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| ANOTHER JOURNEY BY TIMA |
CHAPTERS 121 - 125 |
PREVIOUSLY...
Todd: This isn't a good idea.
Tea: I want to experience this with you. Do you want to experience it with me?
***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** *****
chapter 121:
Todd: You're a girl. I'm a guy. Of course, I want this.
Tea: Is that the only reason?
Todd: Why do you have to ask so many questions?
Tea: Because, I'm standing here in front of you with my shirt off and you're still standing over there.
[Todd quickly takes a few steps toward her.]
Todd: You want something to drink first?
Tea: We could set some boundaries.
Todd: Why are you changing the subject?
Tea: I'm not the one changing the subject. If you're worried that we may go too far, we could agree in advance to what the boundaries will be.
Todd: No trying to get into my pants.
Tea: Okay.
Todd: Just like that? No debate?
Tea: I hope to get into your pants...someday.
Todd: But, you have no interest today?
Tea: I have interest, but I know it's too soon.
Todd: So, we're just doing the upper region?
Tea: You could go lower, if you'd like to.
Todd: So, you want me to get into your pants?
Tea: Actually, someday I do.
Todd: Not today?
Tea: Would you like to do that today?
Todd: You're confusing me. Just tell me what you want.
Tea: Well, that's complicated.
Todd: What isn't with you?
[Todd plops himself down on the sofa. Tea sits near him.]
Tea: What I want and what either of us is ready for are probably different things.
Todd: But, you are ready to do some stuff?
Tea: I'm ready for you to openly look at my chest.
Todd: Yeah, I kind of figured that with the way you've been showing off.
Tea: I want you to look at me. It's a little embarrassing...a little uncomfortable...but I want to stay like this.
Todd: So, whenever we're alone, you'll be uncovered like that?
Tea: No. I will wear a shirt at times. But, I hope there will be many times when I won't be wearing one.
Todd: Okay, I've seen you. What else do you want?
Tea: I want you to touch me.
Todd: There?
Tea: Yes, I want you to touch my breasts.
[Tea turns her body toward Todd's and reaches out and picks up Todd's hand. She places it over one of her breasts. He keeps his hand still for several moments as he looks into her eyes. As his gaze lowers to her chest, his hand starts to move and caress the flesh beneath it. His other hand rises and cups her other breast.
Tea enjoys his hands manipulating her flesh for several minutes, especially as his fingers begin to concentrate on her nipples.]
Todd: What else do you want, Tea?
Tea: Uh...
Todd: This can be it for now, if you want.
Tea: I want more.
Todd: What do you want?
[Tea looks at him with so much emotion, he feels it pierce through his heart. His hands move up and frame the sides of her face.]
Todd: What do you want, Tea? Tell me.
Tea: I...I want...
[Tears form in Tea's eyes as he looks at her with too much affection and too much concern. Her eyes close tightly and her head drops. She's trying to push her emotions away but it's so hard to do that when she's with him, when he touches her, when he looks at her.
Todd moves his hands down her back, trying to comfort her. He places slight pressure on her body, encouraging her towards his own body. As he leans back against the arm of the couch, Tea follows him and rests against his chest.
Todd caresses her back, not knowing what else to do. The tears threatening her don't fall until she speaks, until she faces a painful reality inside herself.]
Tea: No one else really cared what I wanted.
[Todd's arms hold her tightly as she quietly cries into his shirt. He understand what she's feeling. He also understands that it's more than sexual partners she's referring to.
Minutes later, Tea is calm again as her tears stop. She tries to sit up but Todd doesn't release his hold on her.]
Todd: Don't, Tea.
Tea: I didn't mean to do that.
Todd: I'm sure you didn't mean it the other seven hundred times you've cried on me during this trip, right?
Tea: Does this mean you'll take off your shirt?
Todd: Is that the real reason for you were bawling?
Tea: No.
[Tea slides her arms around him, wanting to hold him, wanting to be pressed more tightly against him.]
Tea: I don't know what's wrong with me, Todd.
Todd: Pregnant chicks cry a lot, right?
Tea: So do chicks with PMS.
Todd: Really?
Tea: Sometimes.
Todd: Well, then this is a first for me.
