“Problem?”
“Nope,” I said, avoiding eye contact. I was irritated, but I didn’t want to fight with him. Despite how swollen his ankle was, he was being a good sport, insisting on getting things for himself, and he even paid the check at lunch despite my protests. He said it was the least he could do for me coming back the night before to get him his pill on time. He was being…nice. Like really nice, and I wanted to maintain the truce. As much as I hated to admit it, I was starting to enjoy his company…until rap was blaring from his ears and filling the small room.
“Lyra.” He tilted his head to the side, pulling one bud from his ear.
“It’s just a little loud. I’m having trouble concentrating. I think I’ve read this same sentence about six times.”
“It wouldn’t be the end of the world if you put your book down every once in a while.” He pursed his lips.
“And what is that supposed to mean?”
He looked puzzled. “For real?”
“Yeah.”
His mouth pulled into a sour grin. “C’mon, Bookworm, there’s more to life than reading the same books from the 1800s.”
“What is your problem with Jane Austen? You’re, like, obsessed with the fact that I love her.”
Dev leaned forward, pressing his hands into the chair. “I’m obsessed? I’m obsessed?”
“Okay, fine, whatever. I like what I like. And to me, there’s something comforting in reading the same words, the same stories, knowing how it’s all going to end.”
“Wow,” he said, easing back into his seat. Now it was my turn to lean forward, unsure of what that word meant.
“What?”
“You’re what, thirty years old? Shouldn’t a hot, single thirty-year-old crave adventure instead of comfort?”
I shifted in my seat, wondering if he was right about me. I was regimented, yes. I liked routines, reading the same books, listening to the same playlists. That didn’t mean I was boring, did it?
“Look, just because I read doesn’t mean I don’t like adventures. I’m adventurous. I’m spontaneous.”
“Name something you’ve done recently.”
With a salty laugh, I sneered at him. “Skiing.”
He closed his eyes and laughed under his breath, tapping his chest with his hand. “I deserved that, didn’t I?”
“Little bit,” I said, chuckling.
And then it happened. The lights, the television, everything went dark. We lost power.
“What the fuck?” Dev said, pulling the other bud from his ear and tossing them to the side.
“I think the power went out.” I said, jumping to my feet and pulling back the curtains to shed some natural light on the room. “It’s not even snowing anymore. This is crazy.”
“How does a hotel lose power? Is that even a thing?”
I shrugged. “Apparently so.”
“Maybe it’ll come back on soon. Sun hasn’t gone down yet.”
“But when it does…” My words trailed off as I glanced around the room, knowing we’d be sitting in silence with dead phones.
“How much battery do you have?” I asked, looking at the phone on his lap.
“Eighty percent.”
“That’s good. Call the front desk.”
“I don’t know the number.”
I let out a sardonic laugh. “Google it. It’s not rocket science.”
Dev narrowed his eyes. “Hey! Truce.”
“Fine, sorry,” I said, plopping myself back on the couch, pulling my knees up and wrapping my arms around them.
“I’m on hold.”
“I’m sure everyone’s calling right now. Maybe I should just go down there.”
“Only if you want to. Obviously, I’m not volunteering.” He pointed at his foot and ran his hand through his silky black hair, a flashy grin on his handsome face.
He really is so gorgeous…but then again, his looks were never the problem, were they?
“Okay,” I said, hopping back off the couch and grabbing my key card from the kitchen counter. As much as I hated to admit it, I could use a little distance from Nice Dev. He was making me feel all kinds of disarmed.
“I’ll be back in a bit,” I said, not making eye contact as I grabbed the door.
“Be safe,” he called after me. The door closed behind me and I leaned into the door, sighing with relief.
It’s just Dev, Lyra. You hate him, remember?
But I wasn’t so sure…not anymore.
Emergency lights cast a glow in the otherwise darkened hallway as I made my way to the stairwell, wishing that sexy grin hadn’t affected me so much. In a daze, I didn’t look behind me as I pushed on the heavy metal door to the stairwell.
