The Switch

Chapter Seven | Surprise Brain Freeze

I awoke to the sound of my phone buzzing, making a hollow sound on the nightstand. The sun peeked through the curtains, illuminating the hotel room in a golden light.

I rolled over with a groan and stretched, an unearthly sound escaping my lips. Groggily, I reached out my hand from beneath the sheet, slapping the top of the table until I found my phone.

It was a text from an unknown number.

good morning sleeping beauty :)

I smiled, all drowsiness vanishing as my eyes flitted across the words. What a perfect thing to wake up to. Nick. It had to be. My heart gave an involuntary flutter. Now how to respond? It couldn't be too flirty, but also needed to address the fact that he compared me to a princess.

good morning my prince :)

Perfect. I sent the text and leaned back to rest against the headboard. My stomach already had butterflies, and it was only... I lazily turned my head to check the clock. My eyes widened. It was already noon?

I scrambled out of bed and rushed to the bathroom. The hotel light was blinding, illuminating the small but quaint bathroom that I would be using for the next several days. A lacy white curtain covered the bathtub, and fluffy towels hung on the rack by the toilet. The gold-rimmed sink had a crystal knob, and lavender soap sat on the granite countertop nearby.

I squinted into the mirror, trying to flatten my rat's nest of hair. Having to deal with bed head was one thing that I didn't miss. Although, it was similar to the tangles that we got while swimming in the waves. Those cliché pictures of mermaids brushing their hair all the time were definitely true. If we didn't brush our hair, we would look like seaweed monsters, and no one wanted that.
I turned on the shower to get the water warm as I undressed. Once steam had started to fog up the mirror, I stepped into the shower and sighed as warm water hit my back. I relished the feeling of the droplets rolling down my skin, steam warming my face.

I quickly washed my hair with the generic hotel shampoo and conditioner. It smelled like baby powder. I made a mental note to pick up some better smelling toiletries. At least they had lavender body wash. The towel felt like a cloud as I stepped out of the shower and into the steamy room. My phone lit up again, with two messages this time.

i like the sound of that :)

hey what time would u like to meet?

I considered. One o'clock seemed like a good ice cream date time, right?

is one ok?

He replied as I was brushing my teeth.

sounds good :)

I smiled and hugged my phone to my chest, doing a small spin, almost knocking the picture frame off the wall. I felt so happy to be alive right at that moment. I wrapped my hair in a smaller towel, squeezing out all the moisture. I took the towel off and shook my head upside down, letting it drip onto the tile. Brushing it out first, I let my hair air-dry. I had learned that trick a few years ago. Letting my air dry naturally let my natural waves appear, giving me an effortlessly beachy look. I never failed to notice that other girls seemed jealous of the way my hair fell naturally.

Choosing out my outfit was difficult. I didn't want to seem too dressed up, but also didn't want to be too casual. Eventually, I settled on a blue flowery top and jean shorts with black Vans. Cute, but casual. I glanced at the clock one more time - it was 12:53 - grabbed my purse, and headed downstairs to wait for Nick.
* * *
He was already waiting for me when the elevator doors opened, leaning against one of the leather armchairs in the lobby. He didn't notice me approaching at first, as he stared out the window at the light filtering in from outside. My footsteps echoed in the quiet space, and he whipped his head around. As soon as he saw me, his face split into a huge grin. He took in my outfit, looking me up and down, but not in a creepy or sexual way.