131

131
Matteo’s POV
We walked into the hotel Gianna had booked for us here in Cleveland. It wasn’t particularly grand, but it was okay at least. Gianna looked obviously worn out, like she was about to faint or something like that. I stood next to her, leaning against the counter and looking around.
The front desk was brightly lit, staffed by a young woman with a polite smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes.
“Hi, checking in. Reservation under Lorenzo.” Gianna pulled out her phone, not bothering to even smile at the woman.
The receptionist’s fingers clattered across the keyboard. “Lorenzo… let me see here.” Her smile faltered.
“Something wrong?” Gianna asked, her eyes narrowing slightly.
“It seems there’s been a mistake,” the receptionist said hesitantly. “We only have one room available under your reservation. A single king bed.”
I scoffed.
“What?” Gianna screeched.
“I’m so sorry. The booking system must have-”
“Fix it,” Gianna interrupted, her tone sharp. “We need two rooms.”
“I understand,” she said, her voice overly apologetic. “Unfortunately, we’re fully booked for the night. There’s nothing else available.”
Gianna pinched the top of her nose, her eyes narrowing once again. “So you’re telling me that my assistant and I are supposed to share a room for the night? That’s not exactly professional.”
The receptionist winced. “I truly apologize. I can provide extra pillows and blankets if needed.”
I chose that moment to step forward, leaning casually on the counter. “Don’t worry about it,” I said with a casual grin. “I’m sure we’ll manage.”
Gianna shot me a sharp look. “We’ll manage?”
“What other choice do we have?” I asked, still grinning. This was really funny. Like something straight out of a romance book or a movie.
“We could go to another hotel,” she said through gritted teeth.
The receptionist quickly interjected. “Most of the nearby hotels are also fully booked because of the conference. You’re welcome to check, but…” She trailed off, her meaning clear.
“Great,” she muttered under my breath.
I turned to her, feeling amused. “Come on, Gianna. It’s just one night. I promise I won’t snore.”
She glared at me, but I didn’t budge. It wasn’t like we had any better options anyways.
“Fine,” she said finally, turning back to the receptionist. “We’ll take the room. But I want a discount.”
She nodded quickly, typing something into the system. “Of course, ma’am. I’ll adjust the rate for you.”
“Thank you,” Gianna said curtly, snatching the keycard from her hand.
I followed her to the elevator, my suitcase causing an embarrassing noise behind us.
“Well, this should be interesting,” I said as the elevator doors closed.
“Don’t push your luck,” she snapped.
The elevator came to a stop after a short while and we got out of it. We located our room quickly and Gianna kissed her teeth as she stormed up to it, swiped the key card and pushed it open.
Modern decor, clean linens and a nice view of the city. The room was just ok. But the fact remained that there was only one bed. It was a king size as the receptionist bad told us, but it was still one. And it was pretty much obvious that Gianna wasn’t pleased by this.
I set my bag down by the door and surveyed the room with a low whistle. “Not bad. I’ve stayed in worse places.”
“Good for you,” she said, walking over to the bed. “I’ll take the couch.”
I frowned. “Gianna, the couch is tiny. You’ll be uncomfortable all night.”
“I’ll survive.”
“Or,” I said, crossing his arms, “we could just share the bed.”
She stared at me. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”
“Why not?” I asked with a shrug. “It’s big enough for both of us, and I promise to stay on my side.”
“You promise?” she repeated, raising an eyebrow. “Like that means anything.”
I laughed, holding up my hands. “Okay, fair. But seriously, you don’t have to sleep on the couch. I can take it if it makes you feel better.”
She eyed me warily. “You’d sleep on the couch?”
“Of course,” I replied with a nod. “I’m not a complete jerk, you know.”
She folded her arms, studying me for a few moments eith intense eyes that made me start feeling a tad bit uncomfortable.
“Fine,” she said finally. “You take the couch.”
“Deal,” I nodded, grabbing a pillow from the bed.
I arranged myself on the couch and crossed my arms over my chest.
“Comfortable?” she asked after a moment.
“Not at all,” I replied, grinning up at her. “But I’ll manage.”
She rolled her eyes and turned off the light, climbing into bed.
I don’t know how long I remained awake, turning and tossing around until it seemed like I’d go crazy. I wanted to get up and walk out of the house, probably stay at the lobby or go to the bar but I didn’t want to wake her. She had a long day already.
“Are you asleep?” she asked after a while, surprising me.
“Not even close,” I answered immediately.
“Why not?”
“Probably because this couch feels like it was designed to torture people,” I said, feigning cheerfulness.
“Why didn’t you just take the bed, then?”
“Because I’m a gentleman,” I teased.
“Your impossible,” she murmured and I smiled.
“You’ve mentioned that before.”
We fell into silence again. And it was oddly comforting this time.
“Hey, Gianna?” I said after a while.
“What?”
“Thanks for not strangling me back at the front desk.”
She laughed, soft and tired. “Don’t tempt me, Matteo.”
“I’ll try my best,” I said, my voice light. We fell into that u
Comfortable silence once again. I found myself opening my mouth to talk, to joke or tease her but I closed it, taking in a deep breath. She was probably asleep already.
As I closed my eyes, I couldn’t help but feel like I’d just passed some kind of test. And for once, I wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing.