Page 50 of Space Balls: Houston, We Have Liftoff
Maybe it doesn’t have to end with my next flight. Maybe we could just let this run its course, until Rose is ready to move on, until she’s found what it is she wants.
But then the memory of my mother, crumpled on the floor and crying, telephone in her hand, rears its head, and I shake off my doubts. It’s better to end things when we said we would. It would be nothing but selfish for me to hold on.
I park and cut the engine, contemplating my next move. Since we didn’t drive to her penthouse, Rose told me she’d be the one to beat feet with an Uber after we played stranger danger at my place. But after today, I really hate the idea of Rose leaving.
She snort/snores again in her sleep, jarring me away from my thoughts and making me smile as only Rose can. I slide out, closing my door carefully, and round the hood to open her passenger side door. Rose stays asleep through me unbuckling her and swinging her legs out, but when I turn and squat down, trying to hook her arms around my shoulders in a piggyback, she stirs.
“What’s happening?” Her breath tickles my hair.
I shift her weight forward and grab under her thighs. “I’m taking you to bed.”
“Stranger danger time?” On her own, she turns her upper body toward me and wraps her arms securely over my shoulders and around my neck.
Standing, I hike her higher and more securely on my back and kick the door closed. “Sure, stranger danger time.”
“Awesome,” she mumbles into my neck, then promptly falls asleep again.
It takes quite a few minutes and some precarious balancing to get up the steps to my apartment and drop Rose gently on the bed.
“Imma rock your world,” Rose mumbles into the pillow.
She snores through me taking off her sandals and jeans.
I leave her to go to the bathroom, and by the time I’m back she’s shucked off her remaining shirt and bra and has lain diagonally across my king-size bed in just her panties.
Though Rose is near-naked and on my bed, it isn’t exactly how I planned this night to go. However, I’m not annoyed. If anything, I’m kind of relieved. As much as I like fulfilling orgasm guarantees with her, I also like just being with her. It makes me feel more alive. Even if she’s passed out in a food coma.
It takes some maneuvering on my part and some inventive sleep-cursing by Rose before I finally wrestle the covers out from under her and have us situated—Rose on one side of the bed, me on the other.
Sighing, stress about today’s dinner drains away. I’m tired in a different way than I usually am when I hang around my family. Instead of anxiety, I feel… content? It’s an odd change of pace.
Though, as content as I might be, I’m still awake ten minutes later.
Something’s not right.
I run through my usual nighttime routine, wondering if I missed a step along the way. Did I forget to lock the front door? Was there something I was supposed to set my alarm for tomorrow?
Before I can figure out exactly what’s missing, Rose rolls over and lands half on top of me.
“Vance?”
“Yeah?” I curl my arm around her.
“Thanks for Thanksgiving.”
I smile up at the ceiling. “You’re welcome.” I kiss the top of her head. “Thanks for the turkey.”
She answers with a snore.
I fall asleep a moment later.
Huahh.Huahh.
It sounds like a large animal is in the throes of sex.
Huahh.
Or maybe someone vomiting? It’s hard to tell.
