Watch, But Won't Touch

I didn't know how much time we had left to spear, but we were back at the hotel and standing outside my room as I knocked to be let back in, before Dad made any phone calls to find out where we were.

He opened the door and looked us over before looking a bit more relieved and letting us in. The tv was paused on a still image belonging to a dog food commercial.

"Everything good?" Dad asked as he closed the door and I walked into the dark bathroom to put my towel with the other things we had to wash.

"Yeah," Kent and I answered at the same time. Dad looked at the two of us again, even if his eyes had to look from one side of the room to the next to see both of us.

"Are you hanging out here for a while?" he asked Kent as I sat down on my bed.

"I don't mind," Kent said with a shrug as I looked up at him standing next to me. "If you don't mind," he quickly added on. I looked at my Dad as we waited for his answer.

"I don't mind," Dad said as he walked past us. Kent now sat down next to me and bumped his shoulder into mine.

"The ice creams are in the fridge," he continued as he reached for the tv remote before taking his seat again.

"Thanks," I told him as I got up. "Do you want your ice cream too?" I asked Kent as I heard the channels being clicked through as different sounds filled the room.

"Yeah. Thanks," Kent answered from somewhere behind me. "Where are your spoons?" he asked as he came closer.

"Spoons?" I asked myself as I started to look around. "Oh," I said as I looked down. "They're right here," I told him as I bent to open the fridge and pull out our frozen treats. As I stood upright I felt his warmth touch my back.

"I got the spoons," Kent told me as he reached around my body to pick up the plastic-wrapped utensils while he held my bare waist with his other hand. I shivered a little as his breath skated down my neck. "You should hurry up and close the fridge, you are starting to shiver," he joked before stepping away.

I turned and watched Kent as he walked back towards my bed before I quickly closed the fridge and followed after him. We sat on my bed again and he handed me a spoon as I handed him, his strawberry ice cream. He placed a spoon in my mouth so he could take the container. I grinned around the plastic until I took it out of my mouth.

I pulled my feet up onto the bed and crossed them in front of me giving me a space to place the ice cream. I was ripping the seal off when I heard something I recognized coming from the tv. I looked up to see Jeff Goldblum, then I remembered the movie. Independence Day. The first one.

"Good movie," Kent said before he placed his spoon into his mouth as he started to eat.

"I think both are good," I said knowing that a lot of people didn't like the second one for some reason.

"Really?" Kent asked me. But instead of starting up a conversation to find out why I thought that, he smiled in my direction before turning to watch the tv.

I worked my spoon into the ice cream to soften it up a little and then moved it around to get as much of everything in my first bite as possible. As I had my first taste, I saw the stripper telling her friend not to go out that night. Dad had found it early and we all stayed quiet as it continued to play. Kent and I ate as much of our ice cream as we dared while watching the movie. Dad got up a few times to get something to drink and use the bathroom, but he wasn't distracting.

When the end came I looked over at the clock and Kent stood. It was nine twenty-four.

"So what time are you leaving tomorrow?" Dad asked him. I turned and saw both of them as they walked towards the door.

"It's only a three-hour drive back, but I have a few things that need to be done before work the next day," Kent answered. "So I'm going to check out after I grab something from the buffet breakfast downstairs," he ended as Dad opened the door.

"I'll walk you to the elevator," I quickly said as I placed my ice cream on the side table.

"No further than the elevator," Dad said as he gave me the look. I said nothing as I waited. "Fine," he eventually said. "And grab a shirt," Dad told me as I started to follow Kent out into the hallway. I turned back and grabbed the first one that I saw.

"Oh, did I give you my address?" Kent asked as we walked down the hallway towards the elevator.

"No, I don't think so," I answered him. What would I have needed that for? It's not like I was going to send him letters. I don't think I've ever sent anyone a letter.

"I'll just text it to you later," he says as he pushes the down button. I shrugged my shoulders. I didn't care.

"And you will send me yours?" Kent asked as he placed his hand under my chin to raise my eyes a little higher, so I was looking into his face.

"Sure," I told him, not caring if he knew.

"So what will you be going back home too?" he now asked me as he dropped his hand. I continued to look him in the eye until we both heard something fall and looked down the hallway. No one was there.

"Just some homework," I told him already dreading the one essay that I started but didn't finish. I think I had two more pages to write on that thing. At least it was all research. I might be able to get some help from- the ding from the elevator interrupted my thoughts.

"I'll see you later then," Kent told me as he took a step onto the elevator before he reached back for me and pulled me close for a kiss on my forehead.

"When will I see you again?" I asked him as he continued to hold me close.

"I'll surprise you," he said before he stepped inside and letting me go so the doors could close. I walked back to my room wondering if the whole talk about addresses was his way to get mine without making a big deal out of it. My mind reeled with the possibilities of what could happen with him showing up at my house. Staying at my house. Having sex with me inside my house.