Tea: What is?
Todd: It's the first time I've actually wanted to be stuck with a chick with that.
Tea: With PMS? Is that really what you want?
Todd: No, I want you to act like a normal person. But, that one chick thing is better than the other possible chick thing.
Tea: Is it?
Todd: You don't think so? You want that other thing?
Tea: I thought maybe you did.
Todd: Have you been paying attention at all? You know what I want.
Tea: Not really.
Todd: I thought I was pretty clear about that.
Tea: I know that you don't feel that you could be with me if I am pregnant. Maybe you're secretly hoping that I am pregnant so you won't have to be with me.
Todd: Maybe.
Tea: That is what you want?
Todd: I said maybe. The idea of being with me freaks you out, right?
Tea: No.
[Tea looks up at Todd's face as his body shakes with laughter.]
Todd: Yeah, right!
Tea: I'm a little scared.
Todd: A little? You're petrified.
Tea: It's not because of you.
Todd: I understand.
Tea: I know you do. That's part of the reason that this is happening now, with you. If you didn't understand, I would keep all of it hidden. I wouldn't let you see any of my fear, my uncertainty, my pain.
Todd: Maybe you could pretend once in a while that I'm an ignorant idiot like the other guys you've screwed so you don't have to put me through all these tears all the time.
Tea: Is that what you want?
[Todd thinks for a moment before answer honestly.]
Todd: No. I hate this. I hate how pathetic I become when I'm around you. I hate that I turn into this caring loser. I hate it. I never should have let you do this to me.
Tea: But, it's too late, right?
Todd: I'm sunk. It really sucks, too.
Tea: It's not completely bad, is it?
Todd: At least no one else is around to see how pathetic I've become.
Tea: There's always a bright spot.
Todd: No, there are always mirages. None of this is real. When you turn out to be knocked up, reality will return.
Tea: And, if I'm not?
Todd: We can't keep going on like this. I think I'm about to implode.
Tea: Todd...
Todd: Maybe we should just stop all of this. Maybe we should stop talking and go back to doing stuff. Unless, you don't feel like it now.
Tea: I think doing stuff with you is just what I need right now.
Todd: Really?
Tea: I know I'll enjoy it.
Todd: So, no more tears?
Tea: For now.
chapter 122:
Tea: Todd?
Todd: Yeah?
Tea: I want to go back into the bedroom.
Todd: Okay. You can do that alone thing, if you want to.
Tea: I want you to come with me.
Todd: No way.
Tea: Why not?
Todd: You can't control yourself. We already talked about this.
Tea: Maybe I want to lose control with you. Maybe I enjoy that.
Todd: Forget it.
Tea: We'd have more room in there. We'd be more comfortable.
Todd: Nothing about this is comfortable.
Tea: Really? Not even this?
[Tea rests her head on his chest again while Todd continues to hold her in his arms.]
Tea: Isn't this comfortable?
Todd (lying): No.
Tea: Why don't I believe you?
Todd: It's not my fault if you don't believe the truth.
[Tea starts to sit up. Todd hesitates for a moment before releasing his hold on her.]
Tea: Let's go into the bedroom.
[Todd surprises Tea by instantly bringing his body towards her and placing his hand on the back of her head. His passionate kiss takes her by surprise and leaves her breathless.]
Todd: Do you want this?
Tea: Yes.
Todd: Stop talking.
Tea: Todd...
[Todd again kisses her passionately. This time she's more prepared and responds enthusiastically. As they continue to kiss, one of Todd's hands caresses her bare neck for a moment before he moves it down to her upper chest.
After several moments of his hand giving no sign of further movement, Tea grabs it with her own hand and moves it down so it's pressed against her breast.
Todd suddenly ends their kiss.]
Todd: Tea?
Tea: Do you want to stop?
Todd: I wanted to know if you wanted me to get another brownie.
Tea (smiling): That depends...
Todd (interrupting): Stop talking.
Tea: You don't know what I was going to say.
Todd: I know you. I know that look in your eyes. Besides, trust me, no flirting is needed right now.
Tea: Really? Are you ready to go into the bedroom with me.
Todd: Give me one minute out here. If you don't like what we're doing, or how we're doing it, we'll go back to the other room, okay?
