“No promises.” Shelley offers me the bottle, and I take a sip of my own and set the crab cakes between us. She turns on the TV and flips through the channels until she lands on an old back and white movie. “Have you ever played the lip-reading game?” she asks, popping a miniature crab cake into her mouth.
“I don’t think so. What’s that?”
She presses the mute button so the movie continues without sound. “I did this all the time with Mandy when we were young. We’d make up something ridiculous they could be saying. Like this.” She clears her throat dramatically and puts on an exaggerated transatlantic accent for the female character. “My word! The extraterrestrials have arrived. And their flying saucer landed right in my rose bushes. Do something about this, Clarence!”
“I take it I’m supposed to be Clarence?” There is definitely no actual character named Clarence in this movie. Or any spaceship.
She smiles and nods, motioning for me to take a turn to make something up, so I weave together a long story about how Clarence has been sneaking off every night this week to meet someone in the spaceship.
Shelley snorts. “Wait, are you telling me Clarence is having an interspecies affair with an alien?”
“Nope. I’m telling you Clarence is having an affair with an alien, but it’s not interspecies because Clarence is also an alien. Plus, his wife is also secretly an alien. But neither of them knows about the other.”
“Okay, plot twist.” Shelley laughs. “I see you’re a quick learner.”
She plucks another crabcake from the box and holds it up to me. I take it and pop it into my mouth. My shoulders shakewhile she continues to expand the asinine story we’ve concocted. It’s not long until we’re cracking up so hard that she snorts again, which causes both of us to laugh even harder.
“Oh my god. It seems like you’re getting to hear all of my body’s embarrassing noises tonight.”
“It doesn’t bother me when women make noises,” I assure her. I didn’t mean for it to sound the way it does, but the air in the room shifts to something thick and meaningful when she turns her face toward mine.
Our eyes stay locked in a silent stand-off until I’m the first one to clear my throat and look back toward the movie. Without looking at her again, I take another crabcake and shove it into my mouth to avoid saying anything else. I can still feel her eyes on me as I chew and swallow, so I turn to face her again.
“I really didn’t mean anything by that. And I also wasn’t referencing, you know, any of that stuff you shared. I wouldn’t tease you about that.”
“I didn’t think you were. I figured you probably meant sneezing or something. But then my mind went to a different place, and…I kind of wouldn’t hate making those noises with someone either.”
I blink at her. I have no idea what I’m supposed to say to that, so I go with, “Oh.”
The strap on her tank top has fallen off her shoulder, so she pulls it back into place, shifting to tuck her legs to the side. “Not that I think we should do that. I mean, it wasn’t an invitation. Unless, you know, you want to. But we probably both have crab breath. Although, it’s not like I get that many opportunities, and we’re both here. It’s just…you know what? Never mind.”
“Shelley?” I reach over and put my hand on her knee. Her eyes dart down to where we’re now connected, and it seems to calm her down a bit because she takes a breath. “I cameover to hang out with you, and that’s all I’m planning on doing tonight.”
She nods. “Yeah. Totally. I agree. Glad we’re on the same page. I was just thinking out loud…”
Her words trail off and I squeeze her leg lightly. I should probably pull away, but I can’t seem to stop my hand from resting on her thigh. Shelley glances down, and I pretend not to track the subtle tightening of her jaw and the curve of her neck as she swallows.
We turn our attention back to the movie, but the lighthearted, playful vibe from earlier has given way to a thicker tension. There are words we aren’t saying, and they’re sucking half the oxygen out of the space. I think she might be getting the wrong idea, and if she is, I need to stop this.
It doesn’t matter how much I like her or that hearing her laugh gives me the same adrenaline rush as fielding a line drive. I can’t hook up with Mike’s sister. He would absolutely shit a brick. I know that. Plus, Shelley is basically a genius. She’s looking for more than I can offer. I might be collecting unemployment this time next year. It wouldn’t be a good idea for either of us. But, despite all of that, spending the past few days with Shelley is the most fun I’ve had in a long time, and even knowing I shouldn’t be here, I’m not ready for this night to end.
I’m still touching her leg when a noise startles both of us. It sounds like someone is fumbling around trying to get the door open.
“It’s probably my sisters,” Shelley offers, getting up and walking toward the hall. “Mandy and Mads are staying in the room next door, since that one has two double beds. But I wouldn’t put it past them to lose their key cards.” She peeps through the hole in the door. “Wait. Honey?”
Shelley opens the door to reveal Danielle’s wildcard of a grandma, Honey Daniels. She must’ve booked her own roomat the hotel to give the bride and groom some wedding night privacy at the house she now shares with them.
“Hi,” Shelley greets her.
When she looks up and sees Shelley’s face next to the room number, Honey says, “Oh. Whoopise. This is 206, not 260. Sorry to bother you, Sugar.” She turns to leave, then thinks better of it and faces the room again with a sly, conspiratorial smile. “But while I’m here, you got any protection on you?” She winks and points over her shoulder at the middle-aged man rocking on his heels in the hallway. He’s still wearing his embroidered hotel employee blazer and must be at least twenty years her junior.
Shelley shakes her head. “I’m sorry, but—”
“Oh, I see,” Honey interrupts and laughs heartily as she spots me sitting on my bed. “You’ll be needing it for yourselves.”
“No. We won’t. It’s just—” Shelley protests but Honey cuts her off again.
“No need to explain. I was never here. C’mon, Martin. Change of plans. Looks like you’ll be feasting like a king tonight.”
