Page 81 of Penalized Love

I hit send before I can second-guess myself. Selene is the one who is all in on sneaking out, not me. But this is an opportunityI can’t sit back and not take. In order to pretend like I’m doing something, I grab my laptop from my bag and pull up Photoshop to edit some shots I’d taken a couple of days ago.

The sound of the water from the shower turning off makes the nerves in my gut spring up once more. It takes another few minutes before the bathroom door opens, and Dad emerges with some steam trailing behind him. Thankfully, he’s already dressed in his pajamas.

“The bathroom is all yours,”he says as he sits at the only desk in the room. He grabs his phone from where he was charging it and speaks again.“I’m going to give your mother a call before turning in. You should get some rest too. It’s a big day tomorrow.”

I nod, trying to look tired, but I’m anything but.“Yeah, I will soon. I’ll shower once you get off the phone with Mom. I want to say hey.”

Dad pulls up his glasses to get a better look at his device before he taps the phone screen to call my mother. After a couple of rings, she picks up, and I can see her face from where I am on my bed.“Hey honey,”Dad greets her warmly.“How are things back home?”

“Oh, you know, just holding down the fort,”Mom replies with a smile.“How’s the trip going so far?”

“Good, good. We just got settled at the hotel.”Dad angles the phone so Mom can see me.“Look who’s here too.”

“Hi, Mom.” I wave.

“Isla! Excited for your first away game?”Mom asks.

I nod.“Definitely. It’s been great so far.”If only she knew just how great I’m hoping it will be, with Asher waiting for me just a few floors away.“There was a minor hiccup with the hotel room situation, but Dad and I are making it work.”

Mom pauses before tilting her head slightly to the side. “Oh? What happened with the rooms?”

“Just a mix-up,”I say quickly, not wanting to get into details.“I didn’t have a room, so Dad and I are rooming together. It’s fine.”

“Well, as long as you’re both comfortable,”Mom says.

Dad waves a dismissive hand.“It’s no big deal. It’s just for a couple of nights, and we have our own beds. We’ll be so busy with the game and everything, we’ll hardly be in the room. And it’s not like Isla hasn’t snuck in the bed to sleep with us a time or two in the past.”

“Dad, I was a kid!”I can’t help but roll my eyes because seriously?

Mom just laughs and shakes her head while Dad shrugs. Thankfully, the conversation shifts in a different direction, giving my face an opportunity to calm down. As they continue chatting, I find it increasingly difficult to focus on their conversation. My mind keeps drifting to thoughts of Asher, alone in his room, waiting for me. I try to look as if I’m paying attention, nodding, and smiling at the appropriate moments, but I’m barely processing their words.

After what feels like an eternity, Dad finally says,“Alright, well, we should probably get some rest. Big day tomorrow,”he says, echoing his earlier sentiment.

“Definitely,”I agree, perhaps a bit too eagerly.“I’m just going to hop in the shower real quick, and then it’s lights out for me.”

Mom smiles warmly through the screen.“Sounds good. Get some good rest, both of you. And, Isla, I’m so proud of you. You’re going to do great tomorrow.”

“Thanks, Mom,”I say, genuinely touched by her words, despite my world being tilted on its axis.“Love you.”

“Love you too, sweetie. And I love you, Aaron,”she adds, blowing a kiss to Dad.

“Love you more,”Dad replies with a grin before ending the call. He stretches and yawns before he turns to me.“Alright, I’m turning in. Don’t stay up too late, okay?”

“I won’t,”I assure him, gathering my bag of toiletries and pajamas.“Just a quick shower.”

I disappear into the bathroom, my heart pounding as I turn on the water. The sound of the spray usually helps put me in a relaxed state, but that’s not the case tonight. My mind is still on how the hell I am going to get out of this room without waking my dad up.

I go through the motions of my shower with my body on autopilot because my mind is elsewhere. The warm water cascades over my skin but does little to soothe my nerves. I can’t stop thinking about Asher, about the opportunity that awaits me just a few floors up. But the fear of getting caught by Dad looms large, threatening to overshadow my desire.

I step out of the shower and dry off. You would think I would be running through my routine, but I’m hoping that the likelihood of Dad being asleep increases because I’m taking my time. I slip into my pajamas, which consist of a cami and shorts. I make a mental note to myself as I brush my teeth to grab the hoodie that I wore here because there’s no way I’m walking through the hotel wearing just this. As I brush my teeth, I watch the steam evaporate from the mirror I’m staring into. I take deep breaths and repeat,‘I can do this,’until it’s drilled into my head. Where the hell is Selene when I need her?

Selene.

That’s it. Why didn’t I text her before?

I grab my phone from the bathroom counter and text her.

Me: HELP. Need your expert sneaking-out advice.

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