Jason
Perfect.
I shift my car into gear and start the drive to the hotel. I have no idea what this weekend will look like, but I do know that I’ll apparently be spending a lot of time with Jason.
I’ve just parkedmy car in the hotel parking ramp when my phone starts ringing. I take a deep breath when I see that it’s Jason. I slide my finger across the screen, and answer the call.
“Are you here yet?” he says, voice low and irritated.
“Well hello to you too, Mr. Grumpy,” I reply.
He sighs, changing his tone. “Hi, Fallon. Are you at the hotel yet?”
“Yeah. I’m parked in the parking ramp. Are you here?”
“I’m in the lobby. Meet me here, okay?”
“Sure,” I reply, and then he hangs up without another word, ending the call.
I scoff, and turn off my car. I grab my weekend bag and small rolling suitcase from the backseat, and head to the elevator that will take me down to the lobby. When I reach the automatic doors, I immediately spot Jason sitting on one of the plush leather couches. He looks stressed. He’s leaning forward, elbows on his knees, and running a hand up and down his face. I reach him and sit down besidehim, sinking into the deep couch. “Hey, what’s going on?” I ask.
“They fucked up the reservation,” he replies. “When Isaac called to cancel a few of the rooms, they misunderstood and canceled all the rooms.”
“Oh no,” I breathe. “Now what?”
“They were able to find a room, and it’s an upgraded suite, but it’s only a king size bed, with a pull out couch.”
“Well that’s not the end of the world,” I say, trying to make light of the situation. Do I really want to share a room with him? Is it bad that I’m not upset about the prospect? Probably. But I can’t get this man out of my head. Much like I couldn’t all those years ago. “I’ll sleep on the pull out.”
Jason glares at me. “No way. Those things are so uncomfortable. We shouldn’t have to share a room. I tried everything, but they’re clean out. Apparently they had a waitlist with how booked the hotel was for the event, and the rooms Isaac canceled got booked up immediately.”
I’m a little insulted at the vehemence he has toward not sharing a room with me. Am I that repulsive? I suppose Brad thought so, so why wouldn’t Jason?
I think back to all our earlier interactions since reconnecting, and shrink a little further into the shell Brad shoved me in. I let my irritation with him show in my words. “So what then? We don’t really have many options, and I’m thinking with the popularity of the conference, the hotels in the nearby area are going to be booked up too.”
“They are, I checked.”
“Got it,” I say, a little more snippy than intended. I take a deep breath. “Is it really that bad to share a room with me?” I mean, clearly there’s something wrong with me if both he and Brad are repulsed by me, but am I really so bad he can’t survive a few days in a hotel room with me? Theother night, he was telling me how badly he wanted to kiss me back in college.
But that was then. This is now.
“Fuck,” Jason curses, reaching out and resting his hand over mine. The heat of his touch sends a jolt through my body, reminding meyet againof that freaking Christmas party with his closeness. “That wasn’t what I meant. I just… I don’t want to make you uncomfortable. It’s one thing to be expecting a room to yourself, and another to share a room with a guy you don’t know very well.”
I… I don’t really know what to say to that. I want to believe him, I do, but I don’t think I would be uncomfortable sharing a room with him. I can sleep on the couch, and make myself scarce. It will be fine. I try to play it cool. “Honestly, are we really going to be in the room all that much, besides sleeping?”
Jason nods, his posture relaxing. “I suppose that’s true. It doesn’t make the fact that there’s only one bed better, though.”
“I can take the couch.” Jason gives me a side-eyed glare. “Oh, don’t give me that look,” I scold, giving him my best “mom” look. I shake off the earlier irritation I had, and focus on the now instead.
“I’m taking the couch,” he rebutes, and I glare at him in return. We will see about that. The man is tall. He’ll barely fit on the couch, and I guarantee the couch itself will be better than the pullout. Ignoring him, I stand and grab my bag from the floor. “Come on, let's get settled in the room, and then get to the first event.”
Jason stands and leads us toward the elevator. He punches the button for the tenth floor, and when the doors open on the floor, I follow him. I have no idea which room is ours, but he stops outside of ten-thirteen, and swipes thecard in front of the reader, pushing the door open when it flashes green and unlocks.
He holds the door open for me, his own bag slung over his shoulder. When I step into the room, a burst of cold air hits me, sending a shiver down my spine. It’s a beautiful hotel room, much nicer than the standard room I usually would stay in. To my immediate right is the large bathroom. The light automatically flashes on with my movement, revealing a walk in shower with glass doors and a rainfall shower head. There’s also a giant soaking tub, and a standard toilet.
I glance around the rest of the room. The walls are painted a warm gray color, and the large king size bed is in the middle of the room, made with crisp white sheets and a perfectly tucked comforter.
On the opposite wall is the couch, which, compared to the rest of the room, looks a little sad. It’s gray with small throw pillows and crooked cushions. Jason glances at it and does what he can to hide his reaction, but I see it. His face falls, a small grimace flashing on his face.
