Say Please

Focus

We quietly rode the elevator up to the twentieth floor, waiting to see what our lodging for the next two days looked like. Bri booked a suite, no doubt after we had a conversation about my feelings toward Chan. I pulled out my phone and shot her a message.

Skye: A fucking suite? Dude how do you expect me to live like this.

Bri: I expect you to fuck him. And now you are sharing a space. You're WELCOME. Don't worry, it's two bedrooms so you can at least get some space there. But you should try and walk out in your underwear one night. Just see how he reacts. :)

Skye: You're too much.

Bri: LOL I know. I love youuuuuu!

Skye: Love you too.

"Are you okay?" Chan asked as the elevator opened, his eyes soft as he searched mine for an answer.

"Yes, I'm fine," I smiled, thankful that he was even thinking of me. "You'll just have to deal with my mess I guess.

We wandered until we found our room. Chan held the door open so I could enter first. I took in our suite with awe. It was absolutely beautiful. Straight across there were floor to ceiling windows that overlooked downtown LA. A wide couch sat perpendicular to the windows. Around the corner was a small kitchen with a full coffee bar—thank god for that—and a small storage closet.

To the left and to the right were bedrooms with doors of their own. Chan went left, I went right, claiming a bedroom for ourselves. Mine was sleek: modern black furniture and dark walls were a stark contrast to the bright lights of California that poured through the windows. Each bedroom came with its own bathroom—another saving grace.

"See? I won't even have to deal with your mess," Chan chimed from across the room.

"Just wait til you see what I do with the kitchen," I retorted. Imagine what both of you could do in that kitchen... I brushed off the intrusive thought, not letting myself spend every moment fantasizing about what—and where—Chan and I could do.

I wandered to the open windows of the living room and gazed as far as I could into the city and beyond. It was really nice here. Other than the insane heat that I would have to endure, it was pretty. A different kind of Seattle.

"What time does our—" I faltered as I turned around. Chan's eyes quickly pivoted from my ass up to meet mine. I quickly composed myself and continued, "our convention opening event start tonight?"

"Six I think." He flipped through stapled papers that Voss had provided. "Yeah, it says there's an 'opening dinner and ceremony.'" It was a bit past three right now, plenty of time to get ready with leisure.

"Okay perfect. I'll probably take a shower. Flying in planes always makes me feel gross. Do you want to leave at five? I think it's a thirty minute walk from here. And with traffic, that might be the quickest option."

He folded his arms across his chest and raised an eyebrow. "How long have you been going through all of this in your mind?"

"Er, a while," I laughed. "If you don't know that about me by now, are we even friends?"

Chan faked a heart attack with full dramatics. "That hurts my pride. Can we make a deal this weekend?" As if he caught my thoughts beginning to wander, he interjected, "and chill, it's nothing serious."

"What then?"

"Can you let me handle all the stressful things? You just... have fun. Even though we haven't worked with each other for that long, I can tell you're an over thinker. Leave that to me this weekend."