By Your Side

Chapter 25: Bed Test

Realizing they had to make a move, James took Clare's hand, and the two of them walked to the front counter to meet the woman. Seeing them approach the woman sat back down and waited for them to lean against the edge of the counter.

"Do you two have a reservation?"

"Yes, it should be under Nathan Bennet I think?"

The woman began to type feverishly while looking at the computer as she searched. Clare broke away from James and went to explore the rest of the lobby, leaving James to fend for himself. The woman eventually finished typing and pulled up the reservation as Clare casually came back to join them.

"Alright so I have your reservation here, and I see you just downsized recently to a standard room, and a single bed."

"Umm are you sure?"

"That's what it says here. So here's your room key and the key to the pool, it's outside on the top floor."

"Cool, thank you."

James and Clare left the counter and walked to a set of elevators while James analyzed the key card.

"We're on the fifth floor."

"Well that's nice but did I hear her right? That it's a single bed?"

"Yea you did. Don't worry I can sleep on the floor or something."

"No, you don't have to."

"Are you sure?"

"Yea, of course, we slept together last night. What's one or two more?"

The elevator binged, and the two of them walked into the metallic cube as the door closed behind them. The young couple stood there awkwardly as the elevator ascended the floors, and Clare focused on the numbers flashing above until finally landing on five. The metal door slid open, and the fake couple stepped out, and to there surprise the upper-level floors didn't have the same regal feel that the lobby had. They were plain and simple with no unique decorations, just monotone colours.

They walked out of the elevator and onto the shaggy carpeted floor, before looking down both directions of the hallway trying to comprehend where they were in relation to their room. Clare not wanting to wait started walking down one direction hoping to stumble upon the room purely based on luck. However, after she started walking it dawned on her that she didn't know what the number was that she was looking for and turned around only to see James' attempting to unlock one of the rooms with the key.

Embarrassed, Clare regrouped with James as the key finally clicked causing a little green light to ignite and a subtle buzzing followed. James turned the handle, after the click and swung the door open slowly into the room as they followed behind it. On the inside, the couple was again less impressed by the decor as it was yet another room that was nothing more than standard looking like any other hotel room and looked nothing like the lobby.

On the other side of the door, it opened up to a short corridor with a closet on one side, and the bathroom on the other, then deeper in the room was a bed pressed up against the wall with a crimson bedspread with matching silk sheets. Beside it was a lamp, placed on a table off the left side of a mahogany wardrobe and a thirty inch TV sat on top of it. To top it all off a sliding window and door that opened the whole room up to the outside was on the furthest wall from the door with an accompanied balcony.

James is the first into the room was captivated by the balcony and went straight for it, while Clare, on the other hand, checked out the closet and the bathroom as she passed by them before finally reaching the bed and laid down on it. Arching her back she was able to see James enter the room again from the outside and sat down beside her.

"Well, this is nice."

"Yea, hey do you mind passing me that chair there?"

Looking up, James noticed a chair right in front of him, hidden by the wardrobe. Not making to much of an effort to move it he merely used his foot to drag it to the end of the bed just out of Clare's reach.

"What do you need it for?"

"Well, you always have to do a bed test when you're in a hotel room."

"A bed test?"

"Yea it's a tradition in my family."

Still looking at her dumbfounded, she ignored him and sat up before hopping off the bed. Climbing up to the perfectly positioned chair. James couldn't even comprehend what to ask about what she was doing when suddenly Clare took flight and flew through the air. Flopping onto the mattress and then rested on her stomach in a superman pose.

"So fluffy."

With wide eyes, James looked at the girl who seemed to just pass out when her head hit the pillows but then turned her head to look at James.

"You comfy Clare?"

"Yea, but it's your turn."

"Thanks but I'm going to take a shower before we head over to Hannah's apartment."

"Suit yourself."

Closing her eyes, it didn't take long for Clare seemingly fall asleep, as James got up and headed to the bathroom. Moments later the shower kicked on, and the water started bouncing off the wall, creating a rapid tapping on the tiles. Outside the bathroom, Clare happened to wake back up and gathered her bearings and noticed that she was still alone.

Suddenly there was a rapid knock on the door that caught her by surprise, which forced a sigh out of her and into the mattress below her. Now obligated to get the door, she slid off the back side of the bed in between the chair and the mattress before she stood up and headed for the entrance.

Opening it, a bellhop awaited on the other side with their bags. Greeting him, Clare was unaware of her ruffled up and static hair, giving the young man a questionable look as he double checked the door to make sure there wasn't a do not disturb sign on it.

"Umm. I brought you and your husband's bags Mrs."

"Oh thank you."

"No problem."

She took the handles of the bags and rolled them into the room before opening the newly arrived carry on and pulled out a couple dollars and passed it to the kid.

"Here."

"Oh no miss, I can't accept this."

"C'mon it's the least we could do."

"Alright. Thank you, have a good day."

Just as Clare began to close the door, another opened and James' stepped out completely shirtless with a towel wrapped around his waist. The kid at the door immediately noticed, and an anxious expression crossed his face before he quickly looked away from Clare and him.

"Sorry, I didn't know I was interrupting something."

"Oh don't worry you-"

Before she could finish the kid was already speed walking down the hallway and back to the elevator while Clare took notice and closed the door but was greeted by the shirtless James as she turned around.

"I see our bags showed up."

"Yea, about time."

"It's been like fifteen minutes."

"Yea I know I just wanted to be snobby."

"I guess there's nothing wrong with that."

She smiled up at him before locking the door again. Clare brushed past James dragging a playful hand across his abs before going back to the bed. As she walked away, James dug around in his bag and pulled out the pre-packaged bag his mother made him with all of his medication.