I shrugged. “I’m just a very curious person.”
I took a sip of my water, still feeling like I couldn’t get enough even though I chugged a bottle every time I woke up throughout the day. “So, what do you plan on doing with this new life of yours? You have a career you’ve always wanted or something?”
He looked at me like I was stupid, but then he shrugged. “Not really. I just want to be free. Maybe own a mechanic shop.”
I frowned. “Aren’t you free now?”
He didn’t reply. Instead, he just looked at me, almost like he wasn’t sure how to answer.
“I mean, you said you were running from your family, and that’s how you got to where you are, but that was a long time ago, right? Who’s keeping a leash on you now?”
His jaw flexed, and he sighed. “So, why’d you stay with that loser boyfriend of yours for so long?”
The question felt like a slap to the face. My mouth fell open. I wasn’t prepared for that question.
“I… I told you. My dad passed away, and he was all I had.”
“How’d your dad die?”
“I don’t want to talk about it.” I leaned back, straightening my back as I turned my head to look out the window. I crossed my arms over my chest, a feeble attempt at holding myself together. I wasn’t sure how we got to where we were. I was trying to lighten the moment by asking silly questions, but he was clearly trying to shut me up by asking stuff he knew would upset me. The rest of our dinner was silent. He didn’t speak to me, and I didn’t speak to him. We just sat across from one another, eating like the strangers we were.
It was easy to forget that you didn’t know a person after you’d spent a few days with them. We got comfortable being together, but we still didn’t know one another. Suddenly, I was glad that I ended up puking on his shoes the night before. Who knows where the night would’ve taken us if I hadn’t? I had a feeling where we were heading, and we probably would have crossed a line that couldn’t have been uncrossed.
It still bothered me, though, because I couldn’t shake these damn feelings bubbling up inside of me.
Once we finished our food, I left some cash on the table, and we headed for the car. We both climbed in, but he didn’t start it.
“I’m sorry.”
I looked over at him, unsure if I even heard him correctly.
“I just didn’t want to do much talking in there after a complete stranger turned around and butted into our conversation.”
“You mean the guy who answered my CPR question?” I pointed toward the diner that we were parked in front of.
His jaw flexed. “I know it was just a stupid question, but he answered it because he was listening to everything we said. If he was going to listen to a stupid ass question like that, he would’ve heard everything we said, and I never know what’s going to come out of your mouth. I pissed you off on purpose so you’d stop talking. I just didn’t want you talking about the last couple of days because it could’ve brought the police to our door.” After his explanation, he looked over at me, but I was still mad, and I wasn’t ready to let it go yet.
I couldn’t look into his eyes and hold onto that anger either, so when he looked in my direction, I turned away from him.
After a moment of silence, he started the car and backed out of our parking spot.
We flew down the road, and I watched the passing scenery from my window. There was nothing but trees and road signs as the sky became darker and darker. It was nine at night before we stopped at the next motel.
We got a room for the night, and I was thankful when we finally managed to secure one with two beds. I didn’t even bother to put my stuff down. I just walked through the room and directly to the bathroom, where I stripped down for a shower.
The water was good and hot, and it helped ease some of the stress I was under. Sleeping in the car all day left my body feeling sore and weak, but I felt the knots leaving my shoulders as I let the water beat down on me. Despite sleeping all day, I was still tired, so I finished my shower and got out. I pulled on some pajamas before walking back into the room.
The room was dark when I stepped out of the bathroom, with only the TV on. The volume was turned down low, like how you’d leave it when planning on going to sleep. I looked over at the beds, expecting to find Oliver already lying down, but both were empty. That’s when movement from the darkened corner grabbed my attention. He stood from the chair and walked toward me.
I felt the air grow warm and thicken between us. In the back of my head, I knew I should just move, step out of his way since he was probably going for the shower once I was done, but I was frozen. In the darkness of the room, I couldn’t see his eyes. Even though I couldn’t see the intensity they held, I could feel it. Something was coming, but I didn’t know what. Not until he came to a stop before me. That’s when I looked up at him and saw his emerald rings pinched in an emotion I couldn’t place.
He was so close that I could feel the heat leaving his body. I could feel his warm breath blowing across my lips. He had me trapped between his chest and the closed bathroom door. There was no escaping, even though, deep down, I didn’t want to. I watched as he wet his lips, and when I didn’t even attempt to put space between us, he dipped his head forward, capturing my mouth with his.
His lips were soft and slow at first.
After testing the waters and realizing that I wasn’t about to smack him, they gained strength and speed. His hand moved up to cup my jaw as his tongue dipped inside my mouth, meeting my own.
Our tongues danced and explored. I savored every second, memorizing the taste of his lips and the strength of his tongue. Letting his touch burn its way into my memory: the way his large hand felt cupping my jaw, how his heart was racing next to my own, how I absorbed his heat and craved even more. And then,as quickly as my world spiraled out of control, the ride came to an end. He slowed the kiss and broke away completely.
