“You are not too much,” she vowed and Vivian relaxed. Relaxed better than after any guided meditation. “You are not someproblemto manage. What you are is mine to take care of, and I’m not going anywhere. Okay?”
Vivian followed her deep, intentional breathing.
“You’re allowed to come down slow. You’re allowed to rest.” Bryn’s chuckle was soft, like she was completely enamored by the person lying next to her. “Sleepy?” She sighed lovingly. “Well, you worked hard. Close your eyes.”
Vivian listened to Bryn breathe. She was nearly drifting when Bryn whispered, “I love you.”
Vivian’s eyes snapped open. The words punched straight through her sternum and strangled her racing heart. She yanked her earbuds out as if she could un-hear them. Un-know what Bryn sounded like muttering them.
Before she could decide whether to be furious at herself for reacting or annoyed at Bryn for making it feel real, her phone chimed. A text banner slid down over the Siren screen.
Bryn: In my room.
Vivian’s heart reacted first, but her legs weren’t far behind. She sprang to her feet, slipped on some flats, and bolted out the door.
ChapterTwenty
With bleary,irritated eyes, Bryn halfheartedly searched for flights back home. Every time she blinked, she saw Vivian’s face seared onto her retinas. Saw her confusion and surprise.
Thoughts racing, Bryn couldn’t stop imagining Vivian’s reaction once she’d seen the app. Would she be shocked? Would she look at Bryn differently? Vivian hadn’t looked embarrassed when she told Bryn about posing in the nude. That had to be a good sign.
Unable to stop envisioning the worst, Bryn slammed her laptop closed and flung it to the other side of the bed. She dropped back, head landing on the pillow, and groaned.
Debating whether to put a dent in her credit card by changing her return flight, Bryn stared at the ceiling. When a knock sounded at the door, she wasn’t sure if she’d imagined it.
Then the knock came again and so did Vivian’s voice through the door. “Bryn, it’s me.”
Heart rocketing out of her body, Bryn leapt out of bed. She looked down at her baggy sweatpants and thin T-shirt. Should she change? Had she been hasty in removing her makeup?
It was too late now. She ran her hand through her still-styled hair and went for the door.
“Vivian,” Bryn greeted and hated how much it sounded like a question. “What are you doing here?” She glanced down at the entire contents of a minibar, snacks and all, Vivian was holding in her arms. “How did you know my room number?”
“Are you going to let me in or what?” Vivian asked in what sounded much more like a threat than a request.
Bryn stepped back, curiosity and amusement pushing aside the unpleasant ache in her gut. “Did you knock over a dollhouse-sized convenience store?”
Vivian set her haul down on the console in front of the TV, the only table in the microscopic room. She cracked open a small bottle of vodka. “Do you have glasses?”
Bryn looked around the room. There wasn’t much but a nightstand and queen-sized bed, a TV, and the console that doubled as a desk. She didn’t even have a mini-fridge. Bryn walked to the coffeemaker at the far end of the console and grabbed two plastic-wrapped paper cups. She presented them to Vivian.
“Dare I hope for ice?”
Bryn raised both eyebrows and looked around again. “I wouldn’t.”
Vivian rolled her eyes and opened a bottle of cranberry juice.
“You didn’t answer my question.” Bryn crossed her arms. “How did you know what room I was in?”
“Drink first,” Vivian demanded.
Bryn took the paper cup and peered inside at the hardly chilled drink. “Are you bullying me in my own hotel room?”
“You call this a hotel room?” Vivian’s gaze swept over the room Bryn hadn’t made a mess in yet. “I’ve seen walk-in closets with better amenities.” Her attention lingered on Bryn like she so desperately wanted to cheer her up. Only Vivian would be a snob to make Bryn chuckle.
“Yeah, well, they said some pretentious diva demanded the penthouse. I got stuck with this.”
Vivian’s dark eyes brightened and she dropped her tense shoulders a fraction. When she knocked back her drink, so did Bryn.
