“I can’t believe I just bought it.”
“It’s going to look so good next to your door. Oh! Oh! You could put it on the shelf next to our wedding photo. It’ll be perfect!”
Just the mention of our wedding has the air around us shifting, and suddenly, we’re not laughing at all anymore. It’s not awkward, but it’s not easy either.
“So, uh, where to next?”
She yawns, covering her mouth with the back of her hand. “Yikes, sorry. I guess I’m a little more tired than I thought. Would you be mad if I suggested a nap?”
“Not at all. A nap sounds perfect.”
“Great, my hotel is just a few blocks over.”
Oh. She doesn’t mean a nap with me. It’s not what I expected, but I guess I should have.
“Lead the way,” I say, waving her on.
The walk is quiet, and more than once, I get the urge to reach for her hand, but I don’t. I can’t understand how we can go from mind-blowing sex last night—and this morning too—to her going back to her hotel like it’s nothing. I fucking hate it. She should be in my apartment. It should beourapartment.
“I’m just up here,” she says once we’ve walked for a while.
I glance around the unfamiliar area we’re in. I haven’t been over here, and I’m starting to understand why. It’s old, which is most of Seattle at this point, but I get a bad feeling in my gut that I can’t shake. It feels like we’re being watched, but I can’t tell from which direction.
Chloe pushes open the door I hardly even realized led to a hotel, and we step into a lobby. Or at least I think it’s a lobby. There are desks stacked two high, blocking off the elevators, and an old lady sitting behind the front check-in who looks like she might be falling asleep.
“This is where you’re staying?” I look up at the ceiling of the old building that’s in obvious need of a renovation.
There are cracks every few inches, and I’m surprised it’s still intact at this point. An older gentleman sits in a corner and tips a brown bag up to his lips, loudly slurping back what I assume is a beer before belching, the noise echoing through the mostly empty area.
“This is where I’m staying,” she confirms, pulling a set of keys out of her coat pocket.
I work my jaw back and forth. “Why?”
“Excuse me?”
“Why? This place… Fuck, it’s a piece of shit, Clover.”
I don’t bother keeping my voice down. There’s no point. Everyone can see that what I’m saying is true. She tips her chin higher like she’s offended by my words, but I don’t care. She isnotstaying here another night if I have anything to say about it.
“It’s perfectly fine, and I like it here.”
It’s like she forgets how damn well I know her and that I can read her better than anyone else. She’s lying. She doesn’t like it here, not one bit.
“Well, tough. You’re not spending another night here. Give me your keys. I’ll go get your bag.”
She gasps, clutching them to her chest. “No! You can’t just boss me around anddemandthat I leave. I’m anadult, Callum. I can make my own decisions.”
“Yeah, and you’re my fucking wife, too, and mywifeis not going to stay in some run-down, shady-as-hell hotel.” I take a step toward her, leaning in closer. “Now, give me your damn keys before I break down every door in this godforsaken place until I find your room. And trust me, Clover, I’ll do it. You know I will.”
She stares up at me with wide eyes, and because I know her so well, I know she’s debating telling me to fuck off. It’s right there on the tip of her tongue, and if I’m being honest, I almostwanther to say it. Then I’ll have an excuse to hit something, and I really want to right now.
I can’t believe she’s been staying here. I figured she was someplace much nicer than this, or else I would have insisted she stay at my place while I was on the road.
Picturing her here makes my stomach sour. Have these people been harassing her? Has she felt secure for even a moment? Does she often stay in areas like this? And how bad ofa husband am I for not knowing the answer to that? We might not have talked often while she was gone, but when we did, she always reassured me that she was being safe, and I trusted her. Maybe I shouldn’t have.
After several tense moments, she relaxes, and I know I’ve won. It doesn’t absolve me of the guilt, but at least I’ll know she’s someplace safe tonight.
“Fine,” she says. “I’ll go with you.”
