Chapter Thirty-Six
thirty-six
Lanie
“I think you’re luminous standing there.”
Ridley came up behind Lanie. She stood at the wide window of his hotel room with views of Broadway and the rest of SoHo below. The hotel, a cute boutique-style place on Spring Street, overlooked the shopping thoroughfare. Today though, it was empty of its usual crush of shoppers—because of course, it was Christmas Day.
Ridley had just gotten out of the shower and was slick with water. Still, he wrapped his arms around her for a moment and whispered huskily in her ear. He gave the globes of her breasts an appreciative massage that made her eyes close involuntarily. Briefly, Lanie forgot her unease and let her head fall back against his shoulder. Her problems with her mother were suddenly far away as Ridley kissed the crook of her neck. She nearly moaned.
Catching herself, Lanie slipped from his embrace and hooked the back of her bra together before turning to face him. “You have a plane to catch.”
He nodded and moved to his suitcase propped open on the hotel luggage rack, wearing only a towel slung low across his hips. Inexplicably, Lanie turned away modestly when he stripped the towel off and threw it onto the bed to get dressed.
She gave a deep sigh. “This is going to sound argumentative and that’s not my intention, but you don’t have to say that.”
“What? That I think you’re radiant?”
Lanie’s lips went tight across her mouth as she pulled her shirt over her head, struggling not to roll her eyes.
It wasn’t Ridley’s fault she didn’t believe him. As much as Lanie didn’t want to acknowledge it, she knew this was it. This was the point when she discovered what kind of relationship she was in with Ridley and where it had always been headed. This was the point where it would all begin to end. Like it always did. Historically, after the mind-blowing sex, she and/or her partner would inevitably begin to drift apart. The clock started now.
This was when phone calls would cease entirely and texts slowed in frequency. Then it would begin to take longer and longer just to get a response. Plans to hang out, maybe even do the sex thing again, would encounter unexpectedly busy schedules and unforeseen conflicts. All of which conspired, blamelessly of course, to turn a budding relationship into a casual hookup. Then eventually there would be the mutual understanding that while this had been fun... blah, blah, blah , fill-in-the-blank reasons. Done.
Ridley, to his credit, even had better excuses than most:
Work schedule very demanding? Sure. I get it.
Not over his deceased wife? Highly plausible.
In the middle of a pitched custody battle? Totally understandable.
Or by far the best one yet: You live in different countries, Lanie!
Her heart ached with dread. Dammit.
This was entirely self-inflicted. Why had she done this to herself? She hadn’t needed to take Ridley’s card. She certainly didn’t need to call him that first time. God knew, she shouldn’t have accepted that first dinner invitation. And what was she even thinking sleeping with him? Goddamn it, why did I get involved with this man at all? Her mother was right. Of course she was. She had the requisite experience. The idea of that was sickening.
Lanie brushed past him to get into the bathroom. Inside, she splashed water on her face.
“Lanie?”
She braced her hands on the sink, the cold water running down her face, dripping onto her shirt.
“You okay?” Ridley stood in the doorway a few minutes later, completely dressed. Even his coat and scarf were on.
This is it.
“Yeah.” She nodded, smile faltering. She glanced at herself in the mirror. She didn’t look like someone who was about to be told, It’s been fun , and then absolutely fall apart on the D train home. Good.
“Did you hear me?”
She shook her head, dabbing her face with a hand towel.
“I said, if you’re allowed a plus-one, maybe I can go with you to your cousin Gem’s wedding?”
Lanie drew in a breath but otherwise didn’t move. “What?”
“You’ve been incredibly game with the whole thing. But I figure it might be nice to have a little backup.”
Lanie blinked. “Ah, okay.”
“Okay? Great. Text me the date so I can make sure Therese keeps the day open on my calendar.” He checked his watch. “Shit, shit, shit. I don’t really need to be at JFK two hours early, do I?”
“During Christmas?”
“Crap, good point. I didn’t mean to leave you here. But I have to run. There’s nothing to do here. I’ll give them the key, just close the door behind you.”
“Okay.” Lanie nodded, watching Ridley frantically circle the room to make sure he didn’t leave anything. “Don’t worry, I’ll check to make sure we got everything. Just go.” She meant it. Sure, he was “making plans” for something two months away, but in the postsex glow they all did.
Yes, just go.
He exhaled, walking up to her. Then smiled. Another big one, dimpled. His kiss was tender but filled with unsaid things. A surprising to-be-continued. Lanie puzzled at it as his mouth left hers.
“It’s pretty packed, but I’ll send you my schedule for January,” he said against her lips.
She nodded, unable to speak. January?
“Talk soon.”