I’m sitting alone in a hotel room somewhere in eastern Indiana, propped up against some pillows and finishing a presentation I’m supposed to give early the next morning. This isn’t really where I wanted this story to begin either, but I don’t choose where I get sent for work conferences.
It’s a Thursday night and Alex and I had checked in to the hotel just a few hours ago. Work is paying for me to stay the entire weekend, so we made plans for her to come along since Cincinnati is just a short drive away and neither of us have ever been. Alex had been downstairs checking out the pool while I sprawled out on the bed flipping back and forth between different documents, and I heard her keycard in the lock just as I was finally close to finishing up. She padded into the room with a couple of damp towels still wrapped around her, and I could smell the chlorine on her skin as she walked over and gave me a quick kiss on the cheek.
*I’m going to hop in a quick shower. How’s the writing going?*