Page 15 of Falling Slowly
“So?”
“She offered that as an alternative, so maybe it means thereisa bed up there. A sofa bed.”
“It didn’t look like one,” Charlie said, but followed me upstairs.
I opened cupboards along the wall and discovered pillows, blankets and sheets. “Bingo! It must be a sofa bed. Why else would they keep these here?”
It took us a few minutes to confirm that the couch was indeed hiding a bed, and a further ten minutes to figure out the mechanism. When the seat finally transformed into a full-sized bed, we both cheered.
I threw myself across it diagonally, spreading out. “So much space!” I moved my arms like angel wings and suddenly felt cool air brush against my stomach. My cropped tank top had ridden up to reveal a lot of skin. Oops. I should have covered up, but I didn’t want to back down. If I dropped my victorious grin and showed any embarrassment, I’d let him win.
“I can take this; you take the bed.” Charlie’s voice sounded a little thick, and it sent an unexpected tremor through my core.
I sat up, feeling the adrenaline mixing with exhaustion. “Nope. You had a problem with the couch being too small. Now there’s no more problem.” I stared at him, not blinking, my heart thumping away like it was trying to win a prize. I wasn’t sure why I felt so strongly about this. I was basically fighting for my own discomfort, but I couldn’t let it go. I couldn’t let go of this bullish feeling. This connection.
Charlie folded his arms, slight surprise and amusement playing on his lips as he tilted his head, staring back. There was something new between us, something almost equal. Exhilarating.
I’d never had the nerve to spar with Charlie. I laughed at his jokes for an appropriate amount of time, asked any question I had to ask, and scurried back to my desk before the burgeoning blush showed up on my face. I’d witnessed other women flirting with him with exaggerated laughs, arm touches and longing looks, but I’d never actually seen any of them talk back to him.
“The bed is still way more comfortable and it’s my duty to make sure you’re comfortable.”
“Or, what? You lose your membership to the 18thcentury gentlemen’s club?”
“Is that a real thing? I want to join.” His eyes sparkled, and I felt my nipples harden against the tank top, far too noticeable.
I tried to keep a straight face. “Look it up on Kickstarter. Someone may be selling a related gadget.”
“Like a shiny armor?”
“Exactly.”
“If it comes with a touchscreen or converts into something else or… folds inside a travel mug, I’ll probably buy it.”
“That’s a powerful addiction you have there.”
He shook his head, eyes comically wide. “You have no idea.”
I laughed, and a warm buzz brewed in the pit of my stomach. Charlie was staring at me with such focus, I felt like I was being recorded. Every feature on my face and body cataloged, every detail memorized for posterity. This sleepover was slipping into a dangerous territory.
Chapter Seven
Charlie
Ididn’t mind losing the sofa bed battle. Witnessing Bess drop the polite, distant act and bring out the sass, I knew I was, in fact, winning. She’d never been like this at the office, yet I’d always sensed she’d been hiding something. An edge. A wit. Like someone had painted over vibrant colors with beige, but hadn’t done a very thorough job.
I’d been right about her. If she had this much spunk, she’d have thoughts and ideas to share. She just needed to ditch that office persona and be herself.
I insisted on helping her make the bed with extra pillows and blankets to make sure she was comfortable and warm. When the bed was done, she picked up her phone. “I need to call my daughter before she goes to bed.”
“Sure.”
As I descended the stairs, I heard her on the phone, asking to hear every detail of Celia’s day. I held still, listening to her voice turn higher and softer. When I realized she’d dropped hervolume to almost a whisper, I went to brush my teeth to give her privacy. I ran the tap deliberately loud, hoping she’d feel comfortable to say whatever she wanted to say.
The annoying guy from the office is here and I have to share.
The annoying guy broke the wall in my cabin. I wish I could send him home but I’m a nice person, so I choose to sleep on the couch.
I was pretty sure she found me irritating. She hid it well and never said anything to that effect, but I could see it in her eyes. She never flirted with me, either. Until tonight, if you could indeed count our sofa bed argument as flirting.
