over her breasts. “I’d fit much better over there. I really wish you’d let me.”
“Not a chance. It’s fine. And it’s not long till we get up anyway.”
She yawns. “Yeah, it’s been quite the day. We should try to sleep. Do you need the bathroom again or anything? Or should I turn the light off?”
“You can turn it off. Let’s sleep.”
She clicks the lamp and disappears into the darkness. As my eyes adjust, I can see she’s rolled onto her side facing the window, a strip of light from the gap in the curtains illuminating a diagonal band across her face and hair.
“Are you going to visit your dad while we’re out here?” I can’t imagine being within a couple hours of my family and not going to see them, but Charlotte hasn’t even mentioned it.
“There’s no time.” Her eyes remain closed, but her lips tighten a little.
“You could head over when we’re done here and fly back tomorrow. Seems a shame to come all this way and be so close but not visit.”
“It’s okay.” The yellow tone of the streetlight makes a slice of her brown hair look almost golden. “There’s too much to do. And I want to help. I can see my dad anytime.”
This woman is selfless to a fault. Does she always prioritize helping out at work and doing things for other people above her own close relationships?
We should probably go to sleep. But the intimacy of the situation makes this a perfect opportunity for us to get to know each other better, for me to ask some of the questions that have been rattling around in my head since she told me about her mom leaving when she and her brothers were young.
The blanket of darkness around us makes this feel like a place where secrets can be shared and kept.