When I got back to my room the door was open so I just pushed my way in.

"I found Independence Day 2 if you want to watch it," Dad informed me as I closed the door.

"Sure," I said as I walked back over to my bed and picked up what was left of my ice cream as Dad started the movie.

* * * *

Everyone stopped by our room, except Kent, when they got ready to leave the next day. First, it was Sam. He sneaked in a kiss when my Dad's back was turned, though it wasn't necessary, and he handed me his e-mail address. He said if I ever wanted to ask or tell him anything, I could.

Then it was Jimmy. He told me how it was he and my Dad that had set this whole thing up, and that he was glad he did. I was cool and cute it tuned out. I told him thanks. He also gave me a post-it note with his email. He said he wanted me to have it just in case. I thanked him before kissing him. I didn't have to care if Dad was watching or not. For how Jimmy kissed me back, I don't think he cared either.

Last, but not least, was Robin. He said that he likes to sleep in, so he was waiting until the last hour to check out. I told him it was a good plan. Although my plans, which aren't really planned at all, didn't end up giving me that much time to get ready.

When the guys were gone, and I had three pieces of different kinds of paper with their e-mail addresses, we decided to explore the hotel since this was our last day. I fished through my backpack until I found my wallet to put the e-mail addresses in. It had my school ID, my library card, a credit card with a two hundred dollar limit for emergencies, a blood donation card showing my blood type, and two photographs. One of me and Mom right after I was born and one of me and Dad after my Junior High graduation.

First, we went to the roof where there was suppose to be a green space, and we found one. It wasn't what we expected, but it was quite nice. Most of the center area was shaded with sails. Well, I called them sails. They were over the tables, chairs, and benches. The circular bar in the middle had its own wooden roof that the sails were anchored to. Around most of the perimeter were tall trees, shrubs, and bushes. I was going to say all around the perimeter, but then I saw a few people walking through an opening in the trees. I walked in front of Dad as I went to see what was back there.

There were another ten to fifteen feet before we got to the edge that was lined with a wooden railing. The space was split between a wide lawn path and a walkway that ran the length of the roof, in front of the railing for as far as I could see.

"Want to see if it goes all the way around?" Dad asked when he stood looking at the group of sunbathers who were on the right side of the opening. Two girls and a guy.

"Which direction?" I asked him. Both ways looked the same except for the different people laying on the grass. While I looked both ways, Dad picked one and I followed.

"We could have been up here instead of going to the beach," he said after we passed the second entrance into this sunning area.

"Yeah, less sand," I told him as I saw a lady unclip the back of her bra while hiding her breasts before lying down again.

"But the drive was nice," Dad said before he came to a stop causing me to almost bump into him. "This is interesting," he said before I looked around him to see what was so fascinating. I looked up before I looked back down at the sign. I had been watching the people laying around us, so I didn't see the fake greenery of a fence that looked to be seven feet tall. The sign said that this was the entrance to the nude sunbathing area.

"Where to now?" I asked Dad as I looked back the way we came.

"How about lunch in the restaurant downstairs. Then the spa, before we head back to our room to watch some more movies?" he asked as he turned back around.

"I thought you said the spa was too expensive?" I asked as we started to walk back towards an opening in the trees.

"I said the heated pool was too expensive," Dad clarified. "But I asked the staff, and the price I read on the website was for one of their expensive bundle sessions with access to the indoor heated pool included," he explained.

"So we can use the indoor pool?" I asked as I saw myself floating in some kind of huge roman-looking bath-type pool, with warm water that would take away the memory of pain.

"Yes," he answered. "But after lunch and before movies," Dad ended.

"What movies?" I asked him as we walked past the bar. This time I saw the barkeeper. The rest of the day went by smoothly. Lunch was familiar and tasty. The spa had us soaking in water that had additives for thirty minutes before an almost full-body sugar scrub that was topped off with a hot oil massage.

At the end of our massage session, they just wiped off the excess before we got dressed to head back to our room.

"I think I may get more of these," Dad commented during our elevator ride.

"Yeah. I liked it more than I thought I would," I said as the elevator dinged. We didn't end up in the actual pool, but a smaller tub that could have held four people max.

"You fell asleep in the hot tub," he told me with a smile as we started our walk towards our room. I was in the lead so I asked Dad for his room card and swiped us in.

I stripped down to my underwear before realizing that we didn't have anything to eat.

"I'm getting french fries and nuggets," I told Dad as I walked over to the phone.

"Get me some nachos," he told me as he moved towards the tv. "I'll see what's playing," he said as he sat down and turned on the tv.

Dad found a marathon of the first three Star Wars movies. Our snacks showed up right after Obi-Wan Kenobi died. By the time the last movie finished, I had been fighting sleep for over fifteen minutes.

I pulled myself into the bathroom to wash my hands and brush my teeth before I crawled into bed.

"Night Dad," I said without looking for where he was or what he was doing.