𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙨 - 𝚛𝚊𝚖𝚒 𝚖𝚊𝚕𝚎𝚔

take you with me.

I look for my pieces of clothing scattered around the room, while Rami puts on his pants again. I end up turning around in bed until I can put on my shoes. I drink the rest of my latte and eat some grapes.

Rami sits in the middle of the bed, with satisfaction stamped on her face. A smile on his side shows up on his face, while he sees me putting on my shoes, clumsy. I adjust my dress and look for my cell phone. Last night, I must have taken it out of my dress pocket while we were making out.

"What about Joe?" I ask, going to the door.

"He's in another hotel and he's already going back home," he answers, sitting cross-legged on the bed.

"Okay then, I'll take a shower and pack my bags right away," I say to him, touching the doorknob. But before I open it, he interrupts me: "Aren't you forgetting something?" he asks, in a tone of sarcasm.

I turn to him and before anything else, I look around the room looking for something when I know what he means. I walk up to him quickly, lean my weight on the bed, and kiss him quickly on the lips.

He laughs happily and before I leave, I see my cell phone on a small table next to the door. I went down to get my cell phone and my room card right underneath it. I open the door and blow a kiss to Rami before I leave.

I check the hallway to see if anyone can see me leaving his room. Not that I'm embarrassed to be seen leaving his room, but what it might mean to others. The hallway is empty. I walk into my room and insert the card and open the door. I come across my room the same way I left it, with my coat hanging sloppily from the back of the chair.

I go into the bathroom and soon I undress. The bathroom in particular is colder than the bedroom, due to the tiles that cover the whole. During the hot bath, I remember the night I had. I remember the request for dating and us lost through the streets of Oslo, the yellowish light from the lamp in his room, illuminating his sweaty skin while he fucked me hard.

I see myself rubbing my hands over my body, imagining his on my skin, as if I couldn't get enough of him. I distance myself from these thoughts and finish my bath.

The cars that brought us from the airport the day we arrived in Oslo are waiting for us in front of the building. I give my card to the brunette receptionist with short, voluminous hair, who looks at me almost with admiration. I am the last to check out, while everyone is already packing their bags in the cars. A gentle smile comes from the receptionist, who wishes me a good trip in an English with almost no accent at all.

I take a few steps out of the building and feel a warm breeze blow my wet hair. Rami waits for me near the open car door, while Ana is already sitting in the front with the driver, eating a cereal bar. He makes a gesture for me to get into the car first, but first, I look one last time at the hotel street and the people walking by us, some of whom I've seen here before. I get in the car.

We do the same route we did when we arrived, passing through the same buildings and tolls. Rami made a video call with Joe on the way. As I see it, we are already on the private airstrip, right next to the city airport. They unload their bags on the jet that already awaits us and for a moment, I feel that this place is already very important to me. Everything that happened to me and the person who could share all this made this trip as intimate as possible.

The warm breeze is stronger now, blowing my hair more violently. I look at the sunny sky and the long clouds, contemplating for a moment the solid ground before facing hours of flight.

Rami is already heading for the stairs extended at the aviation door, with his hand luggage. Cary walks beside him, talking about something while patting on Rami's back, friendly. The two share smiles and climb the stairs as I enjoy the Norwegian summer for a few more moments.