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The corners of my lips tug up. My blood heats a degree. “Thanks.”
I don’t think I’m ever going to get tired of her compliments.
“If you want to stay in bed and rest, then I can go on a walk and give you time alone.” She pulls the blankets off of herself, ready to leave.
“No need,” I say in a hurry. “I actually got you something. Stay here.”
While Molly was in the shower yesterday, I made a quick call to the front desk to request a small delivery that should change up this morning’s routine.
I retrieve my surprise from the front door. A plain coffee for me. A bright orange smoothie for Molly. The newspaper rests on the tray as well, the daily crossword waiting for me.
An app is fun, but there’s something about the ink bleeding onto your fingers and the smell of pressed paper. A phone is no substitute.
I walk back into the bedroom and freeze in the doorframe.
Woah.
Molly sits on her knees atop the mattress, her pink lips smiling right at me. The faint morning glow shines around her.
She’s striking.
Beaming and unruly.
The self-control I had a few minutes ago vanishes as my imagination paints a vivid picture of how she’d look above me, of how my hands could trace the curves of her body so lazily, memorizing every inch of her skin.
“Orange-You-Tasty?” she chimes.
Yes, beautiful, I’m sure you’re delicious.
Snap out of it. It’s just the name of her smoothie.
I steady my grip and present her with the tray. “That’s right. I thought you’d want to read your book in bed this morning, and I could do my crossword?”
“You do crossword puzzles?” Her eyes widen with surprise, her bottom lip sneaking between her teeth.
“Yeah, after I’m done working out, which is usually what I’m doing most mornings,” I explain, taking a seat back on the bed. “I didn’t want to wake you with all my scribbling and muttering.”
“Oh, I wouldn’t mind scribbling or, um, muttering.” Molly’s cheeks rise, and I kick myself for spending the last few days alone in the lobby. “So it’s totally fine for you to hang here sometimes if you’d like. Obviously, only if it’s good with you.”
“I’ll make it a habit to be here more often.”
Her shoulders shimmy the way they do when she’s excited, as if her body is a sparkler on New Year’s.
An hour later, we’re sitting in the Adirondack chairs on the patio outside of our suite, glasses empty. I’m two clues away from finishing my puzzle, and Molly is sucked into her book.
It’s nice being around her.
She’s different today. After our vulnerable talk yesterday, it feels like we can justbewithout the veil of our fake relationship suffocating us. Just two coworkers, hanging out in their matching pajamas at a five-star resort.
Ha, normalcy!
She sits with her knees tucked up to her chest, my T-shirt stretching over her legs. Her face is bursting with emotions, frowning or stifling a laugh.
Suddenly, she gasps. Her gaze shoots up from her phone and finds me watching her. “Oh, sorry.”
“Did you get to a good part?” I set down my paper.
“I just finished the book, and they left it on a cliff-hanger. The main character, Ripley, well, she’s learned she has new powers and—” Her face contorts, the explanation cut short. “Wait, you probably don’t want to hear about any of this.”
