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“Oh, honey.” She hugs me back. “Do you want to come in and talk?”
“Honestly, Mom? No. I just wanted to let you know that I love you, and I’m sorry… for everything.”
“I know, baby. And I know I can be a little smothering sometimes but it’s only because I worry.”
“I know, Mom. Sorry for snapping at you at dinner, but please try not to bring up the past so much, yeah?”
She nods and we hug again. I shoot a quick good night to Dad and, round of apologies over, I dash to my room. In the bathroom, I brush my teeth, take off my makeup, and change into comfy clothes. Finally, I’m ready to go to Archie’s. I swear I’ve visited all the hotel’s floors tonight. Winter and Logan’s guests must occupy at least a third of the resort; it would’ve seemed logical to assign us an entire floor, but, no, we’re scattered all over the place. Which, as annoying as it is, at least affords me some privacy.
By the time I knock on Archie’s door, it’s already late and I’m suppressing a yawn.
Archie answers the door, as impossibly attractive as ever: bearded, bare-chested, and ripped.
“Hi.” I quickly scoot into the room before anyone sees me.
“Hey, how was dinner?”
I sag onto the bed like a dead weight. “Exhausting. I snapped at both my mom and my sister. Had a mini breakdown in Lana’s room. Then I had to go apologize to everyone. Gosh, I wish Winter would get married tomorrow so I could go home and not see anybody for a month.”
Archie sits next to me, a cocky eyebrow raised. “Should my pride be hurt?”
I smile up at him. “No, you’re the only de-stressing factor in all this.”
“Come here.”
He pulls me between his legs, my back resting against his chest, and begins to massage my shoulders.
I moan. “Mmm, so you’re not good only for foot rubs.”
“I’m good for a lot of things,” he whispers in my ear.
I close my eyes and relax into his embrace. He’s so warm, and I feel safe in his arms. But I can’t quite forget what happened earlier at dinner, or shove away the guilt gnawing away at my insides. It feels wrong to be even marginally happy when I know my family is still so edgy around me.
“Why did you fight with your momandsister?”
“What do you think? The same old story.”
I start to tell him what happened. When I finish, Archie simply pulls me closer and kisses my forehead. He doesn’t offer any advice or platitudes; he just listens attentively and holds me like he understands that sometimes all one needs is for somebody to be present without judgment, without having to do anything else but be there by your side.
“How about you? How was your dinner?”
Archie chuckles. “I actually forgot to eat.”
“What?” I turn around in his arms to face him. “How come?”
“Passed out right after you left and woke up only a while ago to shower.”
“Are you hungry?”
The look he gives me back!
“For food I mean.”
Archie brushes a stray hair out of my face. “Not really; I had a snack.”
He presses his lips to my temple. Then he shifts and lies on the bed next to me. His arm pulls me closer while his other one tenderly cradles my head like a pillow on top of his chest as we talk about anything and nothing.
He tells me more stories from his travels, he makes me laugh—and it’s enough to ease everything that was bothering me before: the guilt from earlier, my thoughts of never being good enough or pleasing anyone with what I do… They all seem so distant now.
