Page 25 of Holidate Fail
Was it her imagination, or did Kelly’s step falter before he unlocked the door to his room and stepped inside?
She should have been thrilled that Heath was paying attention to her, since he was good looking and sweet, and supposed to be her Holidate.
But he wasn’t Kelly.
“Sure. Sounds like fun.” What she wouldn’t give for lipstick and a brush right now. And a breath mint.
Heath followed her to her room. “You know, I didn’t think you’d be this nice.”
“You thought I was mean based on our texts and phone conversations?” She unlocked the door and flipped on the light.
“No, I mean, you seemed nice. And I was happy that you agreed to be my Holidate. I thought it was some façade or something.”
She bit her lip to keep from denying it. She had been playing a role, but as the day progressed, she only put it on when she needed the extra encouragement. Even though she had practiced being the new her, it was exhausting.
And damn, looking around the room now, she realized she should have kept the light off. The beside lamps would have offered a softer glow, more like moonlight, instead of the bright sunny glare of the larger light. “Well, come on in. My bed is…”
“Oh, you guys have two beds? Nice. Ours has only one.” Heath didn’t wait for her to finish, just sat on the bed near the door and took off his shoes. He propped the pillows by the headboard.
“Actually, I’m over here.”
“Oh.” Heath looked around. “Well, Lacole isn’t here. Do you think she’d mind?”
“I think you should come here.” Dahlia would hate it if someone she’d known for only one day spoke for her. Wait, unless he thought she was coming on to him? Maybe he wanted the separation, get to know her better before getting into bed together, even fully clothed, just to watch a movie. “I can sit in the chair.”
Lacole solved the problem by coming into the room. A twinge of disappointment tingled Dahlia’s tummy, but it was followed by a sense of relief. There was less pressure with Lacole there.
Heath moved to get off her bed, but Lacole waved him away. “It’s cool, as long as you don’t mind sharing.”
“Yeah?” He cocked his head at Dahlia.
She waved him off, but her mind raced faster than a hummingbird’s wings. What did he think she was going to do? Say you have to share my bed because she saw him first? Was calling me nice a code word for thinking of me as a sister?
Old Dahlia would have been upset. New Dahlia was thinking about the man in the next room. And besides, she preferred having the bed to herself.
She fumbled with the remote and finally settled on a funny buddy movie without a hint of romance. Lacole took a silk wrap out of her purse and made it into a triangle.
“Am I the only one who doesn’t bring supplies with me in case of emergency?” Dahlia asked.
Heath waved his hand and finger-combed his hair. “I’ve got all I need right here.”
“My hair and I like to be prepared. And it thanks me for it each morning.” Lacole crossed the ends behind her head and tied the ends on top.
“You got toothpaste in there, too?” Dahlia asked
“Sorry, no.” Lacole settled in her bed, next to Dahlia’s Holidate.
“It’s really bright in here,” Lacole said after the movie’s opening credits. She rolled off the bed and moved to the entryway. “Anyone mind if I switch off the light?”
Since she had already gotten up, Dahlia just nodded.
The bobby pins that had held the wayward strands of her braids poked into her skull as she adjusted her position against the headboard. Dahlia removed the elastic band and unwound the strands of her long braid, pulling out any pins and flowers that she came across. Soon she had a nice collection on the nightstand. And where was Kelly through all of this? Probably enjoying time to himself. She sighed.
The movie was funny, and Dahlia relaxed enough to enjoy the crazy shenanigans when they weren’t happening to her. Her eyes drooped. More often than not, she’d suddenly realize she lost a few minutes of the movie. She shifted to get under her quilted cover.
And then she heard it.
At first she thought she was mistaken, but she tuned out the actors’ drawling dialogue and the overdone sound effects and focused. There it was again. The soft, whispered sound of a kiss.
