Page 108 of The Bonus

I open the door to find him sitting on his bed playing with his Nintendo Switch, and I sit down beside him. “Are you okay?”

“Yep.” He keeps playing.

“Did Gabriel upset you?”

“Nope,” he says, he keeps playing as he acts uninterested.

“What did he say to you in Italian?” I ask.

“Nothing much.”

I sit beside him for a moment and I don’t want to make this more dramatic than it needs to be, this has to be in his time, not mine. “Is it okay if I sleep in here with you tonight on the trundle bed?”

“Yeah, all right.” He keeps playing.

Damn it, this is getting me nowhere and I have to clean my room for Gabriel.

“I’ll be back soon, bubba.”

He nods and keeps playing the stupid game.

I rush into my bedroom and look around at the chaos. Ahhh… Why aren’t I a housewife superstar, it would be so much more convenient at times like this.

I stuff my washing into the clothes hamper, I gather up some clothes that are hanging over the chair in the corner of the room and throw them onto the top shelf of my wardrobe.

I run my eyes over the contents of the wardrobe, unorganized and disorderly.

Oh man, if he looks in there, I’m totally screwed.

Ugh, I don’t have time to worry about that now. I slam the door shut.

I pull the covers back on my bed. I should change the sheets.

Damn it, I only changed the sheets yesterday and my other set of sheets is still on the line.

Shit.

These sheets will have to do.

I remake the bed and straighten up the cushions, oh crap, can’t forget that…I rustle through my bedside drawer for my vibrator and stuff it into the basket of washing and hide it with some clothes.

I do a quick clean of my dressing table and throw my makeup into my top drawer as I look around the bedroom, what else… have I missed anything?

Is there anything in here that is too personal for him to see?

Who am I kidding, it’s my bedroom, everything is personal.

Gabriel

“I’m going to take a look at the lake,” I lie.

Lucy smiles up at me with the most beautiful little face I have ever seen. I rush out the door and immediately dial Mark’s number.

“Hey,” he answers.

“Hi, change of plans.”

“What do you mean?”

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