Hour Of Darkness

CH 8 - "Love Me Tonight"

8...Love Me Tonight...

When Jonathon returned to the room, he was carrying a small bag. He set it on the counter in the kitchenette and began emptying it. He took out two microwaveable burritos, two small bags of Doritos and two cans of soda. When he'd paid for the room, he'd noticed a variety of vending machines in the office. The kitchenette was equipped with a microwave and something hot to eat sounded good, even with his mind and emotions in a turmoil. A body could only go so long before it demanded sustenance.

He put both burritos in the microwave then leaned against the counter and watched Clarice. She was still laying on her side under the blankets, her eyes closed, but he could feel her hovering close to consciousness. He wondered if she would ever have another good night's sleep again.

Darkness pressed at the windows and Jonathon went to close the blinds. It made him uneasy to think there might be unseen eyes out there watching him. It wasn't easy for anyone or anything to sneak up on him, but it could happen. And he wasn't about to make himself or Clarice an easy target.

The microwave dinged and shut off. There were paper plates in the cupboards, stocked by the motel owner, a courtesy to their patrons. Not everyone thought to carry paper plates with them. He took down two plates and placed a burrito on each plate, then accompanied each with a bag of Doritos. He took one plate and one can of soda and went to the bed. He placed the items on the night stand then set down next to Clarice and shook her gently, waking her from her light sleep.

“What is it?” She asked with a drowsiness to her voice and a hint of alarm.

“It's okay.” Jonathon said. “Nothing's wrong. I'm sorry to wake you, but I thought you might want something to eat. You need to keep your strength up.”

Clarice blinked the sleep from her eyes and scooted up a little in the bed. She looked at the plate of food. “Where did you get that?”

“Vending machines.” He said. “In the office. Eat up.” He stood and returned to the counter where his plate still sat. He was famished, but when he tried to actually eat, it felt like a chore. He glanced at Clarice. She opened her chips and ate one slowly, without enthusiasm.

“Don't like it?” He asked.

“No, it's fine.” She said quietly. “My stomach, it's just...I don't know, maybe it's just all the stress.”

Jonathon pushed his plate back and went to the bed again. He took her plate and set it on the night stand.

She looked up, a bit startled. “It's okay.” She said. “I'll get it all down.”

He sat down next to her and she looked away. He drew in a deep breath and released it slow. “Forget about the food for now.” He said quietly. “I want to apologize for what I said, before.” He looked at her face until she met his eyes. “I think I hurt your feelings.”

“No.” She whispered and looked away. “You were just telling it like it is. I should be the one apologizing, for putting you on the spot like that.” She chewed her lower lip and blinked back the sudden sheen that glimmered in her eyes. “I thought something was there...when it wasn't. You don't need to apologize for my mistake.”

Jonathon stared at her. The pain and anguish and grief raged through her like a hurricane. He watched the one lone tear slide down her cheek as she stared down at the blankets. He reached out and wiped the tear away with his thumb, then allowed his hand to linger on her face.

She looked up slowly, with uncertainty.

“You didn't make any mistakes.” He murmured. “There was no misunderstanding on your part. I'm the one at fault, the only one. I dragged you into this so suddenly you didn't have time to adjust. And then...” He faltered. What was he doing? What if the feelings she felt for him really was just a form of transference? He could be doing more harm than good if that were the case. But as he looked into her eyes, opened his mind and felt what she felt...he knew he had been wrong before. She wasn't just drawing close to him because she needed someone, anyone, to connect to. She loved him. But what puzzled him was the depth of that love. It was too deep to have just developed over this short amount of time. And yet it was there, deep and strong as if she had been loving him all her life.