Page 65 of Ice Cold Chemistry
The sixth floor is quiet. Soft carpet, dim lighting, doors stretching in both directions. I don’t know which room is hers. I didn’t hear that part.
I should go back downstairs. This is stupid.
I’m turning around when a door opens behind me.
“Banks?”
I freeze.
Winnie is standing in her doorway, ice bucket in hand, wearing pajama shorts and a sweatshirt. Her hair is piled on top of her head in a messy bun, and she’s wearing those little hotel slippers.
She looks soft. Rumpled. Like she was getting ready for bed.
“Are you lost?” she asks.
“No.”
“Then what are you doing on my floor?”
Good question. I wish I had a good answer.
“I was just…” I trail off. There’s no excuse. Nothing that doesn’t make me sound pathetic or creepy or both. “I don’t know.”
Her expression shifts. Softens. “Were you checking on me?”
“Something like that.” Because the real answer—I wanted to see you, I couldn’t stop thinking about you, I’m losing my mind—but none of those are things I can say out loud. So I just stand there. Like an idiot.
She leans against the doorframe, a small smile playing at her lips.
“You want to come in?” She pushes the door open wider. “I was going to order room service. Are you hungry?”
“I’m always hungry.”
She laughs. “Fair point.”
I follow her inside.
The room is smaller than mine—single king bed, desk, armchair, the standard hotel setup. Her suitcase is open on the luggage rack, clothes spilling out. There’s a yoga mat rolled up in the corner and a book on the nightstand.
She grabs the room service menu and flops onto the bed, patting the space beside her.
I hesitate.
“I don’t bite,” she says. “Sit.”
I sit on the very edge of the bed, as far from her as physically possible while still technically being on the same piece of furniture.
She notices. Of course she notices.
“Relax. We’re just two colleagues sharing a meal.” She scans the menu. “What are you in the mood for? They’ve got burgers, pasta, some kind of fancy sea bass…”
“Burger.”
“Burger it is.” She picks up the phone and orders two bacon cheeseburgers, fries, and a slice of chocolate cake. When she hangs up, she grabs the TV remote and starts flipping through channels.
“What do you want to watch?”
“I don’t care.”