Tea: Okay. One minute.
[Todd removes his hand from her chest and pulls slightly away from her. They stare at each other silently for what feels like a long time.]
Tea: Is the minute up yet?
Todd: No.
[Tea is unable to prevent a smile from forming on her face. It begins slowly but soon develops into a wide grin.]
Todd: Great! Now you're laughing at me.
Tea: I'm laughing at me.
Todd: Why?
Tea: I like this.
Todd: You've always had weird taste in everything.
[Tea gently touches her hand to the side of his face.]
Tea: I like being with you even when we're not doing anything...not touching...not talking.
Todd: Then why are you always talking? And, why are you always touching me?
Tea: Do you not want me to touch you?
Todd: I don't know.
Tea: Do you want me to take off your shirt?
Todd: This could go too far.
Tea: Is that possible when two people love each other?
Todd: You have no idea.
Tea: Maybe not, but I know what I want.
Todd: What do you want?
Tea: I want you.
[Tea's eyes again begin to fill with tears as she feels overwhelmed by the amount of emotion she feels for him, and the amazing amount she sees flowing toward her from his eyes.]
Tea: I love your eyes, Todd. I love the way they look at me.
Todd: Yeah?
Tea (smiling): Yeah.
Todd: I love your lips, Tea.
Tea: You do?
Todd: I love the way they look when they're closed.
Tea: Very funny.
Todd (seriously): I like it when you smile because of me. Even if I know it's because you're not seeing everything.
Tea: I see everything, Todd. I love everything.
Todd: No, you don't. No one does. No one could.
Tea: I could. I do. I know you, Todd. I know all of you. I love you.
Todd: It's not real.
Tea: It's very real.
Todd: No.
[Tea moves her hands to the bottom of the shirt he's wearing. First, she places her hands underneath his shirt and touches his skin to allow him to know, and prepare for, what she's about to do. When she doesn't sense resistance from him, she raises the material up his body and removes it from his head and arms.
Tea looks into his eyes for several moments before moving her gaze, and her hands, to his chest. She rubs her hands up and down his chest and stomach several times, enjoying the feeling.]
Tea: When you asked me what I wanted, you really cared about the answer, didn't you?
Todd: Yeah.
Tea: What I want...
Todd (interrupting): ...we shouldn't do. This is all gonna fall apart. Don't you get that? We're gonna go too far and then everything is gonna get all messed up. You'll regret it.
Tea: I'll never regret anything we do that's done with love.
Todd: It's a bad idea.
Tea: I want us to make love.
[Todd closes his eyes. He wants that too, but he knows that sex could destroy everything. It has for him in the past.
Tea again places her hands on his cheeks and brings her face close to his, whispering to him.]
Tea: I'm not ready yet, Querido.
[Todd opens his eyes again and pulls his face away from hers enough to look into her eyes. He studies her gaze carefully, needing to know the truth.]
Tea: I promise I want to. I do. I love you. I want to share that love with you. I'm not ready for sex yet. I know that you have a painful past with sex. So do I. I'm not ready yet to open those wounds and touch all that pain. But, I do want to share our love physically.
Todd: How?
chapter 123:
[Tea places a light and brief kiss on his lips before pulling away from Todd. She disappears into the bedroom for a moment and returns with a pillow.
As Todd continues to sit on one end of the sofa, Tea places the pillow against the arm rest on the other end and lies down with her head resting on the pillow. She maneuvers one or her legs between the sofa and Todd's body and places her other leg across his lap.]
Tea: Come here.
[Todd doesn't move. He knows what she wants. He also knows that it could easily, and pleasurably, lead to more.]
Todd: Are you sure you don't want another brownie? Or, we could order some room service. You want some fruit?
Tea: I want you.
Todd: You're confused. You don't know what you want.
Tea: I know that I want you lying on top of me right now.
Todd: No, you don't.
Tea: Yes, I do.
Todd: No, you don't.
Tea (frustrated): Fine. Forget I even made the suggestion.
[Tea pulls her legs away from his body and stands up. She quickly leaves the room. Todd follows her into the bedroom. He watches from the doorway as she puts her bra back on. As she turns to pick up a shirt, she's surprised by his presence. She's even more surprised that he's still shirtless.]
