Page 72 of How Jenna Became My Dilemma

With me.

In my room.

Alone.

At night.

All important details worth mentioning. I should also mention that this bed and breakfast was built in 1986. My room is small, and there isn’t a couch or the expected mauve-and-baby-blue floral-wrapped chair. It’s just the bed—and not even a queen-sized bed. It’s a full.

So, me, Cody, and the full-sized bed.

No reason to panic.

This is like a business meeting. Coworkers go out to lunch. Costars watch romance shows in bed. No difference.

I glance at myself in the mirror. These daily pep talks have been critical in keeping my head in the right space.

“There will be absolutely no touching,” I tell myself. “No meaningful conversations that make your heart feel soft and gooey. This is cut and dry. An analysis of our performance and what we can do better.”

Two light taps shake the door.

I smooth my sweats, secretly wishing I hadn’t told Winnie to only pack lame things, and then open the door.

“Heyyy,” I drag out the word as if the slowness can somehow control the tempo of my racing heart.

“Hi.” Cody’s eyes sweep over me like a broom in a room with a lot of dust. Back and forth. Up and down. “You look really cute.”

Cute.

Why is that the cutest thing any man has ever said to me? Probably because I’m used to other adjectives: hot, sexy, attractive, just to name a few. But there’s something really sweet about being cute.

“Thanks, you look nice too.”

“I’m in a t-shirt and sweats.”

My eyes drop down my body. “So am I.”

The tip of his finger lifts my chin so I’m looking directly into his blue eyes. “But you still look amazing.” His hand drops as he moves past me into the room. “I’m glad your room smells old and musty like mine.” He spins around. “I was starting to think it was me.”

“No, I think it’s from years and years of mildew.”

His nose crinkles. “Gross.”

“I thought if I became an actor, I’d be living a life of luxury, not be on the road all the time in old motel rooms or living out of trailers.”

“It’s not fancy, that’s for sure.”

We stare at each other for a few beats, trying to figure out how to transition into the next phase of the visit. But since I’m the host, it’s up to me to pave the way.

“So,” I gesture to the bed. “We’ll have to watch the show here since there’s no couch or anything else.”

Cody nods, looking over the bed. “Sure, we’ll each take a side.”

He kicks off his shoes and sits on the edge while I grab my computer. It takes me a second, but I get Flixmart open and click on the show. The screen goes black except for a spinning circle in the middle.

“Maybe the Wi-Fi here can’t support streaming, but we’ll try it.” I place the computer in the center of the bed and glance at Cody. We both lie back on separate sides, sticking our legs straight out. I’m stiff, like if I move even a centimeter, I’ll somehow end up curled next to him.

He shifts his head, and I turn to look at him. “Can you see okay?” It’s just the intro right now, but eventually, Cody will need to be able to see the screen comfortably.

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