Page 39 of Courtroom Drama
Better on paper.More comfortable with written words, certainly.
I’m immediately taken back to my teenage years, lying in bed, smiling because of his words. The paper was always worn, like he had folded it and carried it around in his pocket all day, unfolded and refolded several times before delivery.
I plop down on my bed, grab a book to place under the note, and scrawl my response, thinking this is a much better option than sneaking around the hotel. We aretechnicallyabiding by the rules, remaining in our rooms and not discussing the case.
Desperately Bored Damon,
I think I need to go back to our old favorite,The Princess Bride, on repeat. Nothing could get me out of this trial funk like Westley’s mask coming off on his roll down that hill, revealing his true identity to Princess Buttercup. And no, I think I’ll have to take a hiatus fromAMOM.Maybe from reality TV altogether.
Sincerely,
Sadly Seeking Shows Sydney
Without thinking, I bend the paper along its existing fold lines, open my door, and peek around. When I see the hallway empty, I stride past Cam’s room and slide the sheet under Damon’s door.
When safely back in my room, I lie on the bed and open my current read to the bookmarked page. I read the page. I reread the same page. I sit up. The adrenaline rush I feel at something as childlike as passing notes with Damon makes me almost embarrassed.
When I’ve read the same page four times over, I hear the swipe of paper against the bottom of the doorframe.
SAD SYDNEY,
I’M SORRY TO HEAR THAT YOU’LL HAVE TO FIND SOMETHING TO FILL YOUR AMOM VOID AFTER THIS. I CAN THINK OF A FEW OPTIONS. I PLAN TO START WITH FOOD NOT WRAPPED IN PAPER OR OFF A BUFFET.
DESPERATELY HUNGRY DAMON
P.S. I CAN STILL RECITE PRINCESS BUTTERCUP’S ENTIRE SPEECH TO PRINCE HUMPERDINCK (THE SLIMIEST WEAKLING EVER TO CRAWL THE EARTH).
I draft my response.
Desperately Hungry Damon,
I was so annoying reciting that speech so loudly you could never hear the TV! And please share said food options? I, for one, plan to never eat a sandwich again. The first thing I want is Thai food. Or Sushi Gen, of course. Or maybe Indian. Anything with flavor. Great, now I’m hungry again.
Starving Sydney
His next note takes a bit longer. I stare up at the ceiling particle foam until I hear the swoosh again.SYD,it begins. My eyes catch and can’t seem to move past the first three letters on the page. Damon calling me Syd is one thing, but writing it in the same way he addressed every letter and note he ever gave me softens my defenses against him further still.
I’M HEADED STRAIGHT TO DIN TAI FUNG, GORGING MYSELF ON SPICY NOODLES AND CUCUMBER SALAD UNTIL THEY HAVE TO CARRY ME OUT.
I stop reading and stare at the back of my door as if he’s standing just on the other side, reading his note to me from the hallway. I love Din Tai Fung. I picture sitting across from Damon in a booth, bamboo steamers between us, his sexy gaze on me as he positions his chopsticks.
I’ve been only once, a birthday surprise from Mel. It’s the type of place meant for sharing. I wonder briefly who Damon may have shared a booth with.
BESIDES FOOD WITH FLAVOR, I’VE ALSO BEEN THINKING A LOT ABOUT KARA.
And then the note just ends. It’s as if he sat and stared at the page, contemplating what else to write, and eventually gave up.
I stare at my own page, unsure what to say back. I consider several chest-splitting opening lines:
My heart aches for you.
I’ve always worried my parents don’t love me.
I have a sister who is just a baby, yet I’ve somehow managed to resent her.
I’ve felt sorry for myself until this moment.
But I chicken out before drafting any of them. Instead, I write:
