Chapter 23 #2
“Hey, Juli. I didn’t get to say goodbye before we left.” A girl from the tour joins us in the hallway. She seems way less wasted than Juli, which gives me an idea.
“Hey, think you can help her out? Make sure she gets inside and to the toilet?” I’ve probably overstepped so many boundaries with my question, but I don’t have any other choice at this point.
Sure, this woman’s mostly a stranger, but isn’t this what women do?
Help each other out in the ladies’ room? That’s a thing, right?
“Sure. Got her covered.”
Wasting no time, she helps Juli through the open door, while I dart across the hall and swiftly take care of business. They’re still inside for a few minutes after I exit the men’s room. No out of the ordinary sounds emanate from the closed door in front of me, so I assume all is well.
After a handful of minutes, the door opens, the woman escorting Juli out, a worrisome look on her face. She all but pushes Juli into my arms. “All okay?”
“Um, yeah? Bye.” Her duties fulfilled, she races out of view.
Wondering what that’s all about, beyond helping a stranger use the bathroom in an inebriated state, I check in with Juli. She’s tucked into my side, her face buried in my armpit. “You okay?”
Her head shakes. “Need another shower.” Her jumbled words are barely comprehensible. And I have no clue what they mean.
“Okay. What about food? Still want to stop and grab something to offset the hangover you’re bound to have tomorrow?”
“I c-can’t. Need a shower.”
“Okay.”
Not needing to discuss this further in the hallway, I stagger our way out of the bar. I dig my phone out of my pocket to request a ride.
“How’s your stomach?” As much as I’m in no state to drive us home, I’d like to avoid a vomit charge on my account. I hear they can be hefty.
“Head hurts more.”
“Okay. We’ll be home soon.”
The ride back to the resort is uneventful.
Juli falls asleep shortly into the drive, her head in my lap.
My fingers thread through her blond locks she left down for our date, loving the way they slide through the silky strands.
She’s peaceful in her nap, and when we pull up to the building, almost impossible to wake up.
There’s some mention of “carry me,” and I oblige her.
Scooping her into my arms, her legs hang over, her arms drape around my neck, her head falling on my shoulder.
It’s only when we’re halfway to the door and she shifts in my arms, my fingers touching something sticky on her legs, do I realize the need for a shower.
Once inside, I lay her on a bed in the guest room. We don’t need our bed contaminated. She sprawls out on her back like a starfish, her hair fanning out around her head.
Forgetting the need to get her clean for a moment, I stare at her. Take in her beauty. Consider myself a lucky bastard to call her mine.
Even if that means I’m the one who has to clean up her messes.
Her flip-flops slide easily off her feet, and I gingerly unbutton her shorts. As my fingers reach for the zipper, the top half of her pops off the bed.
“There’s pee on my legs!” she shouts, forcing my hands to my ears.
I try to keep a straight face so she’s not more embarrassed. “Want to tell me how that happened?”
She worries her bottom lip into her mouth, the reality of what happened settling in, her cheeks pinking in humiliation. “I forgot to squat.” Her whispered words unleash something inside me, and I can’t hold back the laughter anymore.
“Oh, Jude. Only you.”
“It’s not funny.” She can’t get through the statement without giggling. “It’s gross.”
“It is, but still funny.” When she’s laughed out, shame settles in. “Hey, a little pee never hurt anyone before. It’s all good. But we should get you cleaned up and tucked into bed.”
“You don’t have to help. I’m a big girl. I can take a shower myself.” She stands up only to fall immediately back down onto the bed. “Or not.” She huffs, blowing her hair out of her face. “For the record, I’ve never done this before.”
I help her up, taking her shorts off, careful not to touch her legs. “Peed on yourself?”
She doesn’t answer right away. “Oh, shit. That’s actually not true. There was this one other time . . .” She slaps her forehead with her palm. “I blame tequila.”
“Poor tequila. It takes the heat for a lot of things.”
“I’d say never again, but that drink was damn good.” Her eyes close at the memory.
“Maybe it’s a once-a-year kinda thing. Saved for home use.”
Her eyes fly open. “That’s brilliant. You’re a genius.” She holds her hands up so I can take off her shirt. I don’t pretend not to brush the sides of her torso with my hands. “We can’t have sex.”
“What makes you think that’s my endgame?”
“All the touching.”
I blame the alcohol. “Just helping you. Like you asked.”
She’s momentarily confused. As if this is new information for her. “Okay. Fine. But no funny business, Came.”
“Scout’s honor.” I won’t lie and say it’s easy to ignore her naked body as she walks in front of me to the primary bathroom. “Do you need help turning the water on? Or washing yourself?”
“Prolly not. Be on standby in case.”
“Sure thing. That’s what I’m here for. Are you washing your hair?”
“Do I have pee in it?”
“I haven’t the slightest clue.”
Standing in front of the open glass door, she bows her head. “Smell it for me, would ya?”
Odd as it is, I do it. The floral scent does little to help me achieve my goal of not getting turned on. “You’re good.” Overcome with emotion, my tone is choked. “Call me if you need help. I’ll be in the bedroom.”
I turn to leave, but she grabs my arm. “I had a great time tonight. You’re an entertaining date.”
“Same, and you, too. Glad we’re giving this dating thing a try.” She nods, her lids growing heavy. “Don’t fall asleep in there.” I push her into the shower, turning it on so she doesn’t have to figure it out. She quickly ties her hair up on top of her head.
To be on the safe side, I put the lid of the toilet down and watch her. It takes a lot of willpower to sit and observe. Luckily, I don’t think she realizes I’m still here.
Juli makes quick work of washing her body. About three minutes in, I notice there aren’t any clean towels. Since she’s drunk, she might not care. Panic creeps in, not having a clue what to do. Until I get the brilliant idea to check the other bathroom.
Making sure she’s okay, I dart to the guest bathroom and spot an entire stack. Another reason to be thankful for the extra bedroom.
Back in our bathroom, she’s finishing. When she sees me return with the fresh towels, I’m greeted with an enormous grin. I swear I fall deeper.
At this point, I’m not sure what happens if this doesn’t work out.