The couple wandered the streets of Philadelphia, migrating towards a touristy strip of the downtown area. Jade thought her guide seemed to be oddly familiar with the inner-city as they moved about. He'd instantly pointed his toes in the direction they needed to travel, knowing every-which-way to turn. Just when she couldn't imagine having to take another aching step, they reached the warm foyer of a Holiday Inn. Her teeth relentlessly chattered as she greeted the receptionist and paid for a room for the night.
Mr. Tie pushed the elevator button causing it to illuminate. In an instant, the hum from the motor echoed from behind the wall, and Jade stared up at him with a bleak smile on her face. Inside she felt disappointed, knowing it was time to thank him and say goodnight. She hesitated, wondering if she should give him her number. Would he even call her? She doubted it. The door chimed and then slid open.
"After you," he held out his hand, gesturing for her to go first.Her heart fluttered, and without a word, they stepped onto the lift together.Jade swiped the keycard and opened the door labeled 306, walking into a room that was dimly lit by two lamps on the bedside tables. She glanced around at her accommodations, which were nothing out of the ordinary. The room resembled all the other hotels she'd ever stayed at. She couldn't ignore the urge coming from her aching limbs. With a huff, she fell back onto the bed, still fully clothed. Her eyes closed, relishing the plush comforter underneath her that had a freshly washed bleach scent. It felt good to be in the warmth, to be off of her feet, to feel a small sense of security after such a long day. She was sure that she could've fallen asleep in an instant if he hadn't been there as well. "This feels amazing," she said the thought out loud, reminded of his presence.
An amused chuckle resounded from the entryway. She opened her eyes to find Mr. Tie casually leaned against the door, his arms folded across his chest. "Well? Are you just going to stand there all night, or are you going to try it?" She gave the mattress a small pat, enticing him to lay down beside her. She curled up onto her side, making space as Mr. Tie slowly crossed the room. He sat down on the edge of the bed and reclined back before closing his eyes. With a small sigh, he agreed, "You're right. This does feel amazing."
Jade took the opportunity to study his features, admiring how good-looking he is, even with the small imperfections. The lines at the corners of his eyes gave away his age, along with the few gray hairs mixed in with the dark stubble on his face. She felt compelled to reach a finger out and stroke a small white scar above his eyebrow.
"Skateboarding accident, when I was a teen," his words filled the silence of the room as his lashes fluttered open. Their eyes met, and she sat up, leaning over him."Thank you for tonight," she whispered, gazing at his lips. She wanted to kiss him. Her tousled hair brushed against his face as she pushed her mouth tenderly against his. Their lips parted as he kissed her back, the passion igniting between them. He tasted like liquor. There was a longing inside of her, begging to be filled. He took in a breath, "We can't do this," he spoke sternly, gently pushing her away, "You're drunk."
"What?" She chuckled, staring down at him in confusion. What was the point of coming up here if he didn't want to sleep with her? "I'm not even drunk," she tried to persuade him with another gentle kiss. Jade was an adult who knew what she wanted and what she was doing. She slowly stretched a knee over him, straddling his waist. Her caresses progressed into light nibbles advancing along his neck, but she could still feel the hesitation in his body.
She stopped, sitting up with a frustrated huff, and then rolled off of him. She faced the doorway, embarrassed and angry by his rejection. For the entirety of the night, she had continued to make a fool out of herself, and he had let her. "I think it would be best if you just left," There was hurt in her voice, but she refused to look at him.
He sat up. "You want me to leave?"She nodded, trying to muster up the courage to speak her mind. It's one thing she had never been good at, sticking up for herself. "Look, I know that I'm buzzed, but I'm coherent enough to understand what I'm consenting to. You're not forcing me into this. If you don't wanna have sex, then that's fine. It's whatever," she shrugged."Buzzed?" A sarcastic laugh erupted from his chest, "From the cost of my tab tonight, I'm wondering if you'll even remember me tomorrow."
She smirked, "Well, there's no telling now. That would've depended entirely on your performance tonight."
Before she could finish the sentence, he had caught her chin, forcing her to look at him. "Is that so?"
Her heart began to race at his touch. She forced herself to breathe under his embrace. "Yes," she gulped, "I tend to have a selective memory, but I understand if you aren't up for the challenge."
A wild look flickered in his eyes. His grip tightened on her jaw as he pulled her forward, kissing her hard. Every second she felt herself melting under his touch. "I would love to leave that memory imprinted on your brain forever, but I can't," he whispered into her mouth, releasing her.
She panted, using the bed to keep herself upright. Her eyes stared at him in disbelief, knowing he was toying with her. She had to put an end to this torture. "Fine, go. I'll finish the job myself." Her cheeks burned as she'd realized what had just slipped out of her mouth. That definitely wasn't something she'd ever say, and even speaking the words made her feel dirty. Maybe she was more intoxicated than she realized.His eyes widened at the flickering image of her in his head, "You aren't playing fair, you know that?""I don't play fair? You're the one who keeps getting me all worked up," she argued, "You're a... a tease.""Fine, let's just both take a moment to cool down and talk.""Talk?" She frowned."Yes, if we can have a conversation in which you don't slur your words, I'll reconsider your challenge."
