Road Trip (H.S.)

Chapter 22

Felicity

My phone goes off in the morning, ringing loudly in my ears. The irritating tune I picked out specifically as my alarm clock echoes throughout the tiny space of the hotel room. I try to shut it off with my mind, hoping that by some miracle overnight I was granted with a little bit of telekinetic powers. Unfortunately I'm not that lucky in my life as the tune continues to pierce through my ears.

As I sit up in bed, pulling the covers away from my face, I grab my phone on the bedside table and shut it off. The room goes quiet once again, and as much as I would love to go back to sleep, I'm somehow now wide awake. I rub my eyes before they adjust to the darkness throughout the room. It's very early in the morning, but I'm already feeling the sense that I should get up and get moving.

I reach out to turn on the lamp that sits atop the bedside table, and as the light illuminates the room, my eyes land on Harry lying right beside me. I'm not sure how he slept right through my alarm clock. The tune was too loud and obnoxious for me to just ignore, but somehow he sleeps like a rock.

He must have gotten hot throughout the night because the long-sleeved shirt that he fell asleep in now lies on the floor. Harry lies on his back, one arm resting beside his body as the other arm is draped over his eyes. His light breathing lets me know he's still asleep and has yet to notice me moving around. Even though I can't see his entire face, he looks so peaceful as he sleeps.

I can't take my eyes off his bare chest. I've seen it before when we jumped in the pool in Hershey and when he's gotten dressed in front of me. But seeing it now ... beside me in bed ... my heart is beating out of my own chest. His tattoos are out on full display, giving me a chance to really see what exactly he has inked on his skin. There are a few doodles scattered on his arm, a large heart just under his shoulder, and a star on the inside of his bicep. Two swallows sit just under his collar bones as a large butterfly is inked above his stomach.

The detailing in each tattoo is impressive. I've always thought about getting a tattoo myself, but I'm just too nervous. I also think that Colton once told me that I would look bad with a tattoo so I kind of nixed the idea in my head.

I'm so caught up in admiring the artwork on Harry's skin that I don't even notice my index finger tracing the outline of the butterfly tattoo until his hand wraps around my wrist, startling me as I inhale a sharp breath.

He removes his arm from over his face as his tired eyes open up to look at me.

"You need to stop."

"I'm s-sorry. I didn't know I was doing it and I didn't mean to upset you. I-"

"I'm not upset. It's just ... if you keep doing that, I will lose all self control around you. That can't happen."

I don't know if he means that in a negative way or not, so I cautiously remove my hand from his grip and wrap my arms around my knees.

"We should start getting ready to leave."

Harry groans and shuts his eyes. "What time is it?"

"Six. We should leave by seven, that way we can stop around noon for lunch and gas. We'll probably get to New Orleans at 5:30, which will give us time to-"

"Stop talking," he interrupts me before sitting up in the bed. "You're doing that thing again where you plan everything out and try to take control of the situation."

"Sorry."

"Don't be sorry. I'm just pointing it out. I don't think you realize how often you do it," Harry stretches out his arms and stands up from the bed. "But I'll get ready to go."