Dinner was a long six-course meal. Nick and I talked about how dissatisfied we were with the meal, and decided to drive around town tomorrow to eat at popular local hangouts. We were tired of hotel food.
Thankfully, dinner lasted long enough to curtail any evening activities. I was secretly jumping for joy. My body hadn’t been this sore since Sarah and I went on a half day hiking trip. After dessert and coffee, I saw Jake whispering in Jane’s ear and she nodded subserviently like a little sister listening to her older, wiser brother. What was my scheming boyfriend up to now?
“You want to go watch a movie tonight?” Jake asked, though it seemed more like a command.
“Um, yeah.” I hesitated, afraid of how I was going to fight him off tonight. “Jane, Nick, you want to come with us?”
Both started laughing and refused my offer. “We are…busy…yeah, busy.”
“What’s going on?” I asked Jake.
“You’ll see,” was all I got for the time being.
We got back to my room, looked through the DVD collection, and found a movie for the evening. My body leaned on Jake’s, half comatose, when I suddenly realized that Jane had not come back to the room. I reached for Jake’s cell phone to call her, but he took it out of my hands and turned it off.
“Where’s Jane?” I asked innocently.
“She’s with Nick. They’re at the movies,” he answered coyly.
“Why didn’t we go with them or why didn’t they come here with us?”
“Sweetheart, they’re trying to give us some privacy.”
As soon as he finished these words, I understood that Jane was not coming back into this room tonight. In fact, I looked around the room and realized that Jane and Jake had switched out their belongings. How had I not noticed this from the moment we walked into the room?
“Why is all your stuff here? And, where are Jane’s belongings?”
“Jane and I switched rooms. She is going to stay with Nick the rest of the trip, and I’m going to stay right here,” he smiled nervously, showing all of his pearly white teeth.
I tried not to look flustered. “Jake! Do I need to have this talk with you again?”
“Come on, Emi. Wasn’t last night wonderful? Let me stay here with you. I promise I won’t do anything naughty.”
“Jake, I’m not comfortable with you spending the night with me again. Last night, I was so tired, I couldn’t fight you off. Tonight, though…it’s not proper for us to be together, especially with your parents right next to us. I’d like to be more respectful than that.”
“Emily.” He turned into his five-year-old self again. I had to be strong and not give into his darling tirade.
“Just one more night, please? I’ll switch back with Jane tomorrow.”
“No. Will you please ask Jane to come back into this room?” I gave him a choice that was really not a choice. He’d have to respect my wishes.
“Oh, all right. I’ll call her right now.” He retracted his arm from my shoulder and moved to the other side of the sofa.
“Thank you. Now where were we?” I inched toward him and laid my head on his lap. He didn’t hold his grudge too long this time.
Jane and I walked to the breakfast table early Wednesday morning to join the rest of the family. Bobby and Sandy were a bit surprised to see that Jake and Nick came as a pair as well.
“Did you meet each other in the elevator?” Sandy asked Jane, referring to our entrance together.
“No, we came together,” she replied and gave her mother an I don’t know what happened look.
Sandy threw a worried and puzzled look over at Jake and he explained, “Emi didn’t want to sleep with me. She chose Jane’s company over mine.”
I politely smiled.
Sandy started talking about the day and I realized that we were not going to be bound by any tight schedules. “Your dad and I have to attend three different college alumni activities, so I’m afraid you are all on your own. We tried to get out of it but since your dad is the president of the association, there wasn’t any way around it.”
I was thrilled not to have any strenuous activities for the day. I could go lay out by the pool or even go back to the room and sleep. The day was looking good.
“What shall we do today, Emily?” Jane asked.
“I don’t know. What do you want to do?” I high-fived myself, I was so happy.
“Let’s go get a facial and a massage. Maybe even a pedicure. Oh, how about a whole day at the spa?” She was so excited.
I was also getting quite excited thinking about unwinding all day before leaving tomorrow night.
“Jane! What am I to do if you take Emi away from me?” Jake’s sour look came back.
“I don’t know. You and Nick find something to do. Go watch another basketball game.” Jane could be stubborn if she wanted to be, and it was a bit comical watching the two argue like five-year-olds.
“No way, Emi’s with me. You find your own friend,” he retorted.