"I'm not drunk," she rolled her eyes and fell back onto the bed, wiping her face. This was pointless."Then I guess you have nothing to lose."(Chapter is continued...)"You're not what I expected; you know that?" There was a chuckle in his voice."How so?" She questioned, more curious than anything."I think it was the Burberrys that threw me off.""Do you have something against my shoes?" She looked down at her feet, admiring the beige striped sneakers that she had snagged for a great deal at Bloomingdales. "Just because I'm a female who wears designer brands doesn't mean I'm a snob." "They're my favorite color, and they match my outfit," she added.He nodded his head and smiled. "That, they do.""Well, you're not what I expected, either," she yawned. She wasn't a teenager anymore; her age was long past the nights of staying awake this late."Oh, and what were you expecting?" He asked, sitting up to take his jacket off. Jade wanted to ask why he was making himself more comfortable. Perhaps because he realized she wasn't drunk?"I don't know," she replied instead, "At the bar, I thought you we
Jade gave a shy smile. She couldn't deny the connection she felt as he gazed down at her. She sensed an inviting pull between them. His hand softly cupped her face and pulled her chin closer. He kissed her.Her heart and thoughts raced as the intensity between them grew, him no longer holding back. His mouth and hands wandered, causing a tingle to erupt over her skin; warmth and desire for him were felt in distant places. Jade forced back her subconscious. She was definitely sobering up, coming to terms with the reality of their situation. Her insecurities were now at the forefront of her thoughts. She took in a deep breath, trying to find a way to overcome her fears. It didn't matter how many men told her she was beautiful; she never felt it. Having sex meant that she couldn't hide behind her clothing. He would witness every imperfection. What if he took one look at her body and changed his mind?She closed her eyes, recalling her past relationships. There weren't
Jade's eyes sprung open to a loud, rapid tapping coming from behind the hotel room's closed door. "Housekeeping," a woman's voice announced.She pushed herself up from the soft, feathered pillow, trying to get her bearings together.Yesterday morning, the drive to Philadelphia, the bar, him, walking to the hotel together, what they did— the recollection flooded her mind at once. Her head was throbbing, and the fog of sleep had yet to lift. The clock on the nightstand beside her read that it was past eleven a.m."Just a minute," Jade pleaded, her voice dry and raspy. She sat up and wiped the sleep from her eyes. The room was dim, shadowed by an overcast sky. A sheet of rain drummed against the glass pane of the picture window beside her, the plump beads cascading down it like a waterfall. The other half of the bed was now cold and empty, only a slight indentation of his existence remaining on the pillow. She didn't remember him leaving. She barely ha
Jade wished she hadn't already paid for another night at the hotel but didn't bother mentioning it. She would be more comfortable hanging amongst her friend, anyway. As it grew dark out, they cracked open a second bottle, and Jade divulged what happened after she got off the phone. She spared no detail; every moment of it was too good not to share."You're shittin' me?" Marissa gasped, covering her mouth. The twang of a Georgian accent had slipped through with the wine. She hadn't lived there since she was a child, but it still emerged when she drank. You'd never know otherwise.Jade laughed, "It's not like Jonathon and I never... had sex ... obviously, but last night was just so much better. I can't even explain it. It wasn't so..""Vanilla," Marissa finished her sentence.
"Oh crap," The words barely escaped Jade's lips before she threw herself over the side of the bed and puked up warm, clear liquid onto the hardwood floor. It was all the water Marissa had insisted she drink before she went to bed last night. A sharp jolt shot through her neck from where she'd been sleeping on it wrong, and her head throbbed with pain."It's about time you woke up," Jade heard from the doorway. She looked up to see Marissa standing there in an oversized t-shirt and knee socks; her braids pulled back into a messy beehive.She didn't even seem hungover.Jade only wished she wasn't either. She felt miserable as she heard the scratching from Marissa's socks, shuffling down the hallway floorboards and then reappearing only moments later. She placed a large plastic bowl onto the bedroom floor and scooted it towards Jade with her foot. "Thanks," Jade muttered before hugging the bowl and heaving again. "What time is it?" she groaned and shifted onto
"Aren't these my pants?" Jade shouted as she walked through the living room, scanning the house for Marissa."They sure are. That's your shirt too," her voice replied from the kitchen. Jade hadn't even recognized the shirt. She wiggled her toes through the fuzzy socks Marissa had given her as she waltzed into the room."How old are these? I can't believe they still fit," Jade gleamed proudly."You left them here when I first moved in, so I don't know. Like a year, maybe?" Marissa shrugged."Oh," She replied, disappointed.Marissa slid a stack of pancakes covered in syrup and slices of banana in front of Jade before asking what her plans were for the day."I have like,thelongest list of things I need to do. I have to change the password to every account I have, find a place to live, find a new job—""A new job?" She interrupted."Well yeah, it would only make sense to find a different job. I only s
"Another crappy day,"Jade thought to herself as she stared from the living room window out onto the front lawn. Through the dawn, she witnessed brown puddles from the downpour quickly expanding, running over and down the edges of the sidewalk and spilling onto the pavement of the quiet street. The crackling thunder had startled her awake. Last night she had fallen asleep thinking of all the plans she wanted to fulfill today. She thought she might do a bit of shopping to personalize her new room, maybe even take a jog around the neighborhood and explore. She could feel herself getting antsy, the weather keeping her stuck indoors for far longer than she liked. She took a sip of warm coffee from her mug and let out a long sigh. She needed to keep herself distracted, and this weather wasn't helping."What're you doin' up this early?" Marissa yawned from the opening of the hallway. Jade turned in surprise towards the figure standing on the other side of the darkling
She could feel the anxiety swelling up inside of her. Her palms turned cold and sweaty as she held the phone and scrolled through her list of contacts. She quickly called the number listed for Grovington, the nursing facility her mother stayed in.Why hadn't she thought about that? She could never ignore her phone because of that very reason. How could she be so stupid?She was on the brink of crying as the number went straight to a voicemail, the recording stating that it was after hours. She tried again, hoping it was just a fluke. Again, there was no answer. Jade took a few deep breaths in, trying to control her breathing, trying to rationalize the situation. She listened to her voicemails, quickly skipping through them until she found one from the receptionist. Only it was too vague; it just asked her to call them back. If it were an emergency, they would have said something about it, right? She knew she was overreacting, but still— her mother.