Chandler
CHANDLER
T he plane ride is mostly quiet, apart from Sam's light snoring. Lucky for me, she fell asleep after the plane took off. I can't help but steal a glance every now and then to look at her as she sleeps. Her hair is in her face, her head drooping, and her mouth is open a little. I can't help but smile at the sound of it. She's cute when she sleeps. Quiet. It's nice. I’m sure her getting more sleep will be good for both of us. I don’t think either of us wants to deal with a sleep-deprived Sam. An elderly woman sitting in front of us turned to me and asked, "Is your girlfriend okay?" Girlfriend? I tried to stop myself from laughing, but a snort escaped before I could muffle it. The lady looked at me bewildered and shook her head before turning back into her seat. That's fucking laughable. I'm pretty sure the only way Sam and I would end up together is if we were the last humans on earth. When the plane lands, I look at Sam again, but she doesn't budge. A heavy sleeper, I guess.
“Sam," I say, and she opens her eyes, glaring right at me. "It's time to get off the plane. "
She sighs and stretches her arms in front of her before standing. I grab both of our bags from the overhead compartment, and we exit the plane.
By the time we get the rental car, I feel anxious.
While Sam was sleeping, I received a text from my sister, letting me know she wanted to meet Sam and me for dinner tomorrow night with Gramps. And, of course, she expects me to visit tonight, even though I don’t know if I’ll have time. Plus, I’m not sure how Sam would feel if I just left her alone to do whatever for a few hours. I’m sure she’d be fine. Hell, she would probably love it, but who knows what kind of trouble she’d get into? She’s on her phone, making that familiar face of concentration I’ve seen about a million times a day. Her teeth are on her bottom lip, and her eyes are scanning the screen of her phone.
“So, Ken said we have to share the rental car. Kind of ridiculous, but it’s all we could afford with the budget. Which I guess makes sense.”
“Wonder if he’ll make us share a room too," I say. Damn. My mouth is working faster than my brain today. Sam doesn't bat an eye at my remark.
“If we do, you get the bathtub.”
I shake my head. “I always knew you were into selling kidneys on the black market.”
“It’s more of a hobby," she says with a casual shrug, and I hold back a laugh. Always so witty.
The rental car is a white sedan with black seats and smells like mothballs and Mountain Dew.
“They should really consider getting one of those air fresheners," I mention.
“Who even uses fresheners anymore?”
“I do. At least I did when I first got my car.”
“Oh yes, your impractical red Lamborghini. Let me rephrase. What normal person in this day and age uses car fresheners?”
I roll my eyes and start the car. “It’s a Maserati, and it's completely practical.”
“I’m sure you think that because it is completely your own thought and not at all anything to do with the fact you were probably made in a lab.”
She really needs to come up with some new jokes.
“Anyway, do you need me to navigate?” She asks.
“Nope.”
I haven't told her that my family lives about 45 minutes outside of Raleigh in the small town of Water Cape. I also don’t plan on mentioning the possibility of dinner with my family until tomorrow. The hotel is only about 15 minutes from the airport, and while Sam checks in under the business, my phone vibrates in my pocket. I cringe when I see my sister’s name on the caller ID and put it to voicemail. I’ll call her back later. Right now, we need to get ready for our meeting that’s happening in a few hours. We don’t say a word to each other on the way to the elevator, and Sam presses the button for floor number 7 to take us to the top floor.
“Here’s your room key," she says and hands it to me. “I’m in the room next door.”
“Okay," I say.
I side-glance at her. She looked cute in her sweatpants and t-shirt, something I didn’t fail to notice when she walked up to me in the airport, looking like a zombie. It’s definitely not what I’m used to seeing her wear. I’ve been noticing a lot about her since that moment in my car, the moment we almost kissed. And neither of us has mentioned it one time since then. I’m not sure if not talking about it is a conscious choice or not, but I’ve felt the urge to mention it since it happened. And now we’re alone in a different state together for 5 days. I wonder if she’s thinking the same thing. I catch her glancing at me out of the corner of my eye, but when I turn to look at her, she quickly looks away.
“Something wrong?” I ask.
She purses her lips. “Nope.”
I pick up my bag when the elevator doors open, but just as I’m about to exit, Sam tries to walk out at the same time. We almost bump into each other, and we’re so close that our noses are almost touching. I swear I hear her gasp, and I drop my bag. We both stand still and remain quiet. I can feel my heart rate quicken from her being so close. She smells good, like vanilla and lavender. She licks her lips, and I watch as her tongue glides over them. Fuck. She’s not wearing any lipstick, but I’m sure that will change once she gets dolled up for our meeting. Her hair is tied back, away from her face. She looks good. Beautiful. And we will be here for five freaking days.
“You go first," I finally say. She looks away from me and down at her suitcase before looking back up at me and nodding slowly. She picks up her bag without breaking eye contact, and I swallow the lump in my throat. I take a moment after she leaves the elevator, watching as she rolls it behind her. I take a breath before picking up my bag and following her. This is going to be a very interesting few days. When we get to our neighboring rooms, we look at each other briefly before we unlock our doors, but before I can shut mine, Sam says, “Let’s meet in the cafe downstairs to go over a few things before our meeting. 30 minutes?”
“Can you be ready in 30 minutes?” I ask.
Her eyes narrow. “I’ll see you downstairs.”
“Not if I see you first.”
“Not if I see you first," she mimics in a high-pitched voice.
I look at her deadpan. “Very mature. ”
She turns to her own door while I swipe my key and enter my room, closing the door behind me. I turn around and lean back against the door. I should start getting ready to meet with our new clients at their shop. I just hope this goes well because I’m not sure how I’ll manage to get through being alone with Sam for the next few days.