I cringed, knowing he was right.
“I was so mad. At the car ride. At the people chasing us. At this dumb trip. At him for being so damn nothing all the time. I thought coming with them to see if I could get rid of this thing I do was a good idea, but maybe it’s not. I just want to go.”
He finally wrapped his right arm around my shoulders and gave me a squeeze.
“This is the right decision for now. You’re just afraid.”
I lifted my head.
“What?”
“Carlos made you feel something you didn’t want to feel, right? It freaked you out.”
Yeah, it definitely freaked me out. I set my head back on Ethan’s shoulder and exhaled heavily.
“Do you need to spar again or are you feeling all right?” he asked.
“I’m good. Bored after the long drive, but good.”
“What do you want to do?”
“Let’s just watch some TV.” I didn’t want to leave the room and risk running into Carlos again.
“Sounds good to me.” He stiffly dropped his arm, stood, and moved to the head of the other bed. He got comfortable then waved me over with his left arm. I gave a weak smile and joined him. I needed Ethan to get better.
I just needed Ethan.
The next morning we packed up and joined everyone in the lobby. I wasn’t looking forward to another day in the car or facing Carlos. The negative emotions drifting from the group told me no one else wanted to spend another day driving either.
“We thought we might go out for breakfast,” Winifred said as we approached.
“Good,” Ethan said. “I’m starving.”
There’d been no room service the night before since the hotel didn’t offer any. And raiding the snack machine in the hall had been unsatisfactory. It had either been understocked, or the rest of the group had hit it first. Fruit snacks and chewing gum had done little to curb Ethan’s appetite.
We threw our bags into the car then walked the three blocks to the restaurant. I enjoyed the stroll and lingered at the back of the group with Ethan. Despite my intention to ignore Carlos, I found myself studying him. He walked beside Grey near the front of our procession. Everyone else chatted, but they were quiet. I couldn’t help wondering what Carlos was thinking. Had he been upset by the separate room? Was he worried I’d shared a bed with Ethan? Why did I even care? He had to know we’d want a separate room after he’d made me switch beds. I mean, I wasn’t about to make Ethan sleep next to Carlos again, though I didn’t think Ethan had actually minded. Yet, if Ethan wouldn’t share with Carlos and Carlos didn’t want me bunking with Ethan, that meant I’d find myself snuggling with Carlos.
The remembered sensation of Carlos’ mouth against my ear made me shiver.
“We need to get you a better jacket,” Ethan said.
His hunched shoulders were near his ears as he struggled to stay warm, too.
“We’ll be warm enough once we’re eating or back in the car,” I said quietly. The cold didn’t bother me as much as the idea of sitting in the car with Carlos.
The quaint restaurant had the typical breakfast offerings. Jim made me smile when he hopefully asked if they had a buffet. The small dining room obviously didn’t have one. I didn’t know why he bothered asking.
I ordered an omelet then played tic-tac-toe with Ethan on the back of my placemat. He won most of the games.
“You cheat,” I said, setting down my blue crayon.
He grinned and shook his head at me.
“It’s tic-tac-toe. Cheating’s impossible. Don’t be a sore loser.”
Playing the game and the banter never fully distracted me from Carlos’ steady gaze from across the table. What would he do if I kicked him in the shin? I was so tempted to find out. Only the possibility that he might turn into the mad dog I’d seen in the alley stopped me. I didn’t want Ethan to get hurt because I was annoyed.
When the food arrived, Emmitt immediately asked for the bill. I glanced at Gabby. She was in her sonar world again, and I wondered if she’d seen something to cause the need for speed. I ate quickly as did everyone else.
“Ethan,” Winifred said as we walked out the door. “Could I speak with you for a moment?”
I slowed down with him, but she waved me ahead.
“It’s all right, Isabelle. You go walk with Gabby.”
I was obviously not wanted. Ethan nodded that he was okay, so I turned and caught up with Gabby and Clay.
“I’ll be your third wheel for this walk,” I said.
Gabby didn’t answer, just stared straight ahead. I leaned around her to look at Clay.
“She been doing this a lot?”
He nodded and cast her a worried glance.
I nudged Gabby with my elbow, and she blinked and turned to look at me.
“What are you seeing?”
“I’m not sure yet.”
“Meaning...”