Falling Slowly

Chapter Thirty-One: Until the Ends of the Earth

I never post GIFS but Ly, being as awesome as she is, made me on of Liam and Anya! ♥ I am extremely sorry for the late update...but hopefully this long chappy makes up for my two week absence! :D

Happy Reading!

Chapter Thirty-One: Until the Ends of the Earth

Nearly three hours later, Liam took the exit ramp to Greensboro and drove until we found a Holiday Inn close to the freeway. I climbed out, stretching out my legs in front of me. I pulled my arms one at a time behind my head, stretching my muscles from the stiffness they’d have to endure today.  From across the roof of the car I saw Liam roll his shoulders as he made his way towards the back of the trunk and unloaded our suitcases.

“God,” I heard him huff as he set down my luggage. “What do you have in here, a body?”

I rolled my eyes and grabbed the handle of my suitcase as he shouldered his duffle bag and led the way to the entrance. “You are so cranky when you’re tired,” I teased.

He flashed me a crooked smile and greeted the concierge, asking for a suite with two beds, and handing over a credit card that looked oddly familiar.  I hadn’t noticed it before, but in the dim lighting of the lobby – the questions that I had had before our trip suddenly clicked. I opened my mouth but before I could say anything Liam shook his head, his eyes seeming to say, Later.

With the room ready and paid for, we received two room card keys and were ushered towards the elevator. It was a slow climb to the fourth floor, feeling like we would both just crumble in a heap from fatigue and exhaustion. Liam’s steps were heavy with weariness as we made our way down the hall to room 423. All I wanted was a shower and a soft, fluffy bed where I could lose myself in a dreamless sleep.

Finally reaching our destination, Liam opened the door to our suite and flicked on the light, flooding the rich colored room with warmth. The soft click of the door shutting reached my ears as I ventured further into the room and took the bed closer to heavy draped windows. I lifted my suitcase – with much difficulty – on top of the fluffy cream coverlet.

Liam wasn’t too far behind, throwing his keys onto the nightstand between our beds and flopping back onto the covers, shielding his eyes with his forearm.  He practically took up the entire bed with his tall stature. He hadn’t even bothered to remove his old, dirty Converse or change out of his jeans, exhaustion surpassing even the smallest detail.

It couldn’t have been more than five minutes that had passed when I heard the soft, distant sound of snoring. I flicked my eyes towards where he lay, his chest evenly rising and falling with every breath he took. I smiled and quietly headed towards the bathroom with my toiletries and pajamas.

I turned the knob to the hottest degree and shimmied out of my clothes. I grimaced as the boiling water scorched my skin for the first few seconds before it became accustomed to it. I knew that I should have brought my own shampoo and conditioner when the little samples they left in the room were barely enough for my thick and long hair. Closing my eyes, I bathed under the rivulets of water, wanting to stay for an eternity like this. It felt so good after a long day on the road.

But all good things must come to an end. The hot water turned luke warm and before I knew it, coldness had crept onto my skin. I turned off the faucet and grabbed a towel, drying myself off and putting on my favorite pink polka dot pajama bottoms and the Doctor Who t-shirt that I had begged Gemma to get me last Christmas.

Brushing my teeth and grabbing my clothes I headed back out into the room where Liam was still sound asleep. I tip-toed across the floor and dumped my dirty clothes by the window. As quietly as I could muster, I picked up my suitcase and set it on the floor. It was an epic fail. I lost control of the handle and it landed with a heavy thud. I bit my lip as Liam shifted his weight on the bed, his body facing me. My eyes widened and I held my breath, not wanting to wake him from his slumber.