Double Booked

There was nothing in Sidney’s SUV to aid in drying their clothes.

With a forty minute ride back to the cabin, they had packed everything up as soon as possible, hopped in, blasted the heat, and drove forth. But not even the vents’ highest setting could dry their clothing any faster. They both sat dripping wet, soaking any and all surfaces they touched with lake water.

Nora supposed she could try to find the humor in their situation, but the chattering of her teeth kept her distracted. She toyed with the stereo a little bit as Sid drove, but could only get talk radio come in. Somewhere between a commercial for a local dentistry service and caller number four winning a free burger at the downtown grill, Sid slowed the vehicle to the side of a gravel road.

“What are you doing?” Nora asked, trying to run her hands through her tangled hair, but only making the knot bigger than it was.

“I can’t sit like this,” he admitted, throwing the vehicle in park and hopping out. “This is worse than soap monster in the locker room.”

She got out, too, already feeling the hefty amount of chaffing from her jeans. “Soap monster?” she questioned, yanking at her t-shirt so it wasn’t suction-cupped to her body. It flopped straight back in place.

He pulled at his own shirt, too. “It’s a thing some of the guys do in the showers,” he explained. “When they’re all soaped up and chase one of the rookies into a bear hug.”

Nora wrinkled her nose. “That sounds horrible.”

Sid laughed. “It is.”

Nora imagined that, but tried not to in full detail. What was it with men and locker rooms anyway? Even back in high school she remembered the tales of the boys’ locker room - the one place where ‘bro codes’ didn’t exist. “Where are we?” she made herself ask, trying to get the thought of naked, soaped up athletes out of her mind.

Sid shrugged; Nora could see each of his back muscles ripple beneath his white t-shirt. She drug her eyes away and took in her surroundings.

As far as she was concerned, they could have both dropped dead right there and no one would have found their bodies for at least two weeks. Maybe more. The only remnant of human activity was the worn trunk of a tree that had been chopped down ages ago.

“I feel like there should be an axe murderer here somewhere,” Nora joked, stepping forward while trying not to let her legs touch together. The last thing she needed was a sore red patch on either of her thighs from chaffing.

“Don’t jinx us,” Sidney warned, sounding like he was still back by the vehicle. Nora turned around just in time to see him peel that white shirt upward, exposing a perfect washboard of tan, tan, tan abs.

Maybe I’m better off dead, she thought, trying not to drool.

Sid caught her stunned eye and smirked. “Comfort over modesty,” he told her, laying the shirt over the open window of the vehicle to dry. His jeans shortly followed.

“What if someone drives by,” Nora whispered, a giggle threatening to break her composure. She was sure any axe murderer in the woods would be too stunned to go in for the kill now.

“Then they get to see two half-naked adults air drying in the woods,” he said with a shrug, adjusting his damp boxers around his waste. Thank god they were black, otherwise she’d be seeing everything he had to offer and then some through their damp fabric.

Nora scrunched her brow. “Two?” she questioned. Last time she checked, she was still fully clothed.

Sidney fixed his gaze on her. “You’re not telling me you’re staying in that?” he asked, though it sounded more like a challenge.

Nora arms crossed over her chest. “Modesty over comfort,” she mocked, standing her ground.

His brown eyes rolled at her. “I’ve already seen you naked once,” he reasoned with a convincing smirk.

Nora’s arms dropped from over her chest. Maybe it was the burning of wet jeans against tender skin thinking for her, but she reached for the hem of her shirt and pulled it from her body.

She pretended not to hear Sidney’s laugh as she undid the button on her jeans, too.

---

Staring isn’t polite.

The childhood rule stuck in his mind as he nevertheless watched Nora as she stepped forward to hang her own clothes over the door of the SUV. Her perky little breasts sat up in a pink-and-white polka dotted bra. Plaid green boy shorts covered her bottom half. But that was it - the rest was put on a perfect display for him. Her flat stomach. Her long, defined legs. She looked like she’d stepped out of some Victoria’s Secret photo shoot.

Don’t stare.

He averted his gaze obediently, searching their surroundings for something to do while they waited for their clothes to air out. “C’mon,” he told her, still carefully keeping his eyes on anything but her.

There was a group of four rocks not far from the road - tall, evenly shaped, smooth granite. It looked as if Paul Bunyan had come along with his axe and chopped its original form into quarters. Together, they were big enough to compare to a small house.

A hill ran up the side, making it easier for Sidney and Nora - Sid in his wet boots and Nora in flip flops - to make it onto the rocks. What a sight that would have been to see the two of them climbing rocks while half nude. The top was smooth and flat; they both sat down near the edge so their feet dangled off in midair.

It was silent for a while - what was there to talk about when there was such a lack of clothing? Sidney could see his SUV from where he sat, along with the clothes hanging off its opened windows. He hadn’t taken his phone with him, either, he realized, wondering about the time. It couldn’t be much later than two-

Oh yeah, my phone. Sidney cleared his throat. “My travel agent called me today.”

That caught Nora’s attention. She turned toward him, a quizzical look etched into her soft face. “And?”

For whatever reason, that look made his guilty conscience kick in. “She said she found another cabin for me to stay in,” he explained, watching her carefully.

She bounced her feet against the side of the rock as she watched him, too. “Are you going?”

The guilt cranked up a few notches at that. Why should he feel guilty, anyway? It’s not like he owed her anything by staying. So he shrugged slowly, halfway because he wanted to see her reaction at the possibility of him finally getting out of her hair.

Instead, she leaned over the space between them and pressed her lips to his.

---

Talk about an impulsive decision.

Ten seconds beforehand, she’d been admiring the surrounding Ponderosa pine trees. Now she was practically in Sidney’s lap with her tongue down his throat.

Okay, maybe it wasn’t that extreme. But still.

With all exaggeration aside, the kiss was nice. Really nice. His lips felt so soft against hers, she noticed, since she hadn’t given herself the chance to admire that fact the first time they had kissed. His hands, too. They were gripped gently on her waist, slowly pulling her closer against him yet keeping her steady on the rock. Just the feeling of his hands on her bare skin drove her to bury her own into his hair and open her lips into the kiss, letting their tongues meet.

Both were out of breath by the time they pulled back. It was a slow retreat - her lips were still dangerously near his as she opened her eyes to meet his. For a moment, she couldn’t quite gauge his expression. And then she caught on - smugness.

“You could have just said you didn’t want me to go,” he teased, his hands still on her waist.

Nora wriggled from his grasp. “No need to be cocky,” she accused, feeling the blush creep onto her cheeks. She searched his face though, her stomach still uneasy with the idea of him leaving. Four days prior, she would have given a left nut to get him out of her cabin if she’d have had one. Funny how it only took four days to change that. “You’re staying, though?” she asked before she could help himself.

He made a face as though he were seriously considering her question. “Fine,” he finally answered, like it were the biggest burden in the world to be stuck with her for the next week. But his smile told otherwise.

“Be nice,” she advised as she stood. She took a second to brush the twigs and dirt from her still-damp legs before going on. “I might even share the bed if you’re lucky.”

He smiled. “Then I’ll be on my best behavior.”