Curbside Pickup

Four: I Saw the Sign (and it opened up my eyes)

Street lamps shone behind the hotel room's curtains as Ellie woke. She fumbled for the cell phone, and compared that to the nightstand's digital clock. Realizing that "sleeping late" on the first full day of an island vacation meant five hours before New York's dawn, she fell back in the pillows with a groan.

If this was the magic of a tropical honeymoon, Hawaii needed to be in a different time zone.

And, where was Anthony? Her jet lagged brain hesitated, then caught as the memories flooded back.

Right. In the living room.

Finding her footing in the plush rug, she hauled herself out of that gloriously cozy king-sized bed, tiptoed to the door, and opened it with a cautious hand.

"Don't bother sneaking around. I've been up for an hour already."

Anthony, unshaven and looking hungover, slouched on the sofa, long legs propped on the coffee table. His hair had been pushed into spikes again, and the hotel's robe hung open above the snug black boxer briefs he wore. They matched the dusting of hair across the his chest's tan skin, giving her a glimpse of what she'd so eagerly dismissed the day before.

Not looking, nothing to see here - oh, mama...

He yawned and clicked the television remote.

"I already put in a call for coffee." His voice still held the rasp of early morning, matching his rough look. "Go back to bed. I'll call you."

"No thanks." Ellie looked him over more carefully, and crossed the room to perch on the other end of the sofa. "You look terrible."

"I slept on a microscopic bed." He rubbed the back of his neck with one hand. "You try it and see if you can force yourself back to a pre-teen size."

"No, thanks." Ellie pulled the hotel guide out and tried scanning for the printed channel menu. She itched to take the remote away from Anthony, and find a channel. A movie would work. Even following the news of a world crisis was better than the dysfunctional click click click as his thumb flicked, and flicked again.

A quick rap at the suite's door made them both jump. When Ellie cracked the door, a tray outfitted with a Continental breakfast and coffee lay just beyond the door. A copy of Honolulu's Star/Advertiser was folded beside the coffeepot.

The smell of fresh coffee and the assortment of fruit and glazed pastries woke Ellie fully. She lifted the tray and carried it inside.

"Welcome to the time-shift honeymoon," she said, nudging Anthony's feet aside and easing the tray on to the coffee table. "What a way to start a day." Lifting a croissant, she smiled at her friend. "Thank you."

He'd swung himself upright and lifted the coffeepot to pour a cup. "Seemed like the civilized thing to do." He breathed in the coffee's vapors and shook himself, a dog waking from a long nap and bad dreams.

They sat, silent, for a moment, each involved in their own thoughts. Ellie realized neither of them had enjoyed a quiet moment together since Barney left the altar two days before.

She liked the quiet in the room. Nothing was resolved - her wedding was a disaster, and the emotional fallout was not complete. Just forty-eight hours, and she was convinced, now, she'd been saved from a serious mistake by Bernie's impulsive flight.

Glancing sideways at Anthony, she saw the strength in him, leashed at the moment. The powerful muscles of his legs showed in their carved edges, barely revealed by the casual fall of the robe from sternum to knee. At his eye flicking in her direction, she quickly looked away.