Holly Garland on Santa's Lap [COMPLETE]

CHAPTER 8 ~Holly night~

We get to the door of our room, and Nick swipes the keycard. The light flashes green, and we head inside, taking a quick look around.

A bed, two nightstands, a small table, two chairs, a built-in closet, and a bathroom connected.

"No TV?!" Nick complains.

"No couch..." I chime in, sounding just as disappointed.

"Oh, so you were gonna make me sleep on the couch? Not happening, Ginger! The only thing you can negotiate is which side of the bed you want. I'll let you pick first."

"How generous of you," I tease. "But actually, I'd rather call dibs on the bathroom," I add, flopping onto the bed to kick off my heels. "And guess what? You're not winning this one. You know why? One, my feet are killing me—seriously, like, about to fall off. Two, I haven't showered in two days, and don't even get me started on my breath and these clothes. And three, I'm exhausted, and as much as I pretended earlier, I'm starving. This is the worst birthday ever! Well... except for that one time I got bit by a copperhead on a hike."

"What? Are you serious?" Nick asks, looking at me like I'm crazy.

"I swear! The paramedic said it was because the weather was too warm, so the snake hadn't hibernated yet, and—"

"No way! Hold up," he interrupts, a bit annoyed. "It's really your birthday?"

"Uh, yeah, why?"

"Why didn't you say something?"

"Oh, right, I totally should've told you at midnight while we were dodging bullets from that psycho! Or maybe this afternoon, right after he shoved a gun in my ribs and you scared the hell out of me sneaking up from behind! Yeah, that would've been the perfect moment. My bad..."

"Oh... Ginger. I'm really sorry. If I'd known, I would've—"

"Would've what?" I ask, feeling a little mad for no reason. "Ordered a cake and hung up some streamers so I could blow out the candles while the staff sang and clapped? We didn't have any cash, Nick. Plus, it's not like we had no other priorities, right? Look, it wouldn't have changed anything if I'd told you. I didn't expect anything. It's just another crappy day in a long list of crappy days. I'm fine. I'll be better after a hot bath and some sleep. Sorry..."

I brush past him, head to the bathroom, and lock the door behind me.

I didn't mean to snap, but like I said—I'm at my breaking point. I just need a little space from him for a bit. We've only known each other for less than 24 hours, and yet, we've barely been apart. Plus, this whole closeness thing between us is happening way too fast for comfort.

I push it all aside and start filling the tub, pouring in a hefty amount of the bubble bath the hotel provides. It's not a luxury suite, but compared to a night spent in the car, it's practically paradise!

I dump my sweaty clothes on the floor and slide into the hot water, groaning with relief.

It's pure bliss.

After a few minutes of just lying there and breathing with my eyes shut, I start washing up before the water gets cold.

When I finally get out of the bath, clean and refreshed, wrapped in a fluffy white towel, I look down at my dirty clothes on the tile and cringe. No way am I putting those back on—not like this...

Even though I'm dead tired, I force myself to wash them now. I'll be glad I did later.

I use the soap from the hotel to scrub everything, even my one and only pair of underwear. What choice do I have? Once they're wrung out, I hang them over the towel rack above the tub.