Page 46 of Out of the Dark

When my fingers are wrinkled, I take that as a sign that I need to stop hiding from my problems under the hot water.

I toss on my sweatpants and a clean t-shirt, hang my towel up on the hook behind the door, and mentally prepare myself for whatever awkwardness awaits me.

But when I make my way into the room, the lights are off and Claire is wrapped in the comforter and breathing steadily.

She’s already asleep.

I let out a sigh of relief and crawl into the bed beside her, careful not to wake her up and especially careful not to touch her.

The first thing I notice when I wake up is how warm I am, and the second thing I notice is the soft, small body curled into my side. Claire’s breathing is still steady as she sleeps, but the thin beams of light bordering the edges of the curtains tell me it’s morning.

I try to keep still as I figure out what the hell to do. If she wakes up like this, is she going to think I did this? No, I’m simply lying on my back with an arm behind my head, and I’m still on my side of the bed. But what if she wakes up and takes this to mean something more than it does? Maybe I should get up…

No, I argue with myself.It’ll be fine. From our positions, it’s clear she snuggled up to me in her sleep without realizing it. Honestly, it feels nice to have her here lying against me, evenif unintentionally.

My body tenses for a second, and I think again about shifting away, but she stirs slightly and nestles closer into me. Her hair, wild from sleep, tickles my arm, and a sudden pang of affection shoots through me.

God, she looks peaceful.

Her lips are slightly parted and her cheek is pressed against my chest. There’s a calmness in the way she’s curled up beside me, as though it’s the most natural thing in the world. I don’t dare move, not yet. Instead, I let myself enjoy it—just for a little while. Half an hour, maybe.

But the longer I lie here, the more conflicted I feel. I’m not used to this kind of closeness. It’s dangerous. It makes me imagine what could happen if things were different, makes me want things I shouldn’t.

When Claire finally stirs, it’s gradual, her head shifting slightly before her eyes flutter open. It takes her a moment to realize where she is—and who she’s lying against.

Her face goes red almost instantly. "Oh my God, I’m so sorry!" she blurts, scrambling to sit up and put space between us. She smooths her hair with trembling fingers, not meeting my gaze. "I didn’t mean to... I must have rolled over in my sleep or something—"

"It’s fine," I interrupt, trying and failing to keep the grin off my face at the sight of her mortified expression. "Don’t worry about it."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, I’m sure," I chuckle. "I only woke up a few minutes ago, and you were still sound asleep. It wasn’t like it was intentional."

That earns me a small smile, and some of the tension leaves her shoulders.

She scoots to the edge of the bed, muttering something about needing to get ready for the day, then retreats to the bathroom, her hair a mess and her eyes still half-lidded from her abrupt wakeup. Something in my chest twists. I ignore the feeling and get up to get ready for the day.

By the time Claire emerges, dressed in a light yellow sundress and looking hesitant as she ties her hair back into a ponytail, the tension from earlier has mostly dissipated.

Shane had told us last night that he and Dani would be occupied for the first half of the day doing wedding stuff—checking out their venue again to plan for decor and doing a food tasting, I think. Claire and I decide to grab some coffee from the cafe in the hotel lobby then walk around to find a place for an early lunch.

It’s a small city, especially compared to Chicago, but Claire’s eyes dart from one thing to another in constant wonder.

I get a call from Shane letting me know they’re on their way back not long after our lunch at a local family-owned restaurant, so Claire and I head back to the hotel. It’s been a relaxed morning of walking around and enjoying the sights with no particular destination in mind. In all honesty, I’m surprised by how much I’ve enjoyed the morning. Claire is easy to be around, even if she’s the exact opposite of the type of woman I usually go for. Or maybe that’s why everything with her feels so effortless. She’s different.

Shane and Dani are waiting for us in the lobby when we return, and Shane gives me a knowing look as soon as he sees us. Claire is already chatting animatedly with Dani about our morning.

"Hey, asshole," I say in greeting. It’s a common way for us to greet each other, but today there’s an accusatory edge to mywords. Not much, just barely enough for him to catch, even though I’m notactuallymad.

As expected, he notices the slight shift in tone and raises his hands in mock surrender. "What did I do?" He’s already grinning, knowing exactly what he did.

"Oh, I don’t know, maybe booking a room for Claire and I with one bed?" I speak in a low voice so Claire doesn’t hear me, but thankfully she’s still too distracted by Dani to listen in on our conversation.

He simply shrugs, but the mischievous smile on his face gives him away. "When I first asked you if she was coming, you insisted she wouldn’t be. Sorry for trusting your word."

I roll my eyes and jab him in the side with my elbow even as I smile. "I hate you."

"No you don’t. You’ll thank me for this one day." He claps me on the back, as if he’s doing me some great favor by meddling, then asks, "You ready to hit the beach?"

---