Page 36 of From Wink to Kink

I bite my lip, considering. I'm about to do something either very kind or very stupid. Possibly both.

"Why don't you just come to the bed?" I blurt out.

Silence. Then, "I'm sorry, what?"

I sigh, already regretting this. "Look, even in the dark I can see you don't fit on that sofa. This bed is huge. We can just... put a pillow between us or something. It'll be fine."

"Are you sure?" Chuck's voice is hesitant, but I can hear the hope in it.

"Yeah, just... no funny business, okay? This is purely a humanitarian gesture."

I hear him chuckle as he gets up. "Scout's honor, Brooks. My funny business days are behind me."

The bed dips as Chuck settles in on the other side. I grab an extra pillow and plop it between us, creating a makeshift barrier. It's ridiculous, really. We're both adults. We can handle sleeping in the same bed without... anything happening.

Right?

"Thanks, Ruby," Chuck says. "My back appreciates it."

I grunt in response, not trusting myself to speak. This is fine. Totally normal. Just two acquaintances sharing a bed in a couples retreat in Costa Rica. Nothing weird about that at all.

"So," Chuck says after a moment, "still planning on bailing tomorrow?"

I nod, then realize he can't see me. "Yeah. First thing in the morning, I'm making travel arrangements. This whole thing was a mistake."

He's quiet for a moment. "Are you sure? I mean, you're all the way here..."

"I'm sure," I say, more firmly than I feel. "This isn't... what I signed up for."

Chuck sighs. "Yeah, I get it. It's not exactly what I had in mind either. Not that I really had anything in mind to begin with other than sand between my toes."

We lapse into silence, and I find myself hyper-aware of his presence next to me. The sound of his breathing, the faint scent of soap on his clean skin. It's... unsettling.

Suddenly, a soft blue glow illuminates the bed. I turn to see Chuck scrolling through his phone.

"Gotta check email before the internet goes down or something," he says.

I grab my own phone, grateful for the distraction. We spend the next few minutes in companionable silence, each absorbed in our own digital world.

Eventually, he yawns loudly. "Man, I'm about to drop off. Just need to hit the bathroom first."

He sits up, reaching for his phone to use as a flashlight. That's when everything goes sideways.

As the light beam sweeps across the mosquito netting surrounding the bed, I see them. Dozens of them. Huge, creepy, nightmare-inducing bugs clinging to the outside of the net.

I let out a strangled yelp, scrambling backwards until I hit the headboard. I think quickly and dive under the covers, pulling them clear over my head, where I hold the sheets so tight not even an ant could find its way in.

"What the fuck is all that?" Chuck hollers, his voice muffled through all the sheets.

"B-bugs," I stammer, peeking out from my hiding spot. "Big ones. Lots of them."

Chuck shines his light around, illuminating our unwelcome visitors. "Oh," he says, far too calmly for my liking. "Yeah, that's... a lot of bugs."

I pull the covers up to just under my eyes, as if anything could protect me from the insect apocalypse happening outside our netting. "This is not okay, Chuck. This is so far from okay."

He settles back onto the bed with a sigh. "Damn. Guess I’m waiting till morning to pee."

I turn to him, incredulous. "That's your biggest concern about this situation? Your full bladder?"

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