“Hold the door please,” a familiar voice said right behind me.
“Oh, Sam, hey.” I smiled at the petite blond as I held it open for her. “Sorry, I was spacing out.”
Good. I can use the distraction.
She waved me away. “No worries.”
“How crazy is this?”
Her eyes were wide as she shook her head. “Seriously. Leo and I have stayed in hundreds of hotels and this has never happened. Not once.”
“Hopefully it won’t last long,” I said as we started our trek down the stairs. “Kinda wishing we weren’t on the top floor right about now.”
“Tell me about it.” Sam laughed.
When we reached the lobby, we found ourselves in a line that looped around the entire perimeter. “Holy hell.”
“We’re gonna be here awhile,” I said with a sigh. “So, Leo never got in, huh?”
“No.” She pressed her lips together in a thin line and shook her head. “I’ll be ringing in the new year alone. What about your friends?”
“Same. And my friend, Dev, he got hurt skiing, so it should be oh-so-exciting. If it’s any sign of what this next year has in store, I’m not impressed.”
“Seriously,” Sam said as the line slowly moved, and we moved right along with it.
“Looks like they’re handing out flashlights,” I said, watching as several hotel employees placed large boxes of flashlights on the desk and two others handed them out to guests while fielding questions. One guest in particular was screaming at the poor concierge about how much money he’d spent on his vacation only to be left quite literally in the dark.
“Poor guy.”
“Yeah, I don’t envy him right now.” Sam grimaced. “But, I mean, it’s not like he went to the basement and pulled the power. That guy needs to calm down. Shit happens.”
“I used to work in retail. People are assholes sometimes,” I said, watching the guest who was flailing his arms, demanding a refund as other guests simply took their flashlights and waited patiently to ask their questions.
Mr. Refund was still grilling the concierge when it was our turn to get our flashlights.
“I should’ve listened to your Yelp reviews!” he shouted, looking around the lobby. “But believe me, I’ll be writing one of my own. You guys need to get your shit figured out!”
I couldn’t take it anymore; I had to intervene. “Power outages happen, sir. It’s not his fault; stop shooting the messenger.”
“Stay out of this,” he scoffed at me.
“Sir, please don’t speak to our guests that way,” the concierge said, offering me a weak but appreciative smile. “We’re doing everything we can to restore power.”
“Just take your flashlight like everybody else, dude,” I said as I grabbed two for the room and walked with Sam back to the stairwell.
“You are so much nicer than I am,” Sam said with a laugh, and I shrugged.
“Retail,” I said, shaking my head as I thought back to dozens of rude customers. “He was a jackass, no doubt, but my God, I’ve dealt with some major pieces of work. He’s harmless.”
Together, we climbed the stairwell and said our goodbyes when we reached the top floor. Flashlights in hand, I returned to the room, stopping to take a deep breath before unlocking t
he door. I was able to avoid thoughts of Dev, thanks to Sam and Mr. Refund, but I knew I was walking back into a room of indecision and new feelings.
And he was taken…by the woman he wanted to marry.
He’s just a flirt, Lyra.
And besides, according to Craig, Dev wasn’t the loyal type. And I had no time for cheaters. If he attempted to take things further than friendship, it would be a major red flag and a gigantic turnoff for me. The previous year, I’d dated a separated man, and even that made me uncomfortable. I would not enable a cheater. Never.
With a final deep breath, I inserted the key and walked into a room filled with the warm glow of candles. My breath hitched as I looked around the suite. With a boyish grin, Dev stood, leaning on his crutches and looking like the cat who ate the damn canary.
“I found your candles.”
“You went through my stuff?” As romantic as the room looked, I knew I’d only put two of my candles in the living area…and there were five lit around the room. He’d gone into my room to get the others. And that was unacceptable.
“It was an emergency, right? Don’t be pissed. I knew you brought a bunch, so I peeked into your room. They were sitting right on top of your suitcase. I didn’t touch anything else, I swear.”
