Hoax

Chapter thirty-five

Estelle Adler 

I will never get sick of the sight of New York city in the dusk and this evening is no exception.

Our flight landed at JKF airport about an hour ago, and we're now in a taxi on the way to our hotel.

I think I managed to hide my fear of flying pretty well with Harry; I knocked back a couple of sleeping pills and managed to rest for the majority of the flight.

Up until recently, the thought of being on a plane with Harry for five hours would be a nightmarish situation.

Now, as I sit in the Taxi, unscathed by the flight, part of me wishes I'd have been awake for the plane journey.

We could have chatted, we could have bonded, we could have talked about us.

That said, my plane anxiety would not allow me the privilege and I'm actually pretty grateful for the few hours rest I managed to get.

"Oo Mo's Sushi!" I exclaim, watching the light up sign whizz past the car window.

"Huh?"

I turn to look at Harry, discovering he's looking down at his phone.

"Nothing...just a Sushi restaurant I went to last time I was in the city" I elaborate. "It's the best"

"You like sushi?" Harry asks, though I'm unable to tell whether he's interested or bored.

"Yeah" I reply shortly.

I shoot him a little smile, before turning back towards the window.

"We should get some tonight" He states suddenly.

My heart lurches slightly.

"You like sushi too?" I ask, unable to stop myself.

Harry nods with a smirk ghosting his lips; like his answer was obvious.

I simply smile.

Soon enough, I'm grateful for the sight of our hotel, the Carlyle, in the distance.

Comfortable silence plagues Harry and me, as we pull up in front of the hotel, unpack the car and head towards the front desk.

We check in, with a numerous fleeting looks and whispers from fellow guests around us before we head up to our room.

"Floor fifty-four" Harry comments casually, "Almost penthouse, baby"

I belt out a laugh in order to cover the way my stomach swirls at the use of a pet name which seems to frequent Harry's vocabulary more and more.

Once the elevator opens, we successfully manage to navigate to our room which is almost three times as big as the one we shared for Lucy's wedding.

As we walk in, there's an ensuite, an open-plan living area with a few couches, a small kitchen area and behind two slide-opening doors, a massive double bed.

As soon as I notice the double bed, my eyes are drawn to Harry to gage his reaction at having to share a bed.

For some reason, I was expecting a look of distain to take over his expression, but I fail to notice even a shred of annoyance on his face.

As I mull over the strangeness of this, Harry strides back into the main area of our room and wheels our suitcases into the bedroom.

"I'm gonna unpack" Harry states. "Then food?"

I look at him, taken a back by the casualness of his tone.

He stares back at me; hair floppy, eyes piercing, lips so temptingly pink, I have the sudden urge to kiss them immediately.