Chapter 2

"Happy Birthday, Bradley!"

The air went quiet for a couple of seconds.

Bradley looked over too, and let out a little "oops."

"That's on me. The owner said she needed a name to write on the cake, and I forgot to send her Keith's."

"So she figured it was my birthday and just used the name on the reservation."

"Look how this turned out."

"Tell you what, I'll go buy you a new one with your name on it, okay?"

That was what Bradley said, but he made no move to actually get up.

"No need to go to all that trouble."

Lorraine was the one who cut in. "It's just a cake. Doesn't matter whose name is on it. Scrape the letters off and no one can even tell."

But I'd been looking forward to this cake. Looking forward to this birthday.

I'd thought I could go to the hot-spring resort and enjoy some real time with my girlfriend.

Instead, it turned into a mess.

The upscale hot-spring backdrop I'd pictured became a country yard with wild birds running around everywhere.

The candlelit dinner and pretty food I'd wanted.

Turned into a big pot of country-style roast chicken.

In the end all I could do was watch the two of them get blackout drunk and smear cake across each other's faces.

While I sat there stiff, like an outsider.

That night we searched the whole town, and the only room left was one single room.

A big shared bunk.

The three of us stood in the room, staring at that six-foot bunk, looking at one another.

I couldn't believe it. "We're all... sleeping here tonight?"

Bradley dropped his head and started poking his two index fingers together.

"Keith, that's my fault, I didn't plan this out well enough. The place is a little rough."

"How about the three of us just make do in one room tonight?"

I looked at Lorraine. "This... isn't really appropriate, is it?"

"When you're away from home you can't be that picky."

Lorraine set down her suitcase. "Just tough it out one night. Brad already booked it."

"Worst case, we all sleep in our clothes."

Bradley clapped me on the shoulder, grinning too.

"You sleep in the middle."

Seeing the two of them start unpacking, and with nowhere else to stay nearby.

I could only agree.

"Hey, this works out perfectly!"

Bradley tossed his bag on the floor.

He threw himself onto the bunk and rolled over once. "Doesn't this feel like our school field trips as kids? The three of us haven't crashed like this in ages!"

Then Lorraine tossed a pillow at me.

Told me to get out and sleep somewhere else.

I was baffled, but she said,

"Keith, you know exactly what you're like when you sleep, don't you?"

"Did you forget last time, before Brad's exam, you snored all night at the hotel and kept him from getting any real sleep?"

"You go make a bed on the floor outside."

Bradley cracked up beside her, hand over his mouth.

He stuck out a foot and kicked her.

"Talking about your boyfriend like that. You trying to get yourself killed?"

"Keith, don't listen to her. Last time I was totally fine. She's just laying it on thick and blowing it way out of proportion!"

The two of them started messing around again.

I clenched my fists. Last time I had gone out of my way to ask Bradley about it.

He'd told me my snoring really wasn't that bad.

That Lorraine was just too much of a perfectionist.

"Lorraine..."

I tried to speak up. "The room's only this big. Where am I supposed to make a bed on the floor?"

"That's your problem."

Lorraine shot me an impatient look. "Point is, don't disturb our sleep with your snoring."

That night I sat on a chair beside the bunk, the whole night through.

The next morning I opened my eyes.

And the first thing I saw was this.

Bradley's leg thrown across Lorraine.

And Lorraine's hand, resting at Bradley's waist.