“Then why did Levi thank you for an amazing night?” Jess looked perplexed.
“He thinks he’s a comedian and that falling asleep on the sofa counts as spending the night together.”
Jess busted out laughing. “You two slept on the sofa together? Man, that guy must really be into you to forgo his own bed to curl up with you on the couch.”
“Aren’t I lucky?”
“I’d be jealous except that I had a great time with Jared last night.” Jess smiled but something didn’t look right about it, like it was forced.
“Please, no details,” I begged.
I got through my morning work in one piece, but Jess didn’t. She lasted maybe an hour before disappearing back upstairs to take a nap. I sat in the office behind the front desk doing mostly paperwork, drinking copious amounts of water, and trying to forget the night before. Obviously Jess was into Jared, so I was already trying to come up with excuses for why I wouldn’t hang out with his friends, other than the obvious reason that I wanted to avoid Levi.
***
“Ready for lunch?” I looked up from the pile of papers in front of me with a start.
“What are you doing back here, Levi?”
“Oh, Natalie told me I could come back.”
“Oh, did she?” I didn’t want to get angry with the manager, but it annoyed me that she would just let him back into the office.
“Yeah. You ready?”
“I’m not having lunch with you.” I tried to keep my voice down so none of the other employees would hear. Unfortunately, Levi didn’t do the same.
“Well, you left without letting me make you breakfast this morning, so I thought I could at least take you to lunch.” I felt the eyes of everyone in the office staring at me. I got up, grabbed Levi’s arm and dragged him down the hall.
“I don’t know what kind of game you’re playing, but I’m not having it.”
“What game? It’s just lunch.”
“So, you just like humiliating me in front of the people I work with?”
“That humiliated you?”
“Of course it did!” I said exasperated. “Now they think I slept with you.”
“And that’s a problem because…”
“Because this is my dad’s hotel. Okay, Levi? My dad’s. I don’t need my dad hearing about this and thinking his daughter is some sort of slut.”
“Being slutty would imply spending the night with lots of guys, not just one. Heck, you can even tell him I’m your boyfriend if it makes you feel better.”
“My what?”
“Your boyfriend.”
“Do you even know what that word means? Have you ever had a relationship that lasted more than a few days?” I had no idea what his dating history was, but he seemed like a player to me and I was angry.
“There is a first time for everything. Most girls would want to tame me.”
“Tame you? Oh my god, leave. Just leave, okay?”
“Not until you agree to go out with me.”
“You have to be kidding me.”
“Not at all. I have no place to be, I’m staying here until you agree.”
“Why? What angle are you playing?”
“First you accuse me of playing games and now angles. You aren’t very trusting, Allison.”
“It’s Allie! And you haven’t given me a reason to trust you!”
“Let me.” I noticed a few employees peeking around the corner to see what was going on.
“Okay.”
“Dinner tonight? I’d say lunch but I’d rather give you time to cool down.”
“Don’t you ever give up?”
“Never. I’m not leaving until you say yes.”
I sighed. “Fine. Coffee Friday night. Then you leave me alone.”
“I’ll pick you up at 8:00 then.”
“Sure, whatever. Now leave.”
“I’ll miss you too.” He turned and walked away with a huge grin on his face.
Chapter Six
The week passed painfully slow. After a full day’s work, I was more than happy to relax in our room, but it was strange that Jess suddenly seemed to not have any interest in going out. On Thursday morning, she didn’t even get out of bed.
“You do realize we have work in ten minutes, right?” I asked, poking my head into her room.
“I’m just not feeling well. Is it okay if I skip today?”
“Sure. Feel better. Do you need anything before I go?”
“No. Don’t worry,” she assured me.
“Okay. See you later.”
Jess didn’t look particularly sick, but I figured playing hooky for one day wasn’t a big deal. Still, something wasn’t adding up, she just wasn’t herself. I headed downstairs ready for a quiet morning of work. My quiet time didn’t last long.
“What’s up with Jess?” Billy asked. He had made a habit of hanging out at the desk with us whenever there was a lull in work for him—which was anytime but check in and check out. We saw a lot of each other.
“I have no clue. She refused to get up this morning. She’s in a funk or something.”
“Is she sick?” he asked worriedly.
“I don’t think so.”
“Have you tried to talk to her?” Adie joined in the conversation. She seemed really concerned.
“I tried, but she isn’t saying anything. I honestly don’t know what to do. She hasn’t wanted to do anything and she’s barely eating. I’m wondering if I should call her mom.”
“If you are even questioning it you probably should,” Adie advised. “A mother needs to know when her child is upset.”
“Maybe I should try to talk to her one more time, and if there is no change I’ll call?”
“That sounds reasonable,” Adie agreed.
“Please let me know if I can do anything.” Billy really was a nice guy and he cared about her. Too bad Jess never went for the nice guys. But if I was being honest I never did either.
***
In all of my years of knowing Jess, I had only seen her cry twice. The first time was when her beloved Golden Retriever died. The other was when her grandparents moved away. Walking into her room during my lunch break was number three.
“Hey, you all right?” I asked tentatively as I pushed open the door. “Wait, why are you packing?”
“I’m leaving. I’m sorry to run out on you, but I would rather spend the summer at home.” Jess jammed clothes haphazardly into an open suitcase on her bed.
I felt a moment of panic. What the heck was going on? “Umm, okay. You going to expand on that at all?”
“I don’t want to be here and besides Emmett texted me, I might try to work things out with him.”
“Seriously? What happened to him being like a lost dog who can’t get a clue when he’s not wanted?” Jess had dumped her longtime boyfriend back in September because she wanted to have a fun senior year. He’d tried to get back together with her a few times, but she always refused.
“I changed my mind.”
“What’s really going on?”
She started sobbing. I sat down on the bed pulling her into my arms. “What happened? You have to tell me.”
“I shouldn’t have done it.”
“Done what?”
“It. With Jared.”
“Oh… Did he hurt you or something?” I asked, afraid of the answer.
“It was my first time,” she mumbled and at first, I thought I’d heard her wrong.
“What did you say?”
“It was my first time. I was a virgin, okay.”
I tried to rein in my surprise. Instead of asking why she had pretended to sleep with guys before, I asked the more immediate question. “Then why did you?”
“He didn’t ask me if I was sure. Guys always ask if you’re sure you want to… It’s always my way out. Jared didn’t ask.”
“Oh, Jess.” I hugged her again and let her tears soak through my shirt. Somehow, my “anything goes” friend had managed to get seriously
hurt and I couldn’t help but feel responsible. Jess was always so flippant about hooking up with guys that I hadn’t worried about her after the first night. She seemed so interested in him I didn’t see any reason to interfere. It wasn’t an excuse and I felt like an incredibly self-absorbed and horrible friend.
“You won’t hate me for leaving, will you?” Jess appeared so vulnerable with her tear-streaked face. It was such a contrast to her usual bright smile. It made my stomach churn. I hated Jared for even existing.
“Of course not. I am so sorry, Jess. I wish there was something I could do.”
“There isn’t anything.”
“Can I ask you something?” I asked tentatively.
“Sure.”
“If you hadn’t had sex, why did you push me to sleep with Toby?”
“Push you?” Jess took in a deep breath. “Like you would let anyone push you to do something that wasn’t part of your plan? Sex on your six-month anniversary with Toby fit your plan. I just told you what you wanted to hear.”
“What do you mean something not in my plan? I don’t have a plan.”
“Of course you do. Straight A’s in high school, all state for tennis, Princeton, marry the right guy, get the perfect job, and have 2.5 perfect children.” Jess laughed but it sounded forced.
“Wow, is that really how you view me?”
“I love you, but you are not an easy friend to live up to. And look, once again I screwed up.” She laughed dryly.
“You didn’t screw up.”
“Yes I did, don’t lie to me. I messed up and now I have to live with it.”
“Don’t you want to at least talk to him? I mean, are you sure you don’t want to see him again, you know, to get some closure or something?”
“Definitely not. It’s not like I’m mad at him or anything. I wanted to sleep with him, or I thought I did, it just wasn’t what I thought it would be. It wasn’t what my first time was supposed to feel like. It should have been with Emmett. It’s funny, isn’t it? I’m with a guy for over a year and won’t put out, but I end up sleeping with a virtual stranger. But it’s too late and I just want to forget about what happened.”
“Jess…”
“Just drop it. Please?”
“Okay,” I barely whispered. “You want a ride to the airport?”
“No. You have to work. It’s bad enough I’m quitting. I’ll call a cab.”
“You sure? I really don’t mind. And stop worrying about work, it doesn’t matter.”
Jess nodded. “Really, I’ll take a cab.”
“I’m going to miss you!” I sniffled, wiping away some of my own tears. It was all happening too fast. I couldn’t believe she was leaving.
“You’ll be fine. Don’t let what happened to me keep you from Levi. I think he might be just what you need.”
“Whatever. I really couldn’t care less about Levi right now.”
“Just don’t completely write him off. I think he’s good for you. You seem to work.”
“If you say so.”
“Good. Now go to work.”
“Don’t you at least want help packing?” I asked.
“No, really, I just want to be alone.”
“All right. I get it.” I gave her another hug as I headed out. “Bye, Jess.”
***
It wasn’t until hours later when I went back up to our room after work that the reality of Jess leaving hit me. She might have been annoying at times, but she was my friend, and now I really was on my own. Dad had left me a message to let me know he’d be gone at least another week.
Feeling sorry for myself and really sad for Jess, I decided to just spend the night vegging out. I changed into lounge pants and a racer back tank, waited for the carrot cake I ordered from room service, and opened up the latest chick lit on my e-reader.
I jumped up from the couch when I heard a knock on the door.
Expecting my dessert, I quickly opened the door and moved back as Levi smiled at me from the hallway.
“What are you doing here?”
Levi pushed his way into my room as I awkwardly sidestepped him. “Did you forget we had plans?”
“Plans? Oh yeah, coffee, I forgot.” I tried to keep my voice even but I was so upset and angry. I walked over to the couch and pulled my knees up to my chest.
“Hey, what’s going on Allie?” Levi knelt down in front of me.
“You’re calling me Allie?”
“Whoa, now you are annoyed at me for calling you Allie? Can a guy ever get a break?”
I shrugged.
“Seriously, are you okay?”
“I guess, but this summer has turned into a disaster.” I’m not sure what made me open up to him, but once I started I couldn’t stop. “Jess left and my dad still hasn’t come back. So yeah, great, I get to spend the rest of the summer all alone. Just what I needed.”
“Hey, don’t say you’re alone. Don’t I count for something?”
I looked up at Levi’s million-dollar smile. I couldn’t help it; I smiled back.
“That’s what I was looking for. It’s going to be okay. But why did Jess leave?”
“It’s—” I started to say it was because of Jared but thought better of it. “It’s personal”
“I’ll take that, but on one condition?”
“What?”
“Come out with me tonight. I promise I’ll cheer you up.”
I needed a distraction and Levi was being uncharacteristically nice so I agreed. “Sure, just let me get changed.”
I was about to walk into the bathroom when there was another knock on the door—room service. “Just leave it, here you go.” Levi quickly took charge and I never even saw who delivered it.
He opened the Styrofoam container. “You want to eat cake first, or do you want to get changed?”
“I’m not in the mood for it anymore. You can have it or just put it in the fridge.”
I took my time getting ready. Washing my face, I stared at my reflection in the mirror unable to ignore the flush I saw there. Levi had such a physical effect on me. I had never been so attracted to a guy in my life. I changed into a pair of dark jeans and a tank top. It was hot out, but I wanted the comfort of my favorite jeans. I dug out a pair of Mary Janes from my closet, needing a break from sandals.
As I brushed my hair and put on some makeup, my cell phone rang in the living area. I thought about running out to answer it, but I wasn’t in the mood to talk to anyone. I dropped my brush when I heard Levi’s voice from through the closed door.
“Hello.”
Anger flared. Had he actually picked up my phone?
“No, Allie’s not available right now, she’s getting changed.”
“Who am I? The name’s Levi. Well, hello Toby, but I’m sorry I think Allie would have mentioned a boyfriend before she spent the night at my place. Are you sure you don’t mean ex-boyfriend?”
I froze with my hand on the knob. My first reaction was to grab the phone from him, but maybe this was what Toby needed to finally take the hint that it was over.
“No, I won’t go to hell, but I’ll take a message.” Levi laughed and I hesitated a little longer.
“You can come out now, I’m off.”
I pushed open the door. “How’d you know I was listening?”
“I heard you breathing.”
“You heard me through the door?”
“You didn’t really think you were fooling me, did you?”
“Whatever. I can’t believe you answered my phone.”
“You could have stopped me at any time. Something tells me you have no problem with what I told Toby.”
“You’re right.”
“I’m sure I am, but about what exactly?’
“That I don’t mind what you said. He’s my ex-boyfriend. We broke up a few months ago and he hasn’t really accepted it.”
“I can’t say I blame him.” Levi watched me, not bothering to hide his blatant evaluation of every inch of me.
“So, aren’t we going out?” I asked, uncomfortable talking about Toby with Levi. It just felt wrong.
“Yes, the night awaits.”
I followed Levi out into the hallway, noticing the empty cake container on the table before letting the door lock behind us.
***
Coffee with Levi was surprisingly relaxing. Maybe he felt bad for me or possibly he figured out the other tactics weren’t working, but Levi was actually polite and an interesting conversationalist. He had me laughing which was something I didn’t expect to do again for a while. He also showed me a slightly more serious side to him.
“What really brought you down here this summer?”
“What do you mean? Working at the hotel…”
“That’s what you say, but couldn’t you have gotten a job back home?”
“What does it matter?”
“I’m just trying to figure you out.”
“Figure me out?”
“You have to be the hardest girl to read.”
I laughed. “I can’t be that hard to read.”
“We have a girl with a few months before leaving for college and instead of staying home to enjoy time with her friends, either bumming around or working some silly part time job, you drive across the country to work at a hotel for a dad who has been here all of one day since you arrived.”
“Get to the point.” I wasn’t sure where he was headed.
“Either this is all an elaborate effort to get away from your ex, or you’re running from something else.”
“I’m not running from anything.”
“So it’s all Toby?”
“No, it’s not.”
“Okay, so what is it?”
“Can’t there be a third choice? I wanted to try something new.”
“Isn’t college trying something new already?” He gazed at me as if challenging me to contradict him.
“Yes, but that’s different.” I struggled to find the words to explain it, because I didn’t completely know why I did it myself.
“Different?”
“Yeah, I don’t know, it just seemed like an adventure.”
“An adventure? You’re looking for an adventure huh? Where do I sign up?” He wriggled an eyebrow.
I laughed. “Stop, I just mean no one would ever expect me to spend a summer in New Orleans. It’s different and it was so last minute. I actually quit another job at the last second so I could come here.”
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