Page 111 of Debugging Love

Danni grabs her bag, disappears into the bathroom, and turns on the water. The sound relaxes me a bit. Adds some distance. A buffer.

My eyes rest on the remote control. I consider claiming a chair. I poke the bed.

The pillowtop is soft. Like Danni’s thighs when I squeezed them.

I’m sure the floor is comfortable too. I give it a try, flat on my back with my hands supporting my head. Sooo comfortable. And hard. And cold.

I sit up because I can’t handle lying still, and then I can’t handle sitting, so I stand and pace the room.

I’m going to be up all night thinking about Danni while lying next to Danni, yet separated by a chasm of discomfort.

The van is starting to sound like a more viable option.

Unless…

I grab the phone and dial up the front desk. A chipper woman answers.

“Do you have any cots?” I ask.

“Oh. I’m afraid not. We’re booked solid and they’re all in use.”

“How about an extra blanket or two?”

“I’m sure I can find one. I’ll have someone bring it up.”

I thank her, hang up the phone, and perch on the pillowtop, enjoying the way it hugs my body like Danni might hug my body if we shared this bed.

I shoot up and resume pacing. I’ve only kissed one girl one time. It’s too soon for full-body hugs and other things. Would I even know what to do?

With Danni, I think it would come naturally. I wouldn’t even have to think. Instinct would take over, my hand trailing along her neck and her clavicles, our mouths stitched together for eons, unable to let go.

The shower turns off, and the abrupt silence makes me feel like I’ve been caught. I jog over to the chairs, choose one and settle into it. My phone is still in the other room. I have nothing to do with my hands. I should have turned on the TV.

The bathroom door opens and Danni appears in floral pajama bottoms and a loose cotton top. Her hair is wound up in a white towel, giving her pink cheeks all the focus. The smells of soap and shampoo find me before Danni’s eyes do.

Awkwardness renders us both mute. She fills it by grabbing the remote and turning on the TV. “Wanna watch something?” she asks without looking at me.

“I smell like chlorine.”

“Do you wanna watch something while smelling like chlorine?”

“I think I’d rather not smell like chlorine.” My brain and my mouth aren’t cooperating. I think I’m trying to say I need a shower.

“Do you want to shower?” Danni says for me.

I nod and dart past her, closing myself in the bathroom. Then I remember I need my pajamas. So, I buzz back into our shared space, fumble through my bag and then disappear again, this time behind a wall of water.

Danni

I sit on the edge of the bed, comb my fingers through my wet hair and flip through channels. After my third circuit through the offerings, I realize I haven’t been paying attention at all. Instead, I’ve been thinking about Chance, who is in the shower. Showering. In the room right next to me.

I don’t even want to think about what Drew and Morgan are doing one room over. Luckily the walls are thick. However, if I know Morgan, she’s exercising some restraint. Maybe? I’ll give her the benefit of the doubt. But we’ll be having a chat when thisis over. I need to know why she thought it was okay to leave me high and dry, alone with Chance and only one bed.

I haven’t spent the night with a guy since I was dating Zane, and now I’m spending the night, sorta, with my coworker. Who I kissed a few days ago. This isn’t at all weird or uncomfortable or…tempting, which explains the two little gymnasts in my stomach doing twirly whirlys. I stand, shake my arms, and pace the length of the room.

We’re adults. We’re both keeping our clothes on. Duh. And he’s sleeping on the floor. The cold, hard floor while I get the comfy bed with the piles of pillows. That’s fair. I’m the girl. Chivalry and all that.

I pause and look down at the fake wood that’s fake stained a dark brown, and then I contemplate the bed, which is rather wide and long. We could both lay there easily without touching each other.

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