“You couldn’t just wait? I was gone for what? Twenty minutes?”
“Forty-five. Not that I was keeping track.” He glanced away for just a second, looking embarrassed. His voice lowered. “I just wanted to surprise you.”
Normally I would blow up at him, slam the door, and probably not speak to him for the rest of the evening, but something had changed. Our dynamic was different and, for the first time, I was seeing him in a different light. I was seeing his intentions instead of the end result. I was invested in his motives, his purpose.
And for the first time when it came to Dev Modi, I wanted to let things go. It was unnerving, to say the least. My chest tightened, and I could feel heat radiating from my face.
Get your shit together, Lyra. It’s just Dev.
“So are we cool?” Dev asked, raising his eyebrows, looking so boyish in that moment.
Ignoring his question, I pointed at his crutches, “You should get off your feet. I’ll get you an ice pack.”
He lit up, his mouth stretching into a wide smile. “Got it, boss!”
“Ugh, stop calling me that. I’m just telling you for your own good.” I walked to the freezer to grab an ice pack and brought it to him at the armchair. “Front desk gave us flashlights.”
“Cool. Hey, did you know this hotel gets power outages all the time? I was looking on Yelp; they’ve got some real shit reviews. Maren should’ve paid better attention before booking the place.”
“Did you say Yelp?” I asked with an acerbic laugh, remembering Mr. Refund and wondering if he had the time to get back upstairs and leave a review.
“Yeah, why? What, are you too cool for Yelp?”
“No, that’s not it. There was this guy downstairs raising hell. It’s no big deal.” I turned and noticed a stack of board games on the coffee table.
“What’s all this?”
“Didn’t you ever play games with your family when the power went out?”
“Um…” I said with a lopsided grin, remembering a couple of times our family had played the game of Life by candlelight during power outages. “Once or twice, I guess. Board games weren’t really our thing. Now, card games—that’s another story.”
“We lived in unincorporated, and our power went out all the time. I mean constantly. And the city was in no rush to fix it, so our family played board games by candlelight. I just assumed everyone did it.”
“Sure, but that doesn’t really explain why you brought them here. I mean, were you expecting a power outage or something?”
He couldn’t have planned this, could he? Oh my God, Lyra, get a fucking grip! He’s not a supervillain; he’s just Dev.
“I just like board games…and I figured with all of us here for four days there would be some time when everyone was bored.”
I sat on the couch and studied the boxes in front of me. “Cards Against Humanity…”
“Naturally,” he said with a boyish grin.
“I know it’s your favorite, but with two people? How would anyone win?”
“That’s what this is for,” he said, grabbing a bottle of Tito’s from behind the boxes. “After a few shots, who cares!”
“Monopoly…boring.”
“Boring? Are you crazy, woman? You’re just not playing right.”
I offered a condescending smile as I replied. “How do you play it wrong, exactly?”
“Easy. Let me ask you something.”
“I’m riveted.”
“Shush,” he said, waving me off. “When you play, do you put $500 in the pot and give it to the person who lands on Free Parking?”
“Yeah.”
He leaned forward, looking even more serious and determined. “Okay, but let me ask you this. Do you put everything in the pot—all the fines, all the chance card bullshit, all of it? Does it go in the pot?”
“Um…no.”
“Exactly. You’re playing wrong. Play it my way, baby girl, and you’ll be hooked.”
My eyes widened, shocked that anyone over the age of thirteen could be this intense about Monopoly. No one could ever accuse Dev of being monotone or boring. No matter what he talked about, he was animated and passionate…and I was starting to appreciate that quality in him.
“Wow, okay,” I conceded, “let’s see what else you brought.”
“You’re missing out, I’m telling you. It all goes in the pot!”
“Oh, I’m sure I am,” I said, rolling my eyes and trying not to laugh at him. “What is this?”
I grabbed the box, in shock that Dev would own such a thing.
“Oh yeah, that game is badass.”
“Unstable Unicorns?”