Tea: I'll be ready in a few minutes.
Todd: For what?
Tea: You wanted to get back on the road, didn't you?
Todd: I thought you wanted something else.
Tea: What I want you have no interest in giving and I have no intention of humiliating myself any longer begging you for yet another scrap of physical affection.
Todd: Is that what you wanted? Physical affection?
Tea: I made that clear, Todd. You made it clear that the idea didn't interest you.
Todd: Did I?
Tea: Just put a shirt on and let's get out of here.
Todd: I'm kind of warm.
Tea: Fine. Go to the front desk to check us out looking like that. I don't care. I'll be in the car.
[Tea gathers up the last of their things and shoves them into their bags. As she lifts one of their bags, Todd speaks again.]
Todd: I'll carry our stuff when we leave.
Tea: We're leaving right now.
[Tea continues to carry the one bag already in her hands but leaves the others for him. As she walks passed him in the doorway, she's surprised as he darts into her path and kisses her.
Tea stays motionless as Todd tries to get a reaction out of her with his lips. When he doesn't get a response, he removes his lips from hers.
She immediately continues through the doorway and leaves their suite.
For several minutes Todd stays in their room, determined that Tea will be the one forced to come back to him rather than him being the one to give in and go running after her, like he always has in the past.
As he looks around the pathetic excuse for a suite, though, he gets a different idea.
Todd goes back into the other room and sits down on the couch. He picks up the phone and dials a number he knows by memory. After numerous rings, the call is finally answered.]
Charlie Briggs: Hello?
Todd: You should answer my calls on the first ring.
Briggs: I didn't know it was you.
Todd: With all of the money I'm paying you, you can afford to have two phones. One for me and one for everyone else.
Briggs: Then I could turn one off when I don't feel like dealing with...
Todd (interrupting): You better be talking about the phone for the other people.
Briggs (lying): Of course.
Todd: Good. Because, we've got a good thing going here, Briggs. You don't want to blow it now. Especially when I need you to do something for me.
Briggs: Is it legal?
Todd: Is it legal? You think I'd do anything that would get you sent to jail?
Briggs: If it would save your hide...
Todd: Well, my hide is more important that yours is. Let's forget all this chit chat and get down to business.
Briggs: Do you have another story idea you want me to run?
Todd: I have something even more important than newspaper business.
Briggs: What's more important to you than the newspaper?
Todd: I need you to find a hotel for me.
Briggs: In Llanview?
Todd: No, not in Llanview, you idiot. I'm close to Idaho. Try there first.
Briggs: I don't understand why you're calling me for this. I'm not a travel agent.
Todd: I'm paying you so much money that you are whatever I want you to be. Right now I want you to find me a hotel.
Briggs: I could look on the internet, I suppose.
Todd: Well, hurry up. And, don't even think about one of those stupid bed and breakfast places. I'm allergic to them. And, hostels make me hostile so don't bother with those either. Besides, it can't be just any kind of place. It has to be something special. You got that? Something classy and insanely expensive. Something with a golf course.
Briggs: You play golf?
Todd: Well, I do enjoy whacking things with long metal sticks.
Briggs (mumbling to himself): I'm sure you do.
Todd: Did you say something, Briggs?
Briggs: I said that a web page listing high-end hotels in Idaho is coming up on my screen right now.
Todd: I thought that's what you said.
[Meanwhile, outside the hotel...
Thirty minutes after leaving their hotel room, a ticked off Tea is sitting in the car forcing herself to stay where she is and not give Todd the satisfaction of her returning to their hotel room. She's determined to get her own way, for a change.
As more minutes pass, Tea finally places her hand on the door handle, accepting defeat, knowing that Todd will out-wait her. As she's opening the door, she sees Todd exiting the hotel, carrying their other bags. She quickly closes the car door and stares straight ahead, not wanting to give him any sign of her weakness. She's stubbornly determined to be in a bad mood and nothing Todd does will change that.
Tea knows it's just a facade but this time she won't let it drop, not until he apologizes. She's not quite certain anymore what he should apologize for, but she's determined that he will.
