Page 9 of All at Once

Jasmine: Okay, sounds good!

After about 15 minutes of eagerly waiting in the lobby with a mixture of butterflies and nerves dancing around in my stomach, I receive another message from him:

Enrique: An emergency meeting just came up, and it’s going to take up the rest of the day for me. I’m so sorry. How does breakfast sound for tomorrow though?

My excitement crumbles reading this so quickly from the last message that he sent. Although not wanting him to sense it, I reply:

Jasmine: No worries! Breakfast sounds good

After a few minutes of waiting with still no response, I wonder what’s going on. I’m itching to ask where and what time we’ll be meeting in the morning, but I’m also trying not to come off as desperate.

I decide to go check-in. At least this will distract me for long enough, considering how every second feels like a year while waiting for a text back from your crush.

But as the concierge hands me my room information and key card, explaining how everything was already paid for, I walk back to my seat puzzled. Briefly forgetting about my disappointment over Enrique not being able to meet me today, I send him another message:

Jasmine: I think there was a mistake. The concierge said my room was covered, but I haven’t paid yet

Enrique: Oh don’t worry about it, it’s all taken care of

Jasmine: Enrique, I can’t accept that

Enrique: Why not? I mean, you came all the way here. It’s the least I could do

Jasmine: Are you sure?

Enrique: Of course

Jasmine: But I was thinking of staying for a few weeks?

Enrique: Stay as long as you’d like :)

Jasmine: Okay. But I’m paying for everything else like room service

Enrique: Well, technically room service is charged to your room, so anything other than that ;)

Jasmine: Anything that’s not related to the room then :)

Enrique: Okay. That seems fair

Jasmine: Thank you again. This is all very generous of you

Enrique: Don’t mention it. I hope you like your suite. I tried giving you the second-best view

Jasmine: Second-best?

Enrique: Since the first one is now here...

Jasmine: That was SO bad

Enrique: Really? Damn. I worked on it for the past three days

Jasmine: Nope. Sorry. It was still bad

Enrique: haha

Despite my response to him, I’m once again smiling down at my phone like an idiot, still not fully grasping that he’s flirting with me. While I’m now sitting in the lobby of his mesmerizingresort. But since he still hasn’t mentioned the details for tomorrow, I finally ask:

Jasmine: So where should I meet you tomorrow and what time?