Things We Said Today

Chapter 7

The next day she woke up to some chatter in the room.  She opened her eyes to find Paul propped on his side talking to John across the room in the other bunk bed. 

"Sleeping beauty awakes." he smiled as he looked down at her.

"What time is it?" she asked. 

"Too late for breakfast." John said.  

"It was too late for breakfast when Kat and I dragged your sorry arses up to the room!" Neil commented from across the other side of the  room. 

"Can we bring the volume down just a bit..." George moaned from the bunk above John's.

"How did you ever get up there?" Katia laughed at George's expense.. "You guys were so drunk last night." 

"I've no idea...not much I can recall from the last part of the night." George confessed.   

"Yeah, me either..." John added.

Katia turned and looked at Paul.  "What about you?" 

"I remember I got up those steps." he answered winking at her. 

"Do you now?"

"Yep...I also remember I placed a bet last night...and it looks like I won."

"You didn't get up the stairs by yourself, Paul." Katia tried sounding convincing. 

Paul laughed. "You don't know how to lie, Kat. Of course I did." 

"Your word against mine." Katia responded. 

"Hey Neil!" Paul yelled across to him. 

"Shhhh!" George said lifting his head off the pillow. 

"Sorry, mate...Neil...come here for a sec."

Katia sat up as Neil walked over to John's bunk and sat down on it. 

"So...Kat here seems to want to make me believe I never got up those stairs on my own.  I know otherwise.  What's your verdict?"

"You got up those steps on your own." Neil smiled. 

"I knew it!  Now pay up!" Paul grinned.

"Wait wait!  What did I miss!" John exclaimed trying to keep up with the conversation. 

"Katia lost a bet with Paul last night.  Now he gets to kiss her." Neil summarized it. 

"Ha! This is worth getting up for." John chuckled. 

"Calm down..." Katia chuckled nervously. 

"A deal's a deal, love." George said smiling from the top bunk. 

"I thought you were hung over!" Katia said looking up at him. 

"I am, but like John said, this is worth getting up for." 

"I thought Paul would stop placing bets when it came to you after what happened last time...but I guess you can't lose them all...good deal, Paul!" 

"Thank you.  Thank you." 

Everyone was looking at Katia...waiting and expecting her and Paul to kiss.

"Well if you guys think this is happening now, you'll be very disappointed." she said standing up. 

"Hey!  A bet is a bet!" 

"I'm a woman of my word...but it's not happening now."

"Then you won't mind signing this contract..." Paul smiled.