Todd places their bags in the trunk, watching Tea through the back window of the car. He can tell that she's in stubborn mode. If his plan works out, though, he knows that by the end of the night he'll have all of the ice in her current attitude melted and she'll be all over him again.
As Todd enters the car, Tea refuses eye contact with him. Todd smirks. The more attitude she has now, the better it will be when she has to apologize to him later for it.
They pull away from the hotel and return to their traveling, each convinced that they hold the position of power and will be on the receiving end of a major apology before the end of the night.]
chapter 124:
[Hours later...
Tea fell asleep while they were still in Montana. Now, they're driving through Idaho. When she finally does awaken, she's momentarily disoriented.]
Tea: Todd?
[Todd smirks. Due to stubbornness, neither had spoken since returning to the road. He knew she would be the one to give in and speak first.]
Tea: Where are we?
Todd: Idaho.
Tea: Are we stopping for the night here?
Todd: You just got done sleeping.
Tea: I meant, are we spending the night in Idaho?
Todd: We could do that.
[Todd's plans definitely include spending the night in Idaho but he has no intention of letting her in on that knowledge yet.]
Tea: How far into Idaho, are we?
Todd: I don't know.
Tea: We're still on the same road, right?
Todd: For now.
Tea: You're thinking of turning off?
Todd: You don't want me to?
Tea: I thought maybe you were planning on taking this as far as it goes and eventually making our way to the ocean.
Todd: Well, I suppose we could do that. But, maybe not.
Tea: Well, let me know if you want me to look at the atlas for a new route.
Todd: That thing's in the trunk.
Tea: We could stop and get it out.
Todd: I'm a guy. Guys don't need maps to get where they're going.
Tea: No, they just drive around lost for hours, convinced that their destination is just a little further up the road.
[Todd notices Tea massaging her neck.]
Todd: Something wrong?
Tea: What?
Todd: You're rubbing yourself.
Tea: Well, it's not like I have someone else around who would be willing to touch me and rub the kinks out of my neck.
[Tea has been facing away from Todd as she worked on her neck and is taken totally by surprise as Todd takes one hand off the steering wheel and places it on the back of her neck.
He silently massages her neck for a few minutes before returning his hand to the steering wheel. As Tea turns to look at him, he is staring straight ahead, giving no sign to her that anything is different than it has been for the last several hours.]
Tea: What was that?
Todd: What? Did I hit something furry?
Tea: No.
Todd: Too bad.
[Tea isn't certain but she thinks that Todd may be smiling...slightly. Either that or...]
Tea: What are you up to?
Todd: What are you talking about now, Delgado?
Tea: You're up to something.
Todd: What makes you think that?
Tea: You're smirking.
[Todd tries to lessen his smirk without being too obvious about changing his facial expression.]
Tea: Don't bother trying to eliminate it now. I've seen it. I want to know what you're up to and I want to know right now.
Todd: I don't know why you're always so suspicious about me.
Tea: I suspected you were up to something when you showed up at the car instead of stubbornly waiting for me to return to the hotel room.
Todd: Yeah, and I bet if I had stayed there, you would still be suspicious about me.
Tea: Just go ahead and spring whatever your surprise is on me now and have your laugh at my expense.
Todd: What laugh? Why would I laugh? You never do anything humorous.
Tea: I get suckered in by you time after time despite every lesson I've learned from the past not to trust you.
Todd: And, you think that's amusing?
Tea: Will I find out the reason for your smirk soon? Or, is this one of your long drawn out revenge plots?
Todd: Revenge? Now, you're really pushing the paranoia, Tea.
Tea: Fine. Don't tell me. I know you're up to something.
[They both choose to be silent again. Twenty minutes later, Todd turns off the freeway they've been on, raising Tea's suspicions even more.]
Tea: Why are we turning off?
Todd: Why not?
Tea: Tell me what you have planned, Todd.
[Todd is silent.]
Tea: I mean it, Todd, tell me right now. Tell me or I'll jump out of this car.
Todd: Don't be ridiculous.
[Todd, in his peripheral vision, notices Tea's hand moving to her side. Convinced that she's about to pull on the door handle and try jumping out, he quickly pulls to the side of the road and stops.
