I stifle a laugh – apparently women don’t like being laughed at either, even when they’re being unintentionally cute.
‘Hey, Nick, let’s get gelato after this.’
Definitely not her first spritz and this time, I can’t stop myself from laughing.
6
DELANEY
‘Oof,’ I groan, climbing the stairs to our suite. I love gelato, but it does not love me and my stomach is blowing up like a balloon.
‘You all right?’ Nick asks from behind me, but I’m not about to admit to being gassy – especially with him in the firing line.
‘Uh-huh. Long day.’
‘Ah.’
At least that’s true. I left LA a day and a half ago and all I want is to climb into bed and sleep for a thousand years. Or until the ash cloud disperses.
Nick jogs around me to open the door – unlike me, he kept hold of his key – and we go inside. The lights have been turned on, casting a warm glow, and the roll-away bed has been delivered.
‘Oh, good, they brought it,’ I say.
I sink onto the sofa next to the pile of linens they’ve left, swallowing a yawn while Nick investigates the bed. He unlatches the mechanism that keeps it folded and it springs open, launching a cloud of dust into the air.
‘Or not so good,’ I say, getting up and going over.
‘Mmm.’
I stand next to him and we stare down at the bed. ‘I bet Nixon was president when this was new.’
‘Thatrecent?’ he asks, looking at me. ‘I was going to say Roosevelt.’
‘Which one?’
‘Teddy.’
‘Ha-ha-ha!’ I laugh, backhanding him in the arm. ‘You’re a funny guy, you know that?’
‘Thank you, but maybe you could stop hitting me? That’s twice now.’
He’s clearly kidding, but I’ll play along. ‘I pack too much of a wallop for you, big guy?’ I ask with a thoughtful nod. ‘You can’t take the heat?’
‘Oh, I can take the heat,believeme.’
His eyes hold mine, the words lingering in the air, charging the atmosphere. At face value, it was a simple retort, but thoseeyes. It’s as if they can see straight through me. It’s also the first time I’ve noticed the colour – brown with golden flecks. I tear mine from his and stare at the bed again.
‘You can’t sleep on this,’ I say. ‘You might catch something.’
‘Like bedbugs?’
‘Like the plague.’
Nick’s bellowing laugh echoes through the suite, and I give myself a pat on the back.
‘You’re a funny gal, you know that?’ he asks, nudging me with his shoulder.
I do know that – or Idid.