What-the-fuck-ever . . . I do not snore.
* * *
“Have you ever heard me snore?”I ask Taters as I close my notebook. We skated for an hour this morning, grabbed some food, and then sat down to review some videos. It was nauseating having to watch Remi skate around like he’s some sort of god on ice.
“What?” Taters asks as he stands from his seat.
“We used to share a hotel room. Did I ever snore?”
“Why do you want to know?”
“No reason,” I answer casually even though I feel the least bit casual about it. I need to know. After Penny’s comment, I can’t be sure if she was teasing me or not, and when I went to ask her again, she just went into the bathroom to take a shower.
It was infuriating.
Taters studies me as we make our way toward the parking lot. “She told you, you snore, didn’t she?”
“Yes.” I sigh. “But I can’t tell if she was saying it just to piss me off or if she meant it, and now I’m feeling self-conscious.”
“And we can’t have you feeling self-conscious. That would be an absolute detriment to your ego.”
“I know,” I say, causing him to laugh. “So did I snore?”
“Like you were sawing wood for an entire colony.”
“What?” I nearly shout. “Are you fucking serious?”
“Bad, man. Really bad. I considered telling you, but you were struggling that season, so I didn’t think I should pile that kind of blast to the self-esteem. But yeah, you snore, and loud.”
What the actual fuck?
Taters pats me on the back. “You got the pretty face and the talent. Something had to be wrong with you.” And then he pushes through the door to the parking lot and throws up the peace sign. “See you tomorrow.”
I tuck my notebook under my arm and go straight to my car, where I take a seat and pull up my phone. I spend the next half hour researching ways to stop myself from snoring. To hell if I’m going to be a hindrance to Penny’s sleep.
* * *
“I just don’t understandwhy they have to make the show so blue,” Penny says as she stands and stretches her arms above her head. My eyes immediately fall to the small patch of skin that comes into view as her shirt gently rides up her stomach. “It’s so hard to see. Don’t they watch the show themselves? Shouldn’t they be like, oh, that’s a heavy blue filter, maybe we should change that?”
I release my gaze from her exposed skin and stand as well. “I think they’re going for a psychotic vibe with the filter.”
“Well, job well done.” She shivers dramatically and wraps her arms together. “God, after sweating all day, I’m freezing now.”
“Do you want me to make you some tea?”
She shakes her head. “No, that’s okay. I think I’m just going to get under the covers.”
“Okay.”
When she starts toward the bedroom, I follow closely, and just as we reach the door, she looks over her shoulder. “You don’t have to go to bed as well.”
I shrug. “Nah, I’m tired.”
“Okay. You can use the bathroom first. I’m going to change into some warmer clothes.”
She takes off toward the dresser, so I go to the bathroom, where I take care of my business and brush my teeth. We just spent the past two hours watchingOzark, and I found myself glancing over at Penny from time to time, watching her reaction. She’s very much into the show, emotionally invested. She clutched a navy-blue throw pillow the entire time and while commenting with little oohs and ahhs every once in a while. It was cute.
She’s really become more animated around me, which I appreciate. It makes hanging out with her easier and actually really fucking enjoyable. She has a funny personality, and when she’s not freaking out about a text message she accidentally sent and is relaxed, I feel this need to get to know her even more.
