If she had something else she was planning to say, she chose not to. She walked away from him with a glare and stormed out of the bar. He stared straight ahead as he took another sip. He should be pleased. He still had a way of getting under her skin.
Carver finished his drink within a couple minutes, and decided to check out the upstairs room before he resigned himself to sleeping in the train. He had a feeling it was the best bet for him.
One look into the room, and he knew he wouldn’t sleep there. He couldn’t believe Clara was stubborn enough that she would have stayed there. Well, he could believe she was stubborn enough. But he still couldn’t believe she wouldactuallystay in that room.
He ran his hand through his hair and used the bathroom, as awful as it was, before making the brief trek back to the train car. The train was cold and hard, but he’d much rather be there than have Clara stay in that awful room.
13CLARA
Clara woke up before the sun. She laid there for a while, the remnants of her dream still spinning through her mind. She hadn’t dreamed about him in years. Most of her dreams consisted of training, scenarios, and the deaths she had witnessed or executed. It didn’t bode well for the future that two days in his presence and her subconscious was already manifesting him through her dreams.
He truly was an asshole. How dare he.
She slid out from under the sheets and went through a basic stretching routine. She focused on her breathing. In and out. Forcing her body, and her mind, to relax. Her muscles screamed at her from the day on the train , and she decided that today she would be more active even if it was pacing in the train car.
She dressed for the day and braided her hair back loosely.
She stepped out of the room and her stomach growled at the smell of food. She had planned to walk directly to the train in an effort to beat Carver, but, she couldn’t resist ordering a couple of burritos to-go. She debated getting one for Carver. He was kind enough to bring her the key to this place.
With that in mind, she took her food and walked briskly to the train. It wasn’t raining, but a gentle mist still hung in theair. Clara breathed in deeply, exhaling all of the stress she had woken up with.
She wasn’t still in love with Carver. Couldn’t be. After all, she hated him.He’s an annoying, arrogant, perfect, insufferable asshole.She knew part of her was lying. She had, against her better judgment, gotten him a burrito. Well, technically, she got herself three burritos. But she also knew she’d never be able to eat more than two.
He was already on the train when she reached it, and she was frustrated she hadn’t beat him. He leaned against a crate of some new cargo, but he stood up as she approached. How long did he even sleep? The sun was just barely peeking over the horizon, still sending out rays of orange and pink.
The circles under his eyes were darker than the day before. His hair stuck up at weird angles and he yawned as she approached. He squinted, as the rising sun behind her bathed her in an orange glow. Had he slept at all?
“Drink too much?”
He yawned again, sat back down and leaned against the crate. “Define too much.” He closed his eyes, crossing his arms across his chest.
Clara sat cross legged leaning against the wall a few feet from him. “Whatever you had,” she muttered, unwrapping her first burrito. She sighed as she took her first bite. It was so worth stopping, and she was grateful she hadn’t skipped getting the burritos.
Carver opened one eye, lazily glancing her direction. “You got food?”
“Of course.” It didn’t take her long to polish off the burrito, and as she unwrapped the second one she said, “These were bigger than I thought. I can only eat two. Do you want the last one?”
He fully glared at her for that statement, and she was a little surprised. “What, did you poison it or something?”That is a brilliant way to complete this mission. I don’t hate you enough to damn our kingdom.
“Poison it?” She asked flatly, trying not to give him the satisfaction of a true reaction. “Who do you think I am?”
“I don’t know, maybe the most renowned assassin?”
“You know what, jerk? I rescind my offer.”
He went back to fake sleeping, and she angrily finished her burrito. She was tempted to eat the third one as well, just to prove something to him, though what it would prove she hadn’t figured out yet. But it would definitely prove something. Unfortunately, she was too full for that.
A few minutes later, the man walked back, and glanced inside to make sure they were both there. He closed the door to the train car. The train rumbled to a start, and they were off.
“I shouldn’t have picked a fight.” Carver said softly, eyes staying closed.
“No, you shouldn’t have.” She glared at him, feeling safe doing so since he wasn’t looking.
“Can I still take you up on the offer for your last burrito?”
“Seriously? You think you can yell at me and still have my food?” She answered harshly, and held out the last burrito.
He walked a little shakily as the train rumbled. Taking it from her, he answered, “Yeah, just like you know you would.”
