Chapter 16
Sixteen
Taylor
The flight was decent. Eloise fell asleep for a little bit, and I watched the first half of five different movies before trying to nap for the latter half of the five-hour flight.
It didn’t work, and my caffeine fix didn’t make me sleepy like it sometimes does, so when I shook her awake and deplaned, we were sufficiently groggy.
There’s something intimate about watching Eloise rub the sleep from her eyes as we walked off and into the arrivals area. Something that made my heart just stop for a moment. The rosy cheeks, the creases from her hood, and her sleepy smile as she was waking up make her look good.
Just good.
Nothing else.
I sneak a peek at her in the backseat of the car that’s taking us to the hotel. She’s barely awake still, her hair hidden underneath her hood; each time we drive under a street light, she glows.
She’s a friend. Or she will be. We’re working toward it.
This trip will make us friends, I’m sure of it.
“Do you want to shower when we get to the room or go straight to bed?” I ask, trying to clear my throat subtly. She shifts her head, turning to look at me over with a smile and a small shake of her head.
“Bed. We can shower in the morning if that’s okay?”
My body goes hot at the suggestion. “Yeah, separately of course.”
She snorts. “Sorry, I think my brain is a little foggy. But yeah, of course, separately.”
The driver’s eye catches mine in the review mirror. “You know, because we’re such good friends.”
He raises an eyebrow but returns his eyes to the road, and I hear Eloise snort in her spot beside me. “Yeah, that’s true, too.”
I feel like I need to melt into the seat of the car.
There’s soft music playing in the background that is lulling us into a sense of security before we’re deposited outside of the hotel.
“I’ll check us in,” I say to her. She nods, blearily blinking.
“I didn’t think that you’d be so sleepy with the time change?
You should be wide awake; it’s only like 9 back home. ”
She shudders. “I don’t like waking up halfway through my sleep,” she says through a yawn, which makes me yawn in turn. “Once I’m sleeping, I like to sleep through the night.” She grabs our bags. I follow her in, blinking at the harsh light in the lobby and smiling at the receptionist.
“Hey, the room should be under Matthews and Harper,” I say, handing over my phone with the texted confirmation code that Fallon sent us. The woman, pretty and tall, nods. I try not to let my eyes look at the way her hips fill the pants she’s wearing.
It’s not the same as Eloise.
When I look up, I realize she’s staring at me expectantly. “Sorry, could you repeat that?”
“I just need your card for a hold. It’ll reverse at the end of your stay.”
“Yeah, of course. Here,” I scramble for it, handing it over and listening to Eloise sigh heavily. She starts leaning on the counter, crowding us, and I try to ignore the way she smells.
Her standard perfume gives off the freshness of cedar notes that makes my stomach twist.
“Here are your keys,” the receptionist says, “You’re in room 1209. That’s the twelfth floor. The elevator’s just to the side. We’ve got a breakfast buffet from 6 to 9 that’s included with your room.”
I give her a smile, but it feels fake.
It is fake.
I think I’m starting to catch Eloise’s fatigue.
“Thanks,” Eloise says, grabbing the keys. “Have a good night.”
The receptionist waves, and I swear she’s giving me a dirty look, but I don’t know what for.
The click from the door is the sound of sweet relief as Eloise pulls back. Swinging the heavy door open, we shove our bags in. I run into Eloise’s back, but she doesn’t snap at me in return.
She grunts instead, and I nudge her. “Come on, El, let me in. I want to get ready for—” My brain goes blank.
It’s a singular bed.
Oh.
“Oh,” she echoes my thoughts.
“I... well,” I say, stumbling through my words. “I’ll go back down and–”
“We can call from here,” she grumbles, although she looks wide awake right now. “I know you’re not comfortable–”
I shake my head. “No, I am.”
She releases a snort that seems derisive, and I hold back whatever retort I wanted to spit her way. It’s late, and if I say something nasty, it’ll spill over into tomorrow, and that would be tough for everyone involved. “Let me call.”
“Fine, but I’m going to get changed as you do,” she says.
“Fine.”
I watch her roughly place her suitcase on the spare office chair and unzip it. There are flashes of bright colours and lace, and I look away quickly, my cheeks heating up. Picking up the phone, I dial and wait for the receptionist to pick up.
“Front desk.”
“Hey, I’m sorry for calling so late, but my coworker and I just checked in, and there’s only one bed, not two.”
There’s the sound of gum chewing. “We’re out of rooms.”
“But we booked a double?” I ask.
She sighs. “No, it was a king. The confirmation says so.”
“You didn’t mention it to us,” I growl, pinching the bridge of my nose.
“I’m sure I did, and even if I didn’t, it’s on your confirmation,” she insists. “We’re also fully booked tonight, so if you can survive it tonight, we can see if there’s a second room available for tomorrow.”
“Yeah, that’d be great. Thanks.”
Eloise has shown back up in soft-looking black sleep shorts and an oversized band tee. She taps my hip expectantly, impatiently.
“Have a good night,” the receptionist says, and I growl, placing the phone with a bit more force than intended.
“What’d she say?”
“They’re fully booked, also apparently Fallon booked us a king? I’m not sure, but when I see that blue-haired weasel again, I’m going to—”
“You think xe planned it?”
I nod. "You don’t know Fallon well enough yet, but xe live for chaos."
Eloise snorts. “Well, alright then, what do you want to do about the single bed?”
“I can sleep on the floor.”
“You’re not sleeping on the floor,” she says exasperatedly. “We can make a pillow line, then you don’t have to worry about catching Harper cooties.”
I roll my eyes. “Fine. I’m going to get changed and then lights out. We’ve got an early day tomorrow.”
“Don’t remind me,” she says through another yawn. “Did I mention that we’re going out with Kenz tomorrow night?”
“We are?” I shout from the bathroom. “You want me with you guys?”
“She may ask about Frank,” she says, and I scowl. “But it’s all good intentions. She wants us back in the saddle.”
The idea that Eloise is going to find someone here makes something prick at the back of my throat. I clear it, pushing down whatever the feeling is. There’s no feeling. Of course not. I wouldn’t have any need to feel something other than happy for a friend getting over their ex.
I would feel the same way if it was Brynn.
When I make my way back into the room, there’s a pillow wall in the centre of the bed, and Eloise is on the farthest side. She looks ridiculously cozy under the covers. “Thanks for the great wall of pillows,” I whisper, settling in beside her.
“Happy to help,” she whispers back and turns off the light as I get cozy. As soon as my head hits the pillow, I’m out for the count.