Page 34 of Ice Ice Maybe
“You said you trusted me,” Nolan countered, his enthusiasm unwavering. “I know how guys think. This will work. Now, are you in or not?”
I sighed, wondering how I’d gotten myself into this mess. But looking at Nolan’s eager face, I felt my resolve weakening once again. I had to trust him.
“Fine,” I said. “But if this backfires spectacularly, I’m blaming you entirely.”
“Deal!” he said. “Now, we need to wait for him to return.”
We both read on our beds as we waited. Nearly an hour ticked by, the tension in our room building with each passing minute. Suddenly, the unmistakable sound of Mitch’s door opening and slamming shut broke the silence.
I pointed at the wall, whispering urgently, “He’s back!”
Nolan dropped his book on the bed, leapt to his feet, and yanked me up with him. “Showtime.”
“Go ahead—you start,” I said, curious of how he would implement this crazy idea that still had me scratching my head.
He positioned himself near the wall, took a deep breath, and let out a tentative, “Oh!”
I stifled a laugh and whispered, “What was that? It sounded like you just remembered something you needed to add to your grocery list!”
“Fine, hotshot,” he said determinedly. “You try.”
I stepped up, cleared my throat, and exclaimed, “Wow! I can’t believe it!”
Nolan’s jaw dropped. “Seriously? That’s your sexy voice? You sounded like you found a pair of lost earrings.”
“Yeah? Try this one on for size.” I pushed him against the wall with a reverberating thump and said, “Come to mama!”
“Here comes daddy!” he said, trying to maneuver around me in the tight space and his hand getting tangled in my hair.
“Ouch! Take it easy!” I yelped, louder than intended.
We froze, the realization dawning on both our faces simultaneously. There was no doubt Mitch had heard that. We locked eyes, both of us realizing how pathetic we were as we dissolved into barely contained laughter. This was absurd, really. Here we were, two adults, trying to fake intimacy like a couple of novices when the real thing was simmering below the surface.
In a moment of pure impulse, I grabbed Nolan’s shirt, yanking him close.
“Maybe you need a little more inspiration,” I whispered, my lips brushing his ear. Before he could respond, I pressed my mouth to his, and suddenly we were off to the races with another amazing kiss that left me wanting more. When we broke apart, there was a new intensity in Nolan’s eyes, like he had been a dead battery that needed a jumpstart.
“Oh, Zena!” he called out with more enthusiasm. “Don’t stop now! Yeah, baby!”
I bit back a snort.
He sounded like Austin Powers.
“Right there!” I called back. “Oh, I love that. Nobody is even close to as good as you are! I’m flying, baby!”
Nolan, fully embracing his role, grabbed a pillow and started thumping it against the headboard. “Yeah? You like that?” He waggled his eyebrows at me. “Well, you’re gonna love this!”He thumped the pillow a few more times, but his enthusiasm backfired when feathers exploded from within, floating around us like snowflakes.
Not to be outdone, I snatched up the room’s hefty tourism guide and began slapping it against the desk.
“You’re making me see stars!” I yelled, trying not to giggle at the absurdity.
A resounding bang echoed from the other side of the wall.
“Keep it down over there, you freaks!” Mitch’s muffled voice carried through, equal parts anger and desperation.
Wait, it was actually working?
“Shiver me timbers!” Nolan called out.
