“They were giving them out on the plane ride over,” Deiss says, coming up behind me.
Mac looks intrigued, like he doesn’t believe him, but he’d like to.
“They gave me an option,” I agree. “Beef and a spray tan or chicken and freckles.”
“Both only last for six to eight washes,” Deiss says.
“We should start an airline that really does that,” Mac says.
“We can call it the Sky Spa,” Simone says. Her focus shifts to me. “I heard your room fell through last night. How awful! You could’ve stayed with me, you know.”
I blink in surprise. I can’t help wondering whether her sudden generosity is due to my need or the fact that she doesn’t like the idea of me staying with Deiss any more than Phoebe did. That’s unfair, though. Simone has always been generous in her own way. I can’t count the number of times she’s claimed a beautiful dress wasn’t her color or lamented the way it hung on her figure, insisting I take it off her hands. Miraculously, this always seems to happen right when I’m getting ready for a date or some other social event. Also miraculous: this trend started right after the first time she and I went shopping, when Simone ended the day with her arms full of bags and I hadn’t even been able to find a decent pair of earrings that wouldn’t max out my card.
“Really?” I hesitate. As much as I don’t relish a night of walking on eggshells and attempting to sleep to the blare of Disney music, it’s probably best to get some space from Deiss. “Well, Phoebe and I searched everywhere online, but we couldn’t find any vacancies for tonight.”
“Seriously?” Simone shakes her head. “You finally make it out of the country, and nothing is going right.”
“At least I made it,” I say. “But I will need someplace to stay tonight.”
“Oh.” Simone’s sympathy quickly transitions into a look of surprise, then unease. “Well, I’m sure you’re all set up and comfortable in Deiss’s room now. And I doubt I could even find the other bed in my room under all of the clothes. Why scrunch them up into drawers when you can lay them out and let them breathe, right?”
“Right.” I grin in spite of the round-about rebuff.
We are who we are. Even Simone’s fear of me sharing a bed with Deiss can’t overcome her need to have a Simone-specific space. I have no doubt she’d be willing to pay for any one of us to get our own room, but sharing is just a little bit further than she’s capable of going. I can relate, if for different reasons.
“I guess we’re still roomies,” Deiss says.
“Just for one more night,” I clarify. Phoebe and I might not have been able to find an available room, but we were able to book a single-person tent for tomorrow’s safari.
“That’s probably best,” Deiss says. “Too much time alone together might tempt you.”
“Tempt you to what?” Simone’s nose tilts up, like a dog catching the scent of something.
I shoot Deiss a warning look, but he just smiles.
“Apparently,” he says casually, “my sexual allure is so staggering, our Ice Queen had to make a vow to Phoebe that she wouldn’t succumb to it.”
Simone gasps.
“Wrong,” I say. “First, it was not a vow. It was a pact. Second, it wasn’t about you or your sexual allure. It was about you and Mac.”
“So, you’re tempted to sleep with Mac, too?” He looks over at a very astonished Mac and nods in a congratulatory way. “Nice.”
“Wait,” Mac says before I can speak. “You’re into me?”
“No,” I say firmly.
He shakes his head, seeming not to have heard me. “I knew this face was going to get me into trouble. I can’t control it, you know. I was just born with it.”
“Please,” Phoebe says. “I’ve seen pictures of you with braces and enough dots of acne cream across your forehead that it looked like you were being treated for poison ivy.”
“Well, that didn’t stop Liv from wanting to sleep with me.”
“I do not want to sleep with you!” I inhale deeply and lower my voice. “Phoebe and I were simply agreeing that we’d never do anything to mess up the dynamic of the group, which happens to include—”
“Getting naked with us,” Mac interrupts.
“It’s smart of you,” Deiss says, his lip curling smugly, “to recognize your weakness in the face of such temptation.”