Page 79 of Rhodes

“Maybe. Give me five.”

“For what?”

“To wake the fuck up, Coop. Damn, Bro.”

“You’re awake.”

“Barely. Go down there, and I’ll meet you if I decide I’m coming.”

“That means you’re bailing.”

“It means you literally woke me up. I want to splash some water on my face and brush my teeth. Is that too much to ask?”

“Asshole.”

“Hungover asshole.”

Coop laughs, then groans at himself. “Fine. Five minutes.”

“Go.”

“Bossy prick.”

“Get out of my room.”

I think Rhodes walks out with him because I don't hear any more conversation, just footsteps, then the heavy door shutting.

I don't move. I count to thirty, then again, and the room stays quiet. Finally, I unfold my body, my knees stiff from holding myself like that so tightly. I slip the dress over my head, holding it on my chest, and push the door open. Rhodes is in the middle of the room, holding the little paper cup Coop brought.

I look at the cup, then back at the door. "Why are you being weird?"

"Um, I don't know. Maybe because your brother almost walked in on you in my bed."

"Yeah, and then I sat in fetal position on a cold tile floor while y'all talked about the size of coffee in Europe. Zip me up."

He turns me around and pulls the zipper up my back while I pick up the cup from the table and take a sip.

"You did great. I barely heard your heart trying to break your ribs," he says with a smile I've known my entire life, but now is somehow more endearing.

A laugh cracks out of me, and I slap a hand over my mouth, which only makes it worse.

"You think it's funny. I aged a decade. I looked my best friend in the eye and told him I had to piss so I couldn't hang with him. Which, I do have to piss, by the way."

"Go," I say, dropping to the edge of the bed. "Then you need to distract Cooper long enough for me to get back to my villa without walking straight into him wearing last night's dress."

He steps past me into the bathroom, and I can't help but hear him peeing. I don't know why, but I'm more shy about that than the fact that he saw me naked and called my name while I came.

"I'll coax him to the pool, and you can go around the back way. I doubt anyone else is up at this hour," he calls from the cracked door.

"Okay. Let's go. I'm getting anxious."

"Let's go," Rhodes says, coming out of the bathroom. He leans down and kisses me like we’ve been doing this forever. Five minutes ago I was straddling him, and now we're planning separate escape routes like criminals.

I already miss five minutes ago. I don't think we're going back there, and a part of me already mourns it.

"Why'd we do that?” I ask. "Hide, I mean."

He thinks about it.