"Tomorrow, we can have breakfast coffee at the largest Starbucks in the world...because, why not?" Mai called through the door. "And Alexa, play some wind down music," Reem huffed at this decision. "Alexa, ignore her. Alexa, go to sleep." she called.

Bets and Beckett giggled quietly listening to the argument.

"Alexa, What's the first rule of Fight Club?" Mai asked facetiously.

"Don't Talk about FIGHT CLUB," Alexa, Re'em, Bets, and Beckett yelled.

"Alexa, stop," Reem said again with a yawn. "Mai, could we please go to sleep without the ambient sounds playing tonight," she asked with a certain level of persuasion. "Quiet would be amazing tonight," There was a moment of silence, and Mai turned them off without a word. Even if it upset her, Reem was thankful that she'd said something. She was so tired.

Morning came quickly. The girls had woken before Bets and Becks and closed the door between them so that they could get ready without the fear of waking them.

They decided to go down to the gym, which Alexa had informed them was on the second floor. After leaving a brief note and stuffing it under the door connecting their two rooms, they wandered out into the unknown to explore for a while.

"You don't think they'll be mad that we left them, do you?" Re'em asked. She was always the one who anchored them into politeness. It was partly the way that she was raised, and partly just because she cared. Re'em spent a lot of her time wining and dining prospective clients and moving them to sign with her advertising firm. She was exceptional at what she did for a living, and the proof was in the word of mouth praise that she received on multiple platform bases from so many of the businesses that she promoted.

What Mai really wanted was coffee. Re'em couldn't sleep with the ambient noise, Mai couldn't sleep without it. She didn't think to bring her headphones because she didn't know that Re'em was bothered by it. "No, I don't think that they're even going to wake up for a while. As long as we still have time to do the things that Bets has planned, I think that it's fine to leave them be," she replied. Cleo popped off the elevator and stopped to greet them. The two women still found it so novel to have electronic service. When the doors closed on the elevator, Mai turned to Re'em, " I guess that was a smart business move, " she gave a nod to the door to indicate that she was speaking of the robot. " It's pretty hard to yell at a robot for messing up your order, " she laughed. "It's probably even harder to fight one," both of them laughed as the doors opened to the second floor. The sign directed them to the gym, and they headed toward it.

It looked like a gym. Imagine that. Mai turned to Re'em, "Let's go and get coffee. I brought my credit card just in case, it doesn't have to be Starbucks. Want to ask Leo or Cleo where the best classic coffee is near here?" she asked, keeping with the theme of off the beaten path. Re'em tilted her head..a healthy walk sounded better than the gym, as did a donut. They didn't bump into either Leo or Cleo, but as luck would have it, they bumped into Kevin, the manager on duty as they started heading toward the front desk. He told them that Stan's Donuts was a winner in his opinion. Pretty good donuts, great staff, and decent coffee.

So the girls took him at his word after getting the details and directions and headed out the door. It wasn't even a quarter of a mile away, and sounded delightful.

When they walked into the donut shop, it was quite full and had retro 50s crooner music playing while customers tried to make their decisions on what donut to choose. They had these things called pockets, that were like jelly donuts except filled with other things, like Biscoff cookie spread and nutella. Re'em and Mai decided that they would get whatever the person at the counter selected for them with Stan's House Blend. By the time that they actually reached the counter, they decided to get four vanilla cream cold brews. No one really liked hot coffee that went cold, but cold coffee that was always cold tasted really good. It was weird but true. The donuts were harder, not so much for themselves or Bets, they each ordered a different flavor of the pockets, and studied a moment over what to get Beckett. They couldn't even remember if he liked sweet things. After a moment, they chose the lemon pistachio old-fashioned donut . It looked fancy, and they could still share with him.

The donut shop had been so busy that it took them longer than they had anticipated. They took the opportunity that they didn't use at the gym and decided to speed walk all the way back to the hotel.

It seems, dear reader, that it wasn't made apparent that "getting ready" when they quietly left their room, meant getting their shoes on and grabbing a credit card for a proposed coffee in the breakfast nook at the hotel. Although they had said that they were going to check out the gym, neither planned on exercising as they knew that they would be walking much of the day. Luckily, their pajamas were flannel, and not silky or scantily made. The word lucky is used with some hesitation , because if either of the latter had been true, one or the other of our girls would have definitely felt the need to mention it on their walk onto the streets of a breezy crisp morning in Chicago. They didn't notice until they reached the hotel and happened to catch a glimpse of themselves in the reflection of the windows they passed when going to the lobby doors. Gleeful giggles escaped the friends as they made their way in, and headed like sprites to the elevator.

They fled off of the elevator and quickly to their room where they decided that stories like going to get donuts in your pajamas were pretty great all things considered. When they tasted the coffee, it was easy to say that they wouldn't have changed a thing. It was quite good.

Meanwhile, the two sloths in the next room still sounded like they were asleep. It was half past eight. Time was ticking. After another sip of coffee, Re'em decided to give them fifteen more minutes. Mai and Re'em started to vie for dibs on the first shower.

The shower was quite an interesting centerpiece in the room. It was all glass. Both of them had been thankful for the privacy of a pocket door when actually going to the toilet and there was a curtain that one could use to stop voyeurism, they both deduced. As pretty as it was, it felt like it lacked privacy, which was something higher on the list for them both in relation to whatever statistics the hotel execs had used to make this architectural decision.

