The end of White Christmas played on the television while I listened to Tess softly breathing. Night was falling, and the room was getting darker, but she still slept. As the credits rolled, I reached for the remote and was about to change the channel when she rolled over and stretched.
"What time is it?" she asked in a sleepy voice.
"Almost six," I answered, checking my watch.
"Oh...," she said, sitting up and looking around the room. "Why didn't you wake me up. I slept the entire day away."
"You needed your rest." I shrugged. "I'd be lying if I said I didn't nap as well."
"Yeah, but you didn't sleep the entire day away, did you?" she asked, kicking off the covers and sitting up on the edge of the bed. She ran her fingers through her messed-up hair and let out a yawn. "We should get out, take a walk, and maybe get some food. You’re probably starving."
I chuckled. "Well, the hotel apparently booked us in for dinner downstairs in the restaurant at seven thirty," I said, getting up and grabbing the reminder card that someone had slid under the door while we'd been sleeping. I held it up for her to see.
"Oh God, I forgot all about that. We don't have to eat there. That was Derrick's idea. He was the one who secured the meal with his credit card."
I sat up, keenly interested, and leaned forward, resting my forearms on my thighs. "Is that so?"
"Yes, he didn't think we would want to go out on our first night here. Or perhaps he just didn't want to take me out." She shrugged.
"I see. Well, that was big of him, wasn’t it?” I gave her a crooked smile. “Before we decide on where we are eating, I want to make one rule for the rest of this trip."
"What's that?"
"I don't want to hear his name leave your lips again. You can call him anything you want, except his name."
Tess let out a little laugh and shook her head. "You are too much."
"I may be, but he upset you, and even though he is my best friend, he has downright pissed me off. So, from now moving forward, his name does not leave your lips. Now, get up and get yourself dressed."
"What for? Where are we going?" she questioned, looking down at her herself. “Let’s just order in room service or something from a restaurant close by,” she insisted.
I shook my head and held up the invitation and threw it over by where she sat on the bed, a grin on my face. "Nope, we are going to enjoy a dinner on that bastard. You said his credit card holds the reservation right, so..."
Tess let out an adorable giggle and buried her face in her hands. I couldn’t help but smile. I loved hearing her laugh.
"Listen, I'm going to hit that shower," I said, getting up and making my way into the bathroom. "Get yourself dressed." I winked as I walked past her, shutting the door.
I’d realized as I shaved I’d left my clothes hanging in the closet, so I splashed some cologne on my neck and wrapped a towel securely around my waist and opened the bathroom door. Tess was sitting at the desk writing something down, her back to me.
"Bathroom is free," I said, expecting her to get up and go in as I made my way over to the closet where I'd hung most of my clothes.
"Great," she mumbled, not paying any attention to me.
I pulled my dress pants and a shirt from the hanger and turned around, expecting her to be gone. However, she sat there, her cheeks slightly flushed, her eyes running over my body, finally landing on the knot at the side of the towel. Her eyes travelled back up my body and she bit her lower lip. She met my eyes and noticed I'd been watching her. She cleared her throat, and got up nervously, walking over to her bag. "Great, um, I'll just be a few minutes."
"Take your time."
She grabbed the dress that lay at the foot of the bed and her bag and, without looking at me again, made her way into the bathroom, shutting the door behind her.
Tess
I took a moment and leaned against the cold wooden door of the bathroom. Maddox was right, Derrick was history, and I needed to stop mentioning him. I closed my eyes and took a deep, cleansing breath and, in that moment, the scent of his cologne filled my nostrils as I tried hard to put what I had just seen out of my mind. His strong shoulders, that wide chest, those rock-hard abs, and that spattering of hair that led down, way down below the towel that wrapped around his waist. Derrick was history.
"Stop it, Tess," I whispered to myself. "You're only six weeks out of a relationship, and you're just feeling lonely because it’s Christmas and because you’re looking for a way to get back at Derrick." Yet, when I closed my eyes again, the only thing I saw was Maddox, standing there in that white towel, looking deliciously sexy, his blue eyes focused on me.
I shook the vision from my head and walked over to the mirror and fixed my hair, quickly doing my makeup. I picked up the dress I'd placed on the counter, quickly sliding into it, and looked at myself in the mirror. I smoothed the sides of the green silky fabric over my curves, and then stood back and looked at myself in the mirror. I'd purchased this dress strictly for this trip, and at the time, I had loved how the fabric clung to my body. Now it did nothing but make me feel self-conscious. I let out a sigh. It would have to do, I thought to myself, then I slipped my feet into my black heels, turned, and looked at myself once again, trying to find the courage to open that bathroom door.
You look fine. Now enjoy dinner and forget about it all. I let out a breath, ran my hand over the sides of the dress once again, turned, and pulled the door open and stepped into the room.
My eyes moved instantly to Maddox, who stood with his back to me. He looked different as he stood before me wearing dark dress pants and a white dress shirt. He turned around and stopped buttoning his shirt, his eyes lingering on me.
"Wow," he whispered under his breath, his eyes dancing over me as he swallowed hard.
"What?" I asked, looking down at myself for fear something was out of place.
"Tess, you look...gorgeous."
I could feel my face heat at his words. I wasn’t used to compliments; Derrick never handed them out. "Thank you, but..."
He held up his hands, stopping me from saying any more. "I mean it, Tess, you look amazing." He walked over, his eyes glued to me, and took my hand, spinning me around.
"Thank you. You look good yourself," I replied, our eyes locked as something unsaid passed between us. "We should get going." I glanced to the clock, trying to shake off the uncomfortable feeling I could only describe as attraction.
"Let's, shall we," he said while he finished buttoning his shirt before reaching for his wallet and the room key from the small desk. His eyes washed over me once more before he pulled the room door open. He held the door for me while I walked into the hallway, and together, we made our way down to the restaurant.
I sat listening with my undivided attention as Maddox finished his story during dinner. It was refreshing listening to him. He was so different from Derrick. His stories were entertaining, funny, and he answered every question I had, never getting annoyed that I had interrupted him.