The Woman in 3B - Eliza Lentzski Page 0,26

the clothes against her chest. “Thank you, again, Alice. This is really kind.”

“It’s nothing,” I dismissed out of hand.

“Can I repay you with a drink?” she offered. She motioned to the glass bottle in her duty-free bag. “It’s a pretty nice bourbon.” She paused, but didn’t give me time to consider. “Unless your friend Lara’s coming over later.”

“She’s not,” I was quick to deny. “A drink would be great.”

A ghost of a knowing smile fluttered on her mouth. “Do you mind if I change first?” she asked, still hugging my change of clothes against her body. “I can’t wait to get out of my clothes.”

Her word choice had me stuttering. “No, g-go right ahead.”

She flashed me a quick smile, full of bright, white teeth. “I’ll be right back.”

I had expected her to return to her own rented room to change, but instead of watching her exit, she entered my bathroom and shut the door behind her.

I sat down on the edge of one of the double beds—the bed my still-open suitcase rested upon—and tried to catch my breath. The last hour had come at me like a runaway train. The canceled flight and detour to the out-of-the-way, run-down hotel. Lara’s unexpected flirtations and poorly masked attempts to sleep with me again. The beautiful woman from 3B showing up at my door to borrow my pajamas.

I eyeballed the bathroom and tried not to think about the gorgeous woman getting naked behind the closed door. No one likes to sleep in the clothes they’ve worn all day, and I could appreciate her not wanting her skin to actually touch the blankets on the bed, but I also couldn’t imagine a scenario where I would be so bold as to track down a near-stranger and ask for her pajamas.

The bathroom door creaked open and Anissa stepped out. I hopped to my feet as she exited, as if she’d caught me doing something I shouldn’t have been doing—as if I wasn’t supposed to be sitting down on my own bed.

“They fit!” she triumphantly announced.

I took her declaration as permission to check out the outfit for myself. Anissa and I were about the same height, but with different builds. We had comparable upper bodies—narrow shoulders, thin arms, and modest breasts—but her lower curves were more developed than mine. She filled out my cotton pajama shorts like I never could.

“Thank you again, Alice. I feel like a new woman.” She was excessively grateful. “Still interested in a drink?”

“Sure,” I bobbed my head.

“Do you want to change into your pajamas, too?” she asked. “Get more comfortable?”

“Oh, uh,” I stammered, suddenly embarrassed. “I, uh, I gave you mine.”

She cocked her head to the side and blinked. “What?”

“You said you needed pajamas, so I gave you pajamas,” I lamely explained.

Her eyes narrowed in confusion. “Are you in the habit of giving the shirt off your back to strangers?”

“You’re not exactly a stranger,” I weakly protested.

“I can’t take your one pair of pajamas, Alice,” she resisted. “What will you sleep in?”

“The clothes I’ve got on. I’ve got a clean uniform in my bag for tomorrow. It’ll be fine.”

“Are you sure?” she continued to hesitate.

“We’re a full-service airline,” I awkwardly joked. “Just be sure to fill out a comment card when you reach your final destination.”

She tucked her lower lip into her mouth in a look of uncertainty. “If you’re sure.”

“I’m completely sure,” I insisted. I wanted to run away from the situation, but all I had was the bathroom for my exit. “Why don’t you pour those drinks you were talking about?” I proposed, inching my way closer to the bathroom. “I’m just going to freshen up in the bathroom. I’ll be right back.”

I didn’t give her the opportunity to protest further or try to return my shirt and shorts. I shut the bathroom door behind me, leaned against the back of the door, and sighed.

The bathroom was small, no larger than the toilet, pedestal sink, and a stand-up shower. The overhead light buzzed, but at least there were no visible dead insects trapped within the dome lighting. I didn’t have pajamas to change into anymore, but I tried to get more comfortable by removing my navy blazer and the silk scarf that still smelled like Lara’s perfume.

The light, lingering scent made me think again about her offer to share a room. I didn’t know if I was making the right choice in ignoring her or at least in avoiding intimate opportunities with her. I was healthy, young, and unattached.