There was movement next door. Mai made it into the bathroom and locked the door and stuck her tongue out at Re'em, which she could see clearly through the glass. She waved back, and held up all of the towels like a magician. Mai's jaw dropped and Re'em nodded her head at her with a smile, clearly saying, " I win,"

"I'll wait," Re'em flipped her off with a smile. It didn't matter where they were, the three of them were always going to act like they were at home.

Bets opened the door from her side, and Re'em attentively twisted the handle from her side. Bethany looked like she always did when she awoke. Her olive skin was rosy and her hair was just slightly mussed. She instantly smiled when she greeted her friend. Bethany noticed the coffee and donut box almost immediately. She clapped her hands together excitedly and went over to get a closer look. Re'em handed her one of the coffees. "I don't know how it tastes, but whoever they chose to do their marketing did an excellent job," Re'em smiled in complete agreement. Just like the music in-store, the packaging was retro with 50's style lettering and artwork.

Mai tapped on the glass with insistence and both women turned to her making it clear that she didn't want them to start on the donuts without her. Re'em made it equally clear that she had better hurry up and finish her shower or her donut may not be waiting for her by walking up to the glass with her coffee and taking a long drink.

There was an increase in movement that could be seen in the bathroom and some tinkling laughter from the two watching from the outside.

"Did you have this delivered?" Bethany asked curiously.

Re'em explained that they had gone out to look around the hotel and thought it would be nice to have coffee and donuts. She also shared that they had forgotten that they were still in their pajamas. Bethany laughed and then shared her own story about when she had been thinking that Beckett was a burglar when she was preparing to shower. The story brought laughter and sympathy, as the latest incident had solidified how in sync the women still were to each other.

Mai came out of the bathroom all steamy and fresh but had pulled one of the robes off the hook to both cover and dry herself. It made it clear that if you try it, you buy it, above the hook. "Well, that was the most expensive shower of the century. Thanks, buddy." She threw laser beams at Re'em.

Re'em, never one to shy away from her friends' more catty moments, bowed and headed past her with all of the towels into the empty bathroom. Mai rolled her eyes, and grabbed her coffee on the desk. "She told you the story?" she asked, referring to Re'em with a sweeping gesture of her hand. Bets nodded. She found herself so thankful for them.

The room was identical to the one that she and Beckett shared, except everything was on the opposite side. Bethany took a sip of her coffee and sighed happily. She found herself content right where they were.

"Nope. We are going out and doing all the do's today, Bets." Mai said, shunning the lazy thoughts that had appeared around her. Bethany laughed and wiggled out some excitement.

"I'm going to go get Becks up," she turned back toward the coffee and donuts and took his and headed back through the adjoining door.

"Oh, I think you can let our friend in the bathroom do that," Mai winked at Bethany. Bethany tilted her head in confusion and looked toward the glass box in the room.

"What did you do?" Bets hissed, coming back toward her friend on the bed.

Mai smiled, "It's not what I've done, it's what I'm going to do," she corrected. She waited for the water to start running and called out to Alexa after giving Re'em enough time to have gotten in the shower. "Alexa, turn the lights off in the bathroom!" she called out clearly. The novelty of having everything operated by electronics hadn't worn off quite yet for this group.

"Mai!" Re'em's voice rang out from the shower. "Alexa! Lights on," she called out over the water.

"I'm sorry, I didn't quite get that," they heard Alexa reply. The girls couldn't hide their mirth as it seemed to erupt in spurts of giggles.

" I hate you!!" Re'em called out over the water.

Mai spoke up, "Alexa, Simon says, Re'em don't hate, I always win, " When Alexa repeated the message, Mai said, "Alexa, vanity lights ON," and the vanity lights gave a romantic glow to the bathroom.

"Alexa, I'm never staying here again!" Re'em roared over the water.

" I am sorry to inform you that the room has been booked for one additional night. If you are not enjoying your stay, please speak with the reception staff on the first floor. " The two women in the living space were unable to control themselves.

The bathroom was quiet with the exception of the water hissing and steaming up the glass. "Alexa!" Re'em called. "I need two new friends,"

"Launching, Let's be friends," Alexa replied.

"Alexa, cancel!" the two women called out.

Beckett came through the door, looking at the two giggling women on the bed, saw the coffee and donuts, and the drapery wrapped around the bathroom.

"What is happening?" Becks asked, ruffling a hand through the mop on his head. Two sets of innocent eyes stared up at him from the bed with a stream of language unfit for even the roughest of tongues spewing from the bathroom.

"Oh good. You're awake," Bethany smiled. He shook his head ever so slightly and headed for the donuts and the coffee. Beckett was quite convinced these three needed their own reality sitcom. He didn't know what was going to happen next, but something told him that taking his coffee and donut to go would be the best option.

"Alexa, bathroom lights off!" the girls on the bed shouted. Re'em had turned the water off, which was the lead in to more antics from those watching from the outside.  The atomic bomb in the shower was ticking quite loudly. He was quite pleased with his foresight, because the moment that he walked into the adjoining room the tiny stick of dynamite was searching for the door in the glass bathroom. 

"I don't care if you just got married. If I ever get out of here, you'll wish I hadn't!" Re'em yelled. All of a sudden the three of them were laughing hysterically. Two on the couch, and Re'em in the bathroom. She sounded a bit like the end of an episode of Scooby-doo...and somehow all three of them saw the humor in the moment. "Alexa! Bathroom lights on!" the girls all called. Re'em continued her preparation without further issues and Bethany went into her room with Beckett to shower while everyone else ate. Chicago awaited!