He nodded. “Yeah, pretty much.”
“Well, that’s what everyone’s going to think about me when they realize that I took off, left college to go to Florida. They’re going to think I’m crazy, ungrateful, entitled, whatever.” She looked at Elijah. “But I had to go. It was either leave Boston and give myself a chance to actually live for myself, or stay and just completely lose myself.”
“Yeah, I suppose that’s how I felt too,” he said. “You know, I can see why you got into Cambridge,” he said. “That’s pretty damn smart.”
“Thanks,” she smiled.
Over the next couple of hours, they mostly listened to music. Elijah seemed to prefer stuff like the Foo Fighters and Death Cab for Cutie, whereas Caelyn was pretty much into Usher and Rihanna and mainstream pop music. Surprisingly, Elijah wasn’t jerky about it like some boys had been in the past.
He didn’t make fun of her for her musical tastes. In fact, he happily tuned the radio to a hits station for the better part of an hour.
As evening started to fall, however, and the sky slowly darkened, Elijah was tiring again and this time, even he couldn’t deny it.
“I’m not going to make it all the way to Florida,” he said softly, after a long period of relative silence.
“I didn’t expect you to,” she replied.
“My eyes are burning, my back is killing me. I need to get out of this car and stretch my legs and…”
“We need to stop at a hotel for the night,” Caelyn said. She was looking forward to it, actually. Sure, it would have been nice to get to Florida in one straight shot, but it wasn’t worth dying to try and make it. They had continued way past what she thought was reasonable, and it was time to accept defeat.
Besides, she was still wearing the same outfit from the previous night, and her same old caked on makeup and she felt gross. A bath would be very nice, too.
“All right, let’s pull off at the next exit,” Elijah said. “Sound good?”
“Sounds amazing.”
“I’m just going to stop at the first halfway decent place we see,” he said, “since I don’t really know what’s nearby.”
“I can check my phone,” she offered.
But minutes later, they were taking the next off ramp and soon off the exit, they spotted a Holiday Inn Express that looked like a beautiful oasis after everything she’d been through recently.
“Hopefully, they have some rooms open,” Elijah said, as they pulled in. “The lot doesn’t seem too full.”
“Should I come in with you?” she asked, as he pulled the car over beside the front entrance.
“No, let me just run in really quick and see what’s available.”
“You sure?”
“Yup.” He hopped out of the SUV, suddenly energetic, and she watched him go inside. She could see his broad back as he walked, and the wind ruffled his hair slightly.
The butterflies had started up again, and she put a hand on her stomach. What was she feeling, exactly? She wasn’t certain. Elijah was absolutely handsome—was it that simple? Was she physically attracted to him, or was it something else?
She waited in the car, hoping they wouldn’t tell him the hotel was booked up. But as the minutes went by, she imagined he must be getting rooms for them. She wondered how much it would cost, and if he’d try to once again pay for her.
When he finally returned to the car and got inside, she looked at him expectantly.
“Well?” she asked.
“Well, what?” he replied, driving away from the curb.
“Did they have any rooms available?”
“Yeah.” He pulled into a parking spot not far away.
“So…” she waited for him to explain. “How much do I owe you, Elijah?”
“Don’t start this mess again,” he said. “Come on, I’m freaking beat. Let’s get up to the room before I collapse and you have to drag me up.”
His words hit her fully as the got out of the car and started toward the entrance together. “Wait a second,” she said, pulling up short.
He looked at her. “What?”
“You said ‘room.’ As in, you got just one room for both of us?”
He started to smile. “Yeah, I got just one room. Don’t worry, kid—I’m not going to put the moves on you or anything like that. I’ll sleep on the floor if it makes you feel better.”
She felt her cheeks blushing. “I’m not saying…that….” she stuttered. “I just figured we’d get separate rooms. I mean, we hardly even know each other.”
He put his duffel bag down and folded his arms across his muscular chest. “Well, let me break the math down for you, Caelyn. It cost me a hundred and thirty bucks for that one room. Do you really want to spend that much, just so you don’t have to worry about me leaving the toilet seat up?”
“No, I guess not.” She sighed, wiping the hair from her face. “It’s just kind of weird, that’s all. And I need to know that you’ll respect my space and my privacy.”
He repressed a smile. “Of course I will.”