He immediately turns toward her and starts yelling.]
Todd: What the hell do you think I'm gonna do to you, Tea? You think I'll hurt you? You think I'm planning to murder you and bury you out here?
Tea: No.
[Todd refuses to believe her.]
Todd: Great! Now you think the worst of me, too. You're just like everyone else. I knew you were. I knew it.
Tea: I'm not, Todd. If I truly thought that, I wouldn't have come on this trip with you. You know that.
Todd: But, now you're thinking that.
Tea: No, I'm not. I just want to know what's going on.
Todd: I was trying to surprise you. But, now I'll just forget the whole damn thing. It was a stupid idea anyway. We'll get back on that freeway and find the first lousy motel we come to and that's where we'll spend the night. Who wants to stay in some snooty, over-priced resort filled with a bunch of snobs who think they're bigger deals than they really are just because they have a few too many zeros at the end of their net worths?
Tea: Uh...well...
Todd: You want to hang out with a pack of snobs?
Tea: What kind of resort?
Todd: An expensive one.
Tea: Is it one of those really old ones?
Todd: Does it matter?
Tea: I was just wondering.
Todd: We can drive there just to see the outside of it. We don't have to actually go in if either of us breaks out in hives at the sight of it.
Tea: Let's go find that lousy motel.
Todd: What?
Tea: You would hate every minute of it, Todd. Let's go find a place with ugly orange carpeting, a tattered bedspread and an aroma that smells like a mixture of sweaty socks and onion rings.
Todd: Onion rings! That's what that smell was. Maybe that's what that stain on the wall was from.
Tea: I did my best not to think too much about that stain.
Todd: We've stayed in some real dumps.
Tea: They weren't all bad. Actually, even the bad ones weren't really that bad. There was always good company.
[Todd looks at Tea, uncertain what to do. He knows that she's trying to improve things between them. It isn't exactly the groveling on her knees apology he had wanted but she is speaking to him without bitterness again. She is looking at him with that glint in her eyes. She is placing her hand onto the side of the storage bin between their seats. She is turning her body toward him. She is moving closer. She is puckering her lips.
Tea had intended to give him a tender kiss on the cheek. She doesn't have any complaint, however, when Todd intercepts her lips on the way to his cheek and captures them with his own lips instead.]
chapter 125:
[Todd and Tea kiss tenderly for more than a minute, each apologizing to, and accepting apologies from, the other for any earlier hurt feelings.
As they break their kiss, Tea lightly caresses his cheek with her hand.]
Tea: You always amaze me, Todd.
Todd: I'm that good a kisser?
Tea: Actually, you are.
[Even though Tea knows that she didn't deposit any lipstick on his lips during their kiss, she still rubs his lips with her thumb as if she had, unable to resist the temptation to touch his lips. Todd allows her rubbing for a moment before speaking.]
Todd: You know you're not wearing lipstick, right?
Tea (smiling): I know.
Todd: But, you hoped I didn't know?
Tea: It doesn't matter if you know, I'm not stopping.
Todd: It might be hard for me to drive like this.
Tea: Then let's stay here for a while. This moment feels a lot better than the last several hours have.
Todd: Yeah, you have been making them hell.
Tea: Don't.
Todd: Don't tell the truth?
Tea: Just don't, Todd. We could put it behind us.
Todd: That's easy for you to say. You're not the one...
[Todd stops himself. He knows if he continues, they'll be back to where they were and he doesn't want that. He'd rather go back to kissing Tea than go back to sitting so close to each other with so much emotional distance between them.]
Todd: You want to kiss again?
Tea: Okay.
Todd: You want to get out so we have more room?
Tea: How far is the resort we're spending the night at?
Todd: I thought we agreed to go to a lousy motel instead.
Tea: We'll try the resort first. If we don't like it, we'll go somewhere else. Maybe we won't be able to get a room at this place, anyway.
Todd: We have a reservation.
Tea: We do?
Todd: Yeah.
Tea: When did you arrange that?
Todd: When you stormed off earlier.
Tea: This is your way of apologizing?
Todd: Me? Apologize? No way. I thought you would like nice surroundings when you apologized to me...on your knees.