“Haven’t you ever played Exploding Kittens?”
“Um, no… Exploding what?”
“Kittens. Anyway, this is similar to that, only it’s way better, more intense. Let’s play!”
I studied the box and removed a sample card from the deck. “There’s nothing but cards in here.”
“Yeah, I know.”
“Stabby the Unicorn? Majestic Flying Unicorn? What the hell?”
“It’s badass, trust me.”
It was impossible to not to be disarmed by his satisfied smile, so instead, I pointed at the Tito’s. “Pass me the vodka.”
Dev threw his head back in laughter and handed me the full bottle. “There’s a twelve-pack of seltzer in the fridge.”
“Good,” I said, rising to my feet, “we’re gonna need it.”
An hour later, we were sitting on the floor, his injured foot extended under the coffee table, and I was finally grasping the concept of the surprisingly complicated unicorn game. Dev was right—it was addictive and really fun. We’d had a couple of seltzers spiked with vodka and, despite all of our trash talk, were actually getting along better than we ever had.
Thank you, Tito’s and silly yet complicated unicorn game.
When I won my third game in a row, Dev looked at me in disbelief. “I’ve been playing this game for months…literally months.”
“With Peter and Scott?”
He shook his head, waving me off. “No, my brother.”
“I didn’t know you had a brother. What’s his name?”
“Ganesh. He lives in my building. Across the hall, actually.”
“Why don’t you just live together?”
“He’s a slob. I don’t do messy.”
Peter and Maren had joked about Dev being a neat freak, but I still had to laugh. “And he loves board games as much as you do?”
“Yes, but don’t distract me from making my point.”
“Oh, sorry.” I poured a little more vodka into each of our glasses. “I’ll be quiet.”
“I’ve been playing for months with my brother, and
we keep this tally, right? We’ve both won about the same number of games, give or take. And this is over months of play. And you’re beating me. Badly. And it’s the first time you’ve ever played. It’s like you’re some kind of conqueror. Are you sure you’ve never played before?”
“You’ve been watching too much Game of Thrones,” I said, downing another gulp of seltzer, enjoying the familiar burn of the vodka at the back of my throat. My fingers were tingling and my head felt lighter. I was enjoying a nice buzz…and if I was honest with myself, I was enjoying the company. “And no, I’d never even heard of this game before. Trust me, Dev, I’m not hustling you at Exploding Unicorns.”
“Unstable Unicorns, Exploding Kittens.”
“Whatever.”
“Okay, Khaleesi, I see you.”
“What on Earth did you just call me?”
Dev almost spit out his spiked seltzer, covering his mouth with his hand. He swallowed dramatically before speaking. “Daenerys…c’mon, you don’t even know who she is?”
“Nope.”
“Okay, she’s like this amazing badass conqueror, right? She’s got dragons for babies and she survives this huge fire that would burn anyone else to a crisp…and did!”
“And you’re comparing me to that?” I let out an accidental burp. “Oops.”
“Well, not now I’m not.” He pretended to sneer. “But in this game, hell yeah. You’ve got this natural gift for strategic games.”
“Or it’s just beginner’s luck.”
“Whatever, Khaleesi.”
“I thought you said her name was Daferris or something.”
“Daenerys.” He rolled his eyes. “And yes, that’s her name, but her title—or one of them anyway, is Khaleesi. She marries Khal Drogo and he dies, but…it’s just…it’s her title, okay?”
“That show sounds intense. And really complicated.”
“You should watch it. I’d bet money you’d be thirsty for my boy Jon Snow.”
“Why?” I asked, intrigued. I’d seen plenty of magazine covers to at least know who that was, but I wondered why Dev was so confident I’d be into him.
“He’s, like, the ultimate hero. A bastard son who’s raised to think he’s nothing, but really he’s the rightful heir to the throne. Isn’t that the kinda story you like? The underdog? Like Mr. Darcy and all those other Jane Austen heroes?”
Stuck With Me: A With Me in Seattle Universe Novel Page 8