Chapter 18

 

Ashalyn lay on one of the beds in her hotel room, staring into space.  Suddenly, a knock on the door brought her out of her thoughts.  She rolled quickly off the bed and hurried to get the door.

 

She flung it open to see Brian standing there.  “Hi,” she said, smiling. 

 

“Hey,” he said, returning her smile.  “Whatcha up to?”

 

“Nothin much,” Ashalyn said. 

 

“Yeah, me neither,” Brian said.  “You mind if I hang out awhile?  I’m kinda bored with all the guys gone.”

 

“Yeah, I know what you mean,” Ashalyn agreed.  “Of course I don’t mind.  Come on in.”  She stood back to let him in the room.  “So, what should we do?” she asked as the door shut behind them.

 

Brian flopped down on one of the beds.  “I dunno,” he said.  “I’ve already checked the TV stations.  Nothing good’s on.”

 

“That sucks,” Ashalyn said.  “There’s an indoor pool here, isn’t there?”

 

“Yeah,” Brian said.  “You wanna swim?”

 

“Well, sure, if you want to.  There’s not much else to do,” Ashalyn replied slowly. 

 

“I’d love to,” Brian said, smiling.  “Let me go change, and I’ll meet you back here in a few, okay?”

 

“Kay,” Ashalyn replied.  She watched him leave and then quickly dug into her suitcase for her bathing suit.  She pulled it out and changed into it, stopping to glance in the mirror.  The suit was a purple tankini that looked good on her without revealing too much. 


Ashalyn pulled her long red hair back in a ponytail, grabbed a towel, and slipped on Elyssa’s flip-flops.  Then she headed out into the hall, where Brian was already waiting for her, dressed in swim trunks and a T-shirt, a towel slung over his arm.

 

“You look great,” he said, his eyes traveling the length of her body.

 

Ashalyn smiled self-consciously.  “Thanks,” she replied. 

 

Together, they walked to the end of the hall and took the elevator to the first floor, where the pool was. 

 

Luckily, the pool was almost empty when they got there.  Only a few people were swimming, and some others were sitting in the hot tub. 

 

Brian and Ashalyn set their things on some chairs in one corner.  Ashalyn slipped off her flip-flops and walked to the edge of the pool.  A moment later, Brian joined her, dressed only in his swim trunks.  Ashalyn glanced at him, a tiny smile tugging at her lips as she admired his muscular body. 

 

She giggled as Brian daintily dipped the tip of his big toe into the water, testing the temperature.  “What?” he asked, giggling as well.

 

“Aw, come on, be a man,” Ashalyn said, and in one swift movement, she pushed him into the pool.

 

He came up sputtering, and she laughed hysterically at the bewildered expression on his face.  He smiled sheepishly up at her, and then his grin turned devilish.

 

“You’re gonna get it, girl,” he said, hauling himself out of the pool.  Ashalyn shrieked and darted away from him, but he quickly caught her, lifted her off the ground, and hurled her into the pool with a huge splash. 

 

Ashalyn came up gasping for air and laughing at the same time.  Brian did a cannonball into the pool, sending more water splashing over her head.  “Hey!” she squealed, playfully splashing him in the face when he surfaced.

 

They played around in the pool for some time and then became tired.  “You wanna head to the hot tub?” Brian asked suddenly.  “It’s empty now.”

 

Ashalyn looked up to see that the hot tub had been abandoned.  “Sure,” she said, grinning at him.  He grabbed her hand and pulled her through the water, then helped her out of the pool.  They climbed into the hot tub together and sat there for a long time, just talking and enjoying each other’s company.

 

***

 

 

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