“Yeah.” He steps aside and I go in.
Andrew
LET’S BE CLEAR ON ONE THING. IT’Sfucking torture having the boy you’re in love with sleeping in the same bed as you. Like, right next to you.
But, like, a good kind of torture, I guess. If hell is real and I’m going there for being a murderer and I get to choose between the penis bees and sleeping in the same bed next to Jamie for eternity but never being able to touch him, I’m going with this comfy bed.
And Jamie’s soft snores.
Penis bees be damned!
Jamie falls asleep instantly, but I can’t help but watch him for a while in the darkness.
I said shut up, it’s not creepy.
He’s so kind and sensitive. I bet he knew how uncomfortable I was over here on my own. I almost knew he was going to come over so when I heard his knock I jumped right up.
It physically hurts to be this close. I know I shouldn’t feel the way I do about him but I can’t help it. He’s not the first straight boy I’ve fallen in love with. No, that dubious honor goes to my best friend sinceelementary school, Clark Murphy, now a victim of the bug. Still, it doesn’t hurt any less.
I don’t even realize I’ve fallen asleep until the knocks come.
I jump up, reaching for the handgun, but it’s not there. It’s in my pack and my pack is on the other side of the room. It takes me a moment to remember we’re in the hotel room in Fort Caroline.
It’s morning and the sun glares against the venetian blinds hanging in front of the window. The knocks sound again.
But it’s coming from next door. They’re knocking on Jamie’s door.
Jamie sits up. He rubs at his eyes. “What time is it?”
“Shit. Go in the bathroom and stay quiet.”
He turns to me. “Why?”
“Just... trust me. Go.”
He goes into the bathroom without asking anything else. Whoever is out there knocks again on Jamie’s door. I glance around the room, looking for any sign that Jamie could have been in here last night.
I don’t know who these people are, but they put us in different rooms on purpose. Sure, there are more than enough available, but they thought we’d want our own rooms. They didn’t want two boys sharing a king bed if they didn’t have to because that would mean something they probably weren’t prepared to think about.
The knock finally comes to my door.
It’s not Danny Rosewood or Grover Denton standing there. It’s not even the motel night girl, Cara. It’s a tall woman with her light hair pulled back into a tight bun. She wears a beige outfit that does nothing for her pale complexion and has a badge across her chest.
Oh, lookit, the Lady Marine.
“Where’s your friend?” she asks.
I frown. “Um, hi. Good morning, I’m Andrew.”
“Nadine Price. Your friend, where is he?”
“What time is it? He’s a morning person so he probably went out to explore.”
She nods. “Get dressed and meet me in the office when you’re ready. I’m to give you a tour and you’ve got a meeting with Sheriff Denton at noon. We’ll find your friend while we’re out.”
She doesn’t wait to answer and walks back in the direction of the stairs.
I shut the door and Jamie comes out of the bathroom. “I met the Lady Marine! She’snice.”