Tea: The only reasons I would be getting on my knees would be if we're both naked...I'm proposing...or both things at the same time. Sorry to disappoint you, Todd.
Todd: Wait. Give me a minute. I'm still picturing...
Tea: Very funny. So, how far is this resort?
Todd: I'm not really sure. I just know to turn on this road and go this direction.
Tea: Well, then let's go. I'm anxious to see this place now.
Todd: You never know, it could end up being a dump...well, an expensive dump.
[They drive for several more miles, passing through a small, quaint town and eventually turn down a long private road.
In the distance they can see some of the resort's buildings. Tea is awed by the magnificent sight of the elegant main building and the charm of the surrounding buildings, along with the lavish landscaping.]
Tea: This is incredible, Todd. It's like a fairy tale.
Todd: No wonder I'm starting to itch.
Tea: Do you want to leave?
Todd: Of course. I suppose we can stay, though. It is getting kind of late. I'm hungry. You haven't slept in thirty minutes. You're probably ready for another nap. We can stay. But, you owe me big time for this.
Tea: I'll have to think of a pleasant way to make this up to you.
Todd: I have some ideas.
Tea: So, do I.
Todd: Let's just focus on getting through the next few minutes, okay? I just know I'll hate walking into this place. Polite, smiling people ahead. And, I know at least one of them will try to touch me.
Tea: I could check us in this time.
Todd: No, I'm the guy. This is my job. I'll handle it.
Tea: Todd, I just realized, we can't go into an elegant place like this without luggage.
Todd: We have luggage.
Tea: We have duffel bags.
Todd: Those are top of the line duffel bags.
Tea: You can't walk into a resort like this with bags like those. Most of the guests here probably take fancier bags with them when they go to their athletic clubs.
Todd: Who the hell cares?
Tea: I do.
Todd: Why? It's not like they'll turn down more than a thousand bucks a night because they don't like our luggage.
Tea: You're paying a thousand dollars for one night here?
Todd: What were you expecting? Look at the place. They know they can sap the idiots who are into this kind of thing for a bunch of bucks.
Tea: Let's go somewhere else.
Todd: You want to go buy different luggage?
Tea: I can't stay somewhere that costs a thousand dollars a night. That's more than most people pay in rent for a month.
Todd: You're kidding, right?
Tea: It wouldn't feel right.
Todd: Why not? Who cares what poor people pay for rent?
Tea: I'm poor people, Todd. I care.
Todd: No, you were poor people. Then, you hooked up with me.
Tea: Yeah, for the money. This just doesn't feel right. I was fine with the places we've been staying so far. Let's just find a nice, reasonably priced hotel. Okay?
Todd: They already have my credit card number. It's too late to cancel for the night so they'll charge me for the room whether we stay here or not. You want to waste all that money?
Tea: No, I suppose not.
Todd: You really are a mystery to me sometimes, Delgado. I thought you'd be into this.
Tea: I would have thought that, too.
Todd: From now on I'm not telling you how much anything costs.
[When they finally reach the main entrance of the hotel, a doorman opens the door on Tea's side of the car and assists her exit from the vehicle as Todd quickly opens his own door before one of the valet parking attendants has a chance to open it for him. Tea looks around, feeling completely underdressed for such opulent surroundings.
Todd opens the trunk of their car and a bellhop quickly appears to take their luggage. Todd points to the duffel bags and their laundry bag. He notices the bellhop's disapproving gaze.]
Todd: We're roughing it.
[Tea feels completely conspicuous. She wishes that she were at least wearing clothing that fitted properly instead of wearing Todd's jeans and shirt, both of which are clearly too big for her.
As Todd approaches her, he can tell from the way she has one arm wrapped around herself and a hand working through her hair that she doesn't feel comfortable here, looking the way she looks. He smiles slightly, loving the way she looks in his clothes, her hair naturally dried and no makeup on her face. He surprises her when he wraps his arm around her back and rests his hand on her waist as he leads her into the building.]
Todd: Come along, dear. We can retire to our room and change out of these dreadful travel clothes and slip into attire more befitting our stature.
[Tea looks at him and smiles, making him feel good, even as he feels completely awkward with such a bold, public display of affection.]
to be continued...
