AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“And you’re paying attention to me now.”
Harlow laughed. “Oh, I was watching you back then, too.”
“No, you weren’t.” Riley waved her off dismissively. “You were so caught up in your book you didn’t know I was even out here that day.”
Harlow pushed her sunglasses off her face and back into her hair. “I was so distracted by you that I stayed on the same page the entire time you were out here.”
Riley looked stunned at her words. She blinked once, then twice, before a smile slowly formed on her lips.
“Wait, are you serious?”
“Yeah.” Harlow turned to sit on the side of the chair, her knees touching Riley’s. “At the time I didn’t know why you had captivated my attention but I get it now.”
“So you’re telling me I wasted all that time wondering if you were interested in me when I could have just said something that day?”
“In all fairness, I would have denied it to no end back then.” She nervously tucked her hair behind her ear as she spoke. “Honestly, I have regretted not getting dinner with you that night since then.”
Riley’s eyes softened and smirked. “But you had leftover pizza.”
“Stale leftover pizza. But I didn’t know how to tell you I wanted to hang out with you.”
“Well, the good news is we’ve figured that out now.”
“Very true.”
Leaning in toward Riley, Harlow kissed her tenderly. Although their kissing had been escalating in passion the last few days, they had yet to have sex or be intimate in any way. Riley didn’t seem to mind, which was a relief to Harlow. Sex was such a big deal for her that she wanted to make sure the timing was right for both of them.
“I’m going to take a shower,” Riley whispered as she kissed Harlow’s jawline.
Usually Harlow would have cared they were making out in public. But the pool was empty aside from them, so she let it slide.
“I’ll order dinner.”
“Pizza?” Riley giggled.
“Whatever you want.”
“Surprise me.”
Harlow arched an eyebrow at her. “I can do that.”
Taking hold of Harlow’s hand, Riley led her up the stairs to their second-floor room. Their clothes, suitcases, and empty to-go boxes littered the room, and Harlow dreaded that they’d have to start packing soon. Riley’s plane was leaving the next morning with Harlow’s plane departing later in the day.
Harlow had almost canceled her flight multiple times and rebooked it for Maine. But she knew she needed to think through her relationship with Riley logically instead of emotionally. Selling her house and uprooting her life wasn’t something she could just do on a whim, nor would she expect Riley to be any different.
“Ugh,” Riley sighed as she kicked her suitcase out of the pathway to the bathroom. “We weren’t this messy on the bus. What changed?”
“We gave up.” Harlow shrugged and wrapped a towel around her body. Although the room had been set to a comfortable temperature the last few days, it was borderline freezing in the room now. She shivered in the cold. “Also, are we Eskimos now?”
“It’s so cold in here.” Riley bounced from one foot to the other as she tried to stay warm. Her teeth were even chattering from the chilly air coming from the vents. “I’m jumping in the shower and hope the water is warm.”
“And I’ll try to fix this.”
As Harlow walked to the thermostat, she couldn’t help but catch a glimpse of Riley undressing behind the crack in the bathroom door. Despite her bikini leaving little to Harlow’s imagination, she still took in the sight. Harlow felt like she was intruding in a private moment, and quickly turned away.
Get your head together, Harlow. Sheesh.
After adjusting the thermostat, Harlow breathed a sigh of relief that the whirling air conditioner stopped. She dug a shirt and shorts out of her bag and quickly changed into them before ordering food. They’d learned that McDonald’s was their favorite fast-food joint, so Harlow knew it would be a winner for Riley. Harlow ordered their usual burgers, nuggets, and extra fries along with a large Diet Coke for Riley.
