Tae picked Tia up at the airport at six-thirty the next evening. He took her straight to the hotel. He had decided that they would stay in this evening. He knew that she would be tired from the long flight. But he had something very special planned for tomorrow night.
Tonight, he had decided to order room service once Tia had settled in. A few minutes after dropping her off, he walked to her hotel room. He was wearing a heavy disguise tonight. He had huge sunglasses on, and he had the hood of his sweatshirt pulled nearly all the way down his face. He also was wearing disreputable-looking sweats with his baggy sweatshirt. No Gucci boy here. He was being very careful not to be recognized. Just in case, he had dropped her a block from the hotel and told her to meet him in her room. He didn’t want to be seen walking into a hotel with her. He’d handed her one of the room cards and kept the second for himself.
Now, he opened the door and stepped into the room. The bathroom door was shut, and he could hear the shower running. But he saw Tia’s purse sitting on the dresser, so he knew he had the right room. He put her suitcase on the floor in the corner of the bedroom. Then he crossed the room and shut the blinds. He sprawled on the bed and closed his eyes. He’d had all day to rest. Why was he still so tired? He had been looking forward to tonight all week. Now, he just had to stay awake long enough to enjoy Tia’s company.
As she showered, Tae dozed. A few minutes later, she stepped from the shower. Only to realize her clean clothes were with Tae. Wrapping herself tightly in the skimpy towel, she peeked her head out around the bathroom door.
“Tae?” she whispered.
No response.
She opened the door and slipped slowly out into the room. That’s when she noticed that Tae was sound asleep. She smiled. Poor guy. His trip must have exhausted him. Jet lag twice in less than a week. She felt for him. She was pretty tired herself. She walked over to her suitcase and picked it up. She carried it into the bathroom and closed the door.
A few moments later, she emerged, freshly showered and dressed in clean clothes. She heaved a sigh of relief. It felt good to be wearing her pajamas. She had purchased Tata’s BT21 silky pjs. She loved them. She slid her hand across the arm of her sleeve. Smooth, cool fabric delighted her fingers.
She glanced at Tae. He had told her that he planned to order them room service tonight. She found the menu and ordered some things she thought they would both enjoy. Then she lay down on the bed next to Tae. She awoke to the sound of someone knocking a half hour later. Groggily, she sat up.
She glanced over at Tae. He was still fast asleep. She covered his face with the blanket. She knew he was being very careful not to be seen with her. She got up and headed for the door. She accepted the room service tray and thanked the server before shutting the door. She turned around and walked over to the nightstand. She put the tray down and removed the lids from the dishes. It all looked and smelled delicious.
Her stomach suddenly rumbled. She hadn’t realized how hungry she was until this very moment. She sat down on the bed and helped herself to both dishes. Fifteen minutes later, she looked over at Tae. Was he snoring? She realized she’d never removed the blanket from his head. She reached out and pulled it back to reveal him lying with his mouth open. He was snoring! Did he always do that?
She looked down at the food left on the two plates. She was still hungry. She’d eaten very little on the plane. She shrugged her shoulders and stuck her fork into the succulent steak. No use letting this food get cold. Or go to waste.
When she’d polished off both plates of food, she put the dishes back on the tray and scooted down in the bed. She turned towards Tae. No use wasting this opportunity either. He was lying on his back. She lay down next to him, picked up his arm, and tucked herself under it, then she pillowed her head on his chest. She closed her eyes and fell promptly to sleep.
