Page 11 of When The Mountains Held Us

Something in my heart splinters at her words, my mind reeling with the notion that anyone could be anything but kind and gentle with the woman standing before me. It stirs something in my chest, a fierce need to protect her, to keep her safe, and I inwardly curse myself for my bleeding heart. I know nothing about this woman, and here I am, ready to defend her against whatever she seems to be running from. I refuse to examine that too closely and what it says about me.

“Alright then. I can take you to your car tomorrow morning if you’d like.” I’m not ready to say goodnight yet, but I know I should leave her to rest and unwind from the day. Exhaustion slumps her shoulders, and I let my gaze wander the length of her body, curiosity getting the better of me as I wonder for the hundredth time tonight what her story is.

Maybe it’s selfish of me to offer to help her get her car back tomorrow, but if it means that I’ll get to spend a little more time with the woman whose every word and expression has me questioning my own sanity, then so be it.

Color me curious.

She nods and agrees, either too desperate or too exhausted to fight me on my hospitality like I know she wants to, but I’ll take it as a win. If she truly felt like she couldn’t trust me, I have no doubt she would have politely but firmly declined my offer.

“Try and get some sleep. I’ll see you in the morning.”

Stifling a yawn, she nods again, and without another word, closes the door.

I linger on the doorstep and run a hand through my ragged hair, my eyes fixed on the upside-down number swinging from side to side. My ears strain to hear any indication of movement from the other side, but no sound greets me. Either the bass pounding through the blown-out speakers of the bar next door is too loud, or she’s lingering on the other side of the door too. Is she waiting for me to leave?

Maybe she’s as curious about me as I am about her. Or maybe I’m being ridiculous and allowing the kind words and gentle laughter from a random girl get the better of me. Either way, I’ll take what I can get.

After all, it’s been a long, long time since anything caused the stone muscle sitting heavy in my chest to stir to life with the tiniest spark of a flame.

Six

Oakley

Only when I hear the faint sound of Levi’s receding footsteps do I push my back off the motel room door and move further into the room.

It really isn’t that bad. I wasn’t lying when I told him I’ve stayed in worse places before. I don’t know what prompted me to give away something like that to him, but I blame it on the exhaustion and push it from my mind. I doubt he even picked up on the comment.

Lifting my bag from where I dropped it by the door, I set it on the edge of the bed and pull out my travel-size toiletries and pajamas. I left my full-size products at the apartment when I left, forgetting them in my haste to get out and away before Travis came home from work. A shame too. Those products are expensive, and now with only a meager savings, they’re a luxury I can no longer afford.

I make my way into the tiny bathroom and set the items on the edge of the counter before I lean into the shower and turn the dial on the hot water. The showerhead sputters to life, and my stomach sinks for a split second thinking that maybe the shower isn’t working, but after a moment of waiting, a steady stream of hot water cascades down, pounding a comforting rhythm on the bottom of the tub.

I strip out of my ruined shirt and leave it in a pile on the tile with my shorts, socks, and underwear. I catch a glimpse of my reflection in the mirror and groan.

It’s no wonder Levi kept looking at me like I’m a lost puppy.

I am a wreck. My eyes are a dull, lifeless gray color, heavy with exhaustion, and my blonde hair hangs in messy knots down to the middle of my back. My skin is pale and lacks its usual glow. Why hadn’t I thought to grab a small bottle of moisturizer when I grabbed the other toiletries in the last gas station I stopped at back in Pennsylvania?

Sighing and turning away from the woman in the mirror, I test the water before stepping into the shower, grateful to find it hot. I half expected to be taking a cold shower tonight, but the hot water is a more-than-welcome surprise. The pressure is decent, too. Thank God for small mercies. I step fully under the spray of water and groan as I let it cascade over my hair and down my shoulders and back, silently willing it to wash away the absolute shit day today has been.

It wasn’t all bad.

That little voice in the back of my mind fights my crappy attitude tooth and nail, refusing to let me forget about the man that simultaneously ruined and saved my day today.

In all honesty, I can’t blame Levi for my lack of focus when he was giving me directions. It’s not like it’s his fault that the only thing I could focus on as he spoke were those bright green eyes, so full of life and laughter. The way he looked at me, as if I was a puzzle he couldn’t sort, should have me running for the hills. Instead, it made me want to lean in closer and hand him each and every piece he would need to figure me out.

I let out a satisfied groan as the jet of hot water hits a particularly sore muscle in my upper back. I stand there for countless minutes, letting the steaming water ease the tension in my body. When the hot water finally begins to run cold, I quickly wash my hair and body before shutting it off and wrapping a bleached towel around myself.

To my relief, and despite my initial impressions of the motel and the room itself, the bathroom is clean. I smile as I remember going on vacations with my parents when I was little and the way Mom would immediately go into the bathroom to check the tub for mildew stains. She said you could always tell how clean a hotel room was by the cleanliness of its bathroom.

To this day, I always make it a point to check out the bathroom first thing, just in case. Not like I would have any other choice but to accept what I’ve been given under the circumstances, though.

I dress quickly and rummage through my bag for my hairbrush before remembering it was one of the items I left back at the apartment. I sigh and instead comb through my hair with my fingers, working out the bigger knots as best I can. It’ll have to do. After quickly brushing my teeth, I make my way to the bed with the hopes of sleeping for the next twelve hours. A girl could only be so lucky.

I yank back the dingy duvet cover. That was another thing Mom ingrained in my mind. The duvet never gets washed. I gaze down at the rumpled white bedsheets beneath the duvet. When was the last time those were washed?

Actually, no. I don’t even want to know. I’m much too sleep deprived to care. Thankfully, I remembered to grab my favorite throw blanket from my car, and I settle beneath it after plugging my phone in to charge.

Beyond the deafening silence that falls over the room is the sound of the music roaring from the bar next door. Honestly, if I wasn’t too tired to drag myself out of bed, a drink might sound really good right now. Maybe not so much the idea of socializing with whatever locals are currently occupying the bar, but a strong drink? Now that’s something I can get behind.