“Maybe,” I say. “Go.”
He nods multiple times, then his cheeks turn that pretty pink color again, and he leaves the hotel room.
The door clicks behind him.
I shouldn’t have suggested visiting Puerto Rico with him at Christmas. I knew better.
CHAPTER
THIRTY-TWO
Mateo
Florian and I order dinner from the room service menu when I return.
“You didn’t have to wait for me,” I tell him. “Most of the others went to have dinner.”
“But not you,” Florian says.
“You’re an excellent fake boyfriend.”
Florian nods. His eyes turn to the bed.
It’s one bed.
Of course it’s one bed. I was supposed to be the only person in this room.
Daniela was hardly going to call the hotel and say that they were adding a second person to the room and that we were going to sleep “I Love Lucy” style in two twin beds side-by-side.
“I could ask the hotel to send up pillows,” Florian says.
“Yes.”
He lifts up the hotel phone.
“Or—”
He turns to me.
“We’re friends,” I say.
He nods, but there’s a wary expression on his face I don’t like.
“Forget it.” I smile. “It wasn’t important.”
“Tell me, Mateo.”
“It’s fine?—”
He sets the phone down. “What were you thinking?”
“Well, we don’tneedto build a pillow wall. We don’t have any secrets now.”
“Oh.” He glances at the bed, analyzing it. “Very well.”
“Excellent. Most people sleep without pillow walls.”
“Then we shall be like most people.” Florian removes the strip of blanket that lies on the foot of the bed and holds it up. “Why is this here? It is too small to be a real blanket.”
