Page 31 of Old Acquaintances

“Do you?” He frowns. Then: “Oh, you mean the zodiac thing. Andyes. Kind of. I’ve had a dozen girls ask for my birth time.”

Tucker waves his hand in front of their faces. “Excuse me. What is happening right now? And should I be drunk as well?”

She looks at the two of us, hesitant energy stirring her features. “Probably. We’re going to show you to your room.”

Johnny releases Jen’s arm. “I should probably go with them…”

He takes my suitcase, and Tucker and I follow themthrough the wide, open living room and dining space to a large double island kitchen with white marble countertops, baby blue cabinets and open shelving. The doors to the screened porch are open, letting in the sounds of water, wind and chirping birds.

We’re led down a hallway. Johnny opens the door to a large bedroom. It has high ceilings, hardwood floors, a creamy white mid-sized bed and views of the ocean. “This is your room.”

“Whose room?” I step inside.

“Your room.” He waves his finger between the two of us.

I understand a bit later than Tucker who robotically says, “Our parents will want the door to stay open.”

“No,” I realize slowly. “I’m not sharing a room withhim.”

“Oh, the deja vu,” he groans.

“Even if we were on speaking terms, which we’re not, it would be inappropriate.”

Tucker clicks his teeth. “There you go again with the whole ‘inappropriate’ thing. I don’t think you know what that word means.”

“I know what I’m talking about.” I put my hand over his face.

“You just made me take your pants off in a moving car.”

Serena drops my bag on a wooden bench. “Look guys, there’s only one room that has two beds in it so that’s where Wyatt and Ritchie are going to sleep, it just makes sense. This is a queen - it’s plenty of room. Besides, you two have shared a bed tons of times.”

In unison, we answer: “No wehaven’t.”

Ritchie coughs at the doorway, and Tucker gives him a warning look while I avert my eyes, quickly.

Serena sits on the edge of the bed and argues, “Well then, that’s weird. I had no problem with you sleeping in my boyfriend’s bed in college because I assumed you were doing it with Tucker, too. Now I’m just thinking you wanted to get in hispants.”

My cheeks redden. “I don’t want to be anywhere near Tucker’s pants.”

She makes a gagging, laughing sound. “I was referring to Johnny.”

“Freudian slip, right, Ell?” Wyatt smirks.

“No,” I deny.

Serena sings, “I think the lady doth protest too much.”

“Stop saying things neither of you understand!”

I look at the bed. My eyes hover over Tucker. He’s standing with his arms crossed, his eyes closed. He’s either thinking of how much a plane ticket out of here costs, if he can murder me and hide the evidence in the Everglades, or…he could be thinking of the two of us on a bed.

Again.

“Okay!” I clap my hands. “Can you all just leave us in peace for a moment while I talk this over with Tucker? The last we shared a room on a beach vacation he body-shamed me.”

He snaps his eyes to mine. “Objection.”

“And he snuck a peek at me topless.”

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