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“Here you go, shall I open a tab for you, sir?”
“Eh, no that’s alright. Thank you.”
Heading back to the table after paying in cash again, I noticed Kim had quietened down. I hoped her mood hadn’t shifted or she regretted this. Sipping her drink slowly, she smiled behind her straw as she began swaying a little to the music that played just down the hall in the function room.
“Shame we left those outfits at the shop, we could have snuck into that wedding and pretended to be guests of the couple. Distant cousins or something.”
“Or I’m the filthy mistress of the bride’s father and here to proclaim my love and our unborn child.”
“You’ve clearly been watching too many dramatized Netflix shows.”
She laughed and I couldn’t help but join in with her. I could listen to her laugh every day if she’d let me. But then she suddenly settled and lowered her eyes, looking down at her drink then began rubbing her left hand, her ring finger. Her wedding ring is no longer there.
“Alright?”
Reaching across the table, I held my hand out hoping she might notice and take it, but instead she wrapped her hands around her glass.
“Yes, of course. Ha ha!”
Silent again and that weird sense of awkwardness hung in the air. I was hoping we’d be able to hang out some more, but now, she was slowly going quiet. She wasn't drinking and I couldn’t really blame her, the bar was flat and had no real atmosphere.
“Shall we head up after this and order room service?”
“Sure, sounds good.” She nodded happily.
“Are you sure you are okay?”
“Yeah, I’m fine, just a little dizzy that’s all.”
I was starting to feel like an ass. I could have easily phoned Paula and ordered a driver to come pick us both up, or at least pick Kimberly up and take her home. I got lost in the moment of perhaps spending more time with her and not letting the day end early. It was selfish of me.
“Kim, I can call you a driver if you want to be taken home? It’s not a problem.”
She sat for a few minutes as if deciding what she wanted to do. I wouldn’t have blamed her if she decided she’d rather head home to sleep in her own bed. Suddenly, she tossed the straw out from her drink onto the table and began downing it. It was obvious she instantly regretted it as she held her forehead. “Screw that! We need to have some fun.”
Once her brain freeze was over, she looked at me and then at my drink. Smiling a little she began clapping and smacking the table lightly.
“We like to drink with Sammy…”
She began singing and of course, made me laugh in return. Under her watchful glaze, I did as I was being ordered and downed my beer. Hoping I wouldn’t bring any of it back up as it made me feel a little queasy.
“Let’s get out of here. Sitting at a bar is for old guys.”
Standing up, she reached over and pulled my hand, yanking me up and out of my seat. Heading out the door and down the long corridor again towards the hotel reception desk then through a side door towards a set of stairs. Still pulling me lightly, we raced up the stairs and for a moment I had no idea what she was up to. Until she let go of my hand and started raiding through a cleaning cart that had been left in the hallway.
Grabbing spare towels and throwing them at me, she was giggling drunkenly to herself. She then began putting mini toiletries into her pockets and stuffing them in mine before fishing out the room key. Room 306. Smiling sweetly, she raced towards the elevator door and pressed the button to open, and I followed her sheepishly. I would have followed her anywhere at this point.
“Where to next?”
“Well, ideally, we need to get a fresh change of clothes. Could you maybe use that magic phone of yours and get something sent to us or would that be too rude and eh, late?”
“It is never too late for Paula.”
“Great! Because I have an idea.”
“Oh, more than stealing hotel freebies?”
“Hey! You can never have enough of the fancy soaps and stuff.”
