Page 34 of Real Forever
“Hey,” she said, without taking her attention away from her barbecue chips.
Jake entered channel one-twenty-eight on the remote and pressed enter with a flourish of his arms. “Ta-da.”
Adam Sandler’s face filled the screen in a full sixty-five inches of 4k Ultra HD glory.
Madison turned to face Jake. “Are you a fucking wizard? How did you do this?”
“I guess it was meant to be,” Jake grinned, smushing a handful of tortilla chips into his mouth. He laughed at the movie and crumbs fell out of his mouth into the blankets. He slumped down further in the bed and rested his head back against the pillowed headboard. Madison couldn’t help but stare. This Jake—this relaxed, laughing, drunken, burping Jake, was new. She hadn’t realized he was hiding in there underneath the suits and schedules and perfect teeth. She scooted up beside him and snuggled in, resting her head on his upper chest. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders with a familiar ease. Before the movie ended, they were asleep in one another’s arms.
17
Madison
Morning was brutal.The alarm Jake had set on his phone beeped angrily from the front pocket of the dress pants he was still wearing at seven-thirty. The front desk clerk had been very clear they’d need to be out of the room by eight o’clock to ensure the staff would have plenty of time to prepare for the next guest, which seemed like a much easier condition to fulfill when they weren’t hungover. Madison squinted her eyes open and moaned before rolling over and covering her head with a pillow.
“Come on,” Jake’s voice was deep and husky. “We have to get up and get out of here.”
“No, thank you,” came Madison’s muffled reply from under the pillow.
Jake pushed the blankets off his legs and swung them over the edge of the bed. He rubbed his eyes before combing his fingers through his mussed hair. Stretching, he stood and shuffled off to the bathroom. Madison could hear the water running and peeked out hesitantly from under the pillow. Her head pounded. Ugh. How much did we drink last night?
She pushed the pillow off her face and rolled out of bed, searching the room for a mirror before Jake returned to see how haggard she was.Oof.She swiped at her under eyes with her index finger, hoping to smudge away the streaky remains of last night’s mascara which had run all over her eyes. After searching through her purse for a hair tie and coming up empty, she did the best she could to smooth her nest of hair. The bathroom door opened, and she leapt back on to the bed, tossing one leg half up and leaning back on her elbow in a failed attempt to appear nonchalant.
Jake tipped his head around the corner. “Coffee?”
“God, yes,” she said, gratitude filling her hoarse voice. She sprinted into the bathroom as soon as Jake left, peeing for what felt like an hour, before attempting to brush her teeth with her finger and the tiny bottle of hotel mouthwash. Next, she soaked a washcloth in hot water and draped it over her face, breathing in the steamy air. She let out a soft moan as the warmth relaxed her face and soothed her pounding head. After washing her face and twisting her hair up with a pen she found in the desk drawer, she felt closer to human. Just in the nick of time, too, because she heard Jake fumbling with the key card outside the door. She jogged over to open the door for him.
“Thanks,” he said, holding a large cup of coffee in his left hand and balancing a second cup on top, using his chin for support. Madison took the top cup.
“Thank you for the coffee.” She held the cup to her nose with both hands and inhaled before taking a sip. “Aaah.”
Jake held out a bag to Madison. “I grabbed this from the car for you. I’m not sure if you wanted it or not. It’s pretty cold from sitting out there all night.”
It was the garment bag with her jeans and hoodie from the ride up yesterday. “Oh my god. Thank you so much. That was so thoughtful of you.” Madison popped back into the bathroom to change out of her dress and when she glimpsed at herself in the wall-to-wall mirror above the vanity, she was grinning and blushing like a love-struck teenager.I can’t believe he went and traipsed through the snow to the car to get this stuff for me. Compared to any other guy I’ve been with it’s a miracle he even remembered I had it and thought I might want it. But get it?She forced herself to take a slow, steadying breath before stepping back out.
“There. Now you’ll be comfy for the ride.” Jake checked his watch again. “We need to get out of here. Do you have all of your stuff?”
“Yep.” Madison held up the small bag, which now held only her dress, and her purse, causing Jake to shake his head and laugh.
“Nothing like packing light.”
When they made their way through the snow filled parking lot, Madison was grateful to find Jake had already started the car and it was warm when she got inside. They both buckled their seat belts and Jake pulled out of the parking lot as Madison peered back at the hotel as they drove away.
“Hey…” Madison paused and chewed the inside of her cheek, “I don’t know how to say this without sounding like a completely mushy goober… but thank you. Thank you for last night. For coming with me, for the room, for…. for all of it.” She felt her skin flush a little, but she continued on. “And thank you for all your help before this too. You have had nothing to gain by helping me with this NorAsana stuff, but you did. And I’m grateful and I wanted you to know.”
Madison twisted her ring around her finger and stared out the window.
“Well, that’s not entirely true.”
“What isn’t?”
“That I had nothing to gain by helping you,” Jake said. Madison raised a questioning eyebrow. He seemed confused. “I gained you, Madison. I have had such a great time with you these past couple of weeks and last night…” Jake reached for Madison’s hand, taking it in his and stroking the back of her hand with his thumb. “Last night was the best night I’ve had… maybe ever.”
Madison’s heart flooded. She was at once warm and cold, calm and excited, terrified and yet more safe than she’d felt since her father passed away. They rode, holding hands and admiring the calm, pristine beauty of the freshly fallen snow on the forest.
* * *
Madison’s phonebuzzed in her jacket pocket.
