Page 64 of The Woman in 3B
“Not live-in-the-same-neighborhood, have weekend barbeques close. My parents retired to Florida, but my sister and her husband live a little north of me in Bloomfield Hills. She’s a mom—two kids. I try to go to ballet recitals and swim meets when I can, but it’s not as often as I’d like.”
“Cute,” she mused. “I like being the Cool Aunt. I don’t know if I’d want kids of my own. Honestly, I’m probably too selfish to be a mom. I’m pretty set in my ways to prioritize anyone over myself even if they popped out of my own body.”
“That’s quite the visual,” I chuckled.
“You’re welcome,” she smiled. She scanned the bedroom once more. “It’s a nice room,” she decided.
“I’m glad it meets your approval.”
I reached for her wrist and she accepted the nonverbal cue to climb onto the bed next to me. We laid on the mattress, bodies parallel to each other, and stared at the ceiling. I folded my hands under my head like a pillow. We were both quiet, listening to the sounds of traffic and sirens outside.
“How many others have you let into your sanctuary?” she wondered aloud.
“Nobody,” came my honest reply.
Anissa rolled onto her side and arched a dark eyebrow at me. “Not even Lara?”
I couldn’t help my smirk at her tiny admission of jealousy. “No. Not even Lara. I really don’t have people over.”
“How come I got to?” she questioned.
“Because you asked.”
Her eyes slightly narrowed as she regarded me. “Are you always so straightforward with everyone? I feel like you’ve never lied a day in your life.”
“I’ve lied to you,” I said evenly.
Her voice pitched up. “Oh, really?”
She pulled away, putting distance between us, and I instantly missed the press of her body against mine.
“That night in Philadelphia,” I started. “When we were stranded, and you wanted to, uh…”
“Fuck,” she finished the sentence for me.
I could feel my cheeks grow warm at the expletive. “Yeah. I, uh, I wasn’t really on my period.”
Her lips thinned in a smug smile. “I didn’t think so. But it was a clever cover story.” She made an amused humming sound. “I thought you were this shy, awkward, little thing—but then you showed up at my house unannounced, and I had to reassess my assumptions about you.”
“Oh, you’re not wrong. I’m pretty shy, and I’m most definitely awkward,” I said with feeling.
“You practically threw a glass of water down your shirt the first time we met,” she laughed. “I have no idea how you managed that. The plane hadn’t even taken off yet!”
I chewed on my lower lip. I was tempted to tell her about the bingo card, but I wasn’t sure what she’d think about it. Were we creative to pass our time that way, or was the contest immature and cruel? I couldn’t make up my mind.
“Although if it was a ploy to get my attention,” Anissa continued, “then you succeeded. Nothing like a wet t-shirt contest to get a girl interested.”
“Yeah, you figured me out,” I snorted. “That was my master plan all along.”
Anissa wiggled back to her original position and even a little closer so our shoulders knocked together. Her body naturally curled against mine. It felt so right, it made my chest seize.
“Did I just find your vibrator?”
I blinked, not understanding. “Huh?”
“I think someone’s texting you,” she noted. “I feel you buzzing.”
“Oh. Right. Sorry.”
