I ducked my head and tried to hide the yawn that took over.
“Hey,” Oliver said, using his thumb and forefinger to lift my chin so my eyes met his. “Why don’t you head to bed. We’ve had a long week, everyone understands.”
“No, I’m fine. I’m really enjoying myself.” I smiled sheepishly.
“Seriously, I know you’re beat,” he insisted.
Carmen batted her hand in the air. “Adelaide, please. If you go to bed, it’ll give me an out to go also.”
I caved. “Well, as long as I’m helping you out.”
“Perfect. I’ll show you to your room.” Carmen stood and gave Anton another kiss.
Reminding myself that it was important that Oliver’s friends believed we were in love, I bent down and pressed a quick kiss to his cheek. I didn’t miss the way his eyes lit up.
“Good night, Anton. It was so nice meeting you.” I smiled and waved.
“You too, Adelaide. Sleep well.”
“Don’t stay up too late, boys,” Carmen chided.
I followed her through the house and down a corridor on the main floor, where she opened a large mahogany door.
“We set up this guest room for our family and friends that fly in from Wexstone. It’s far enough from our bedrooms that the girls shouldn’t wake you when they get up.” We entered the spacious room, where an enormous wrought-iron bed adorned with a beautiful red comforter sat in the center of the far wall. Our overnight bags were on a bench at the foot of the bed.
Carmen crossed the space, opened a second door, and turned the light on. “Here’s the bathroom. It should have everything you need. There are extra toiletries under the sink. Towels and washcloths are in the cabinet next to the tub. And if you need anything else, please just let me know.”
The room was gorgeous and very welcoming. But as I looked around, I realized that I had overlooked one very big problem: They expected Oliver and I to sleep in the same room.
Per our agreement, we had booked separate hotel rooms throughout our travels. It wasn’t anything the media had asked about or covered, so of course his friends didn’t know about it and assumed we would be fine sleeping in the samespace.
There was no way I could ask them for a second bedroom. Perhaps one of us could sneak out and sleep on the sofa? No, that wouldn’t work; how would we explain it if someone woke up and noticed?
Damn it. Okay, suck it up, Adelaide. It’s just one night. We’re two grown adults and can share a bed without anything happening.
I’d just…build a pillow wall or something.
“Is everything okay?” Carmen asked, her eyebrows furrowing in concern.
“Oh, yeah. I’m exhausted.” I waved her off, trying to play it cool. “Thank you so much for everything. You’ve been such a kind host.”
“Of course. We love Ollie and we’re so excited that he’s finally found someone. Hopefully this is the first of many wonderful visits together.” She reached forward and squeezed my hand. “I’ll get out of your hair and let you get some rest.” She left the room, closing the door behind her.
Carmen’s comment about future visits hit like a punch to the gut. I had just met their family but already knew they would take the breakup hard. The guilt of lying to people who had been nothing but kind and welcoming to me made my skin feel itchy.
I hate this.This farce was exhausting and getting more difficult by the day.
I sighed and took three deep breaths, the tension releasing from my shoulders. I went to my bag and opened it, grabbing my pajamas, underwear, and toiletry bag. I was in need of some self-care and knew that a boiling-hot bath would help calm my mind and hopefully put the guilt to rest.
As Carmen had promised, I found a basket of toiletries under the sink, along with a selection of bath bombs, bubbles, and oils. After putting a little bath oil into the tuband running the water as hot as it would go, I undressed and settled in.
“Oh my God, yes,” I sighed as I sank into the water.
Every one of my friends had made fun of me for my “dragon baths,” as they so lovingly called them. But I couldn’t help it; I adored them. The hot water relaxed me and melted away the cares of the day. Bath time had always been grounding for me. I could process all of my thoughts and worries, and then when I was done, I’d let them drain down the pipes with the bath water.
This tub was perfect: deep enough to cover my whole body and equipped with jets that hit all the right places and a little pillow to rest my head on.
I let the water lap over my chest as I thought about these past few months, especially the last week traveling with Oliver. Things had seemed to be getting easier; we fell into a rhythm when we were with each other. Funnily enough, he brought me peace when we were out doing our tours and meet and greets.
