Page 21 of Push & Pull
A pleasurable chill shook Simone to her core. She didn’t care how lazy the kisses coming for her body were. She knew that Petra meant every one, and Simone would not forget who had covered her in kisses before the midnight hour struck.
It was the kind of thing that made showering later feel downright sinful – because it was a crime to wash Petra off, no matter how dirty Simone was or how knocked-out Petra was in the other room.
I’m always dirty.That’s why Simone stood beneath the showerhead for fifteen minutes, closing her eyes and simply breathing.
Chapter 8
Afterapplyingamodicumof concealer and freshening up her eyes so she still didn’t look so tired, Petra placed her toiletries into their sandwich bag and stepped out of the bathroom.
“…What do you mean, exactly?” Simone paced in front of the mussed bed, her thin off-the-shoulder sweater tantalizing Petra too damn early in the morning.Don’t stare at her.They had awakened at different times, Petra sneaking to the bathroom while Simone still slept. Beyond that, it was as simple as taking turns in the bathroom while dressing and packing. Their main interaction was Petra handing over her phone so Simone could call Hartsfield-Jackson and buy a ticket to Washington-Dulles. “There’s not a single flight I can get on today? What about a private plane? Can I charter that? I don’t have to… no, no.” Simone wiped something from her forehead. “I understand. I’m sorry for troubling you.” She hung up.
“So… no go?”
Simone handed Petra’s phone back to her. “Everything’s a mess at the airport. I guess there was a snowstorm somewhere and planes are turning back and clogging everything up. Nobody who doesn’t already have a ticket is getting out today, and all the private planes have been booked up because of it.”
“I see.” Petra pocketed her phone. “Wow. That sucks. Don’t you need to be in DC?”
“Tomorrow. I have a brunch.”
Oh, no, you can’t miss brunch!Had it been the day before, Petra would have outwardly laughed at that. “Raleigh to Washington? That’s four hours right there.” She had planned on going straight to Pennsylvania the following day, but Petra supposed it could wait. “We’d have to leave really early tomorrow. Earlier than today.”
“What makes you think you’re driving me to the capitol?” Simone zipped up her duffel bag and prepared the strap for carrying. “I’ll rent my own car and head there today.”
“Without access to a phone?”
“I can get a prepaid one for emergencies.”
“Uh-huh.” Petra shook her head. “Come with me to Raleigh tonight and I’ll take you to DC by your brunch tomorrow.”
Simone hesitated before tossing her own toiletries into a separate bag. “I can’t let you do that. You’ve done enough for me already.”
“What’s that even mean? Is there a limit to what I’m allowed to do for other people? We’re not strangers anymore. We’re…” After last night, Petra had to choose her words wisely. “Good acquaintances.”
“I still couldn’t…”
“I don’t have to be truly altruistic. Take some of that money you were going to put toward a flight and put gas in my tank. Buy us dinner tonight. Whatever.”
Simone’s grimace was either her swallowing bile over the thought or her remembering what happened the night before.Morning regrets. They happen.“It would be easier to get my own car.”
“Drive by yourself? Please. At least together we’ll have some company. Maybe I’ll let you choose the radio station sometimes. Ooh, maybe I’ll let you drive!”
Simone started to say something before tossing her hands to her side. “I guess. When do you have to be in Raleigh?”
“My meeting’s at eight tonight, so we have some time. Wanna grab breakfast before we have to check out?”
Simone massaged a crick in her neck. The way she lifted her arm only called attention to her bare shoulder. Petra swore she had left a hickey on it. “As long as it’s not waffles.”
Petra grinned back at her. “You pick the place. Also, you’re paying.”
“We split it last night…”
“Yeah, but that was Waffle House. Anything you pick is going to cost like three times as much, and I’m not made of cash.” For now. Petra had her ways of finding windfalls.
Traffic was slightly backed up on I-85 as they approached Charlotte. While they never came to a complete standstill – thank God – Petra was so focused on weaving in and out of lanes when a spot opened up that she wasn’t much one for conversation. Which suited Simone fine. The woman had been asleep in the passenger seat whenever she wasn’t attempting to read the book she had almost finished already.
Beautiful World, Where Are Youwas the title Petra had seen off and on those past two days, but she didn’t know anything about it. She vaguely recognized the author’s name. Sally Rooney was big talk among some of her friends, including Hailey, who had a collection of signed copies of Ms. Rooney’s work.Something about being the voice of Western Millennials.That had come straight from Hailey’s mouth before she placed her fancy cigarette holder in her mouth and stared at the Atlantic Ocean beyond her condo window.
Petra wasn’t a big reader. She couldn’t tell Hailey a single book Sally Rooney or any of the other literati of the present time had written. The last book she enjoyed was a raunchy romance that featured two young women getting into as many compromising positions as they could devise.I don’t think Simone is a big reader of raunchy romances…
