In Love and Diplomacy

Chapter Thirty-Two: Make Me

"And then it happened
It took me by surprise
I knew that you felt it too
By the look in your eyes"

- The Drifters, "This Magic Moment"

Chapter Thirty-Two

The third motel was much smaller. It was just as old as the last, clearly a family-owned remnant of the sixties, but it was clean. Sure, the paint was faded, and the gutters were warped, but everything felt well-loved and taken care of. Even in the thick darkness, I could see this was more of a home than it was a business.

I could imagine this motel being a quaint, but well-traversed hideaway for families back in the day; at its prime, probably overrun with joy and summer fun. There was a small pool and a wide patio to the side of the building, and even an in-ground hot tub tucked beyond the fence for the guest's enjoyment.

My muscles ached at the thought of warmth. My injuries were not doing well being cooped in a car. While Reed always drove carefully to avoid unneeded jolts, and religiously kept a close eye on my medications, there was only so much to be done. So, while I was truthfully hesitant about public pools, if the water was clean, then maybe that fact could be disregarded. It was worth checking out in the morning before we had to leave; spending time in hot water to get rid of some stiffness sounded pretty damn amazing.

I should probably tell Reed in case he finds an empty room. Don't want to be accused of trying to murder the receptionist.

Reed stepped out to the hallway after checking and clearing my room. "Goodnight, Avery."

"I'm going to be at the pool tomorrow," I blurted, leaning against the open door. "Before we leave."

Reed paused, blinking at me. "We're leaving early."

"I know. I'll be ready to go in time."

"You can't go off by yourself."

"Our rooms face the pool. You'll be able to see me if you need to, and you'll hear me if anything happens. You're also welcome to join me."

I'm not going on a hike, I'm going twenty feet away from the building. It might be stupid, but it's definitely not the stupidest thing I could do.

Maybe it was a bad idea to leave his side. No, I knew it was a bad idea. But the lobby faced the pool as well, and there'd be enough people in the vicinity if something happened. It would be fine; it had to be. Besides, I had a feeling he'd either come with me or watch me like a hawk. I was desperate.

"Don't worry, I know to scream if I need to," I added when he didn't respond. I winced when that seemed to make it worse.

He looked like he was fighting an eye twitch.

"Fine," Reed eventually relented, gruff and blank-faced. I felt like I'd won, though I'd had to tug it out of his clenched teeth like a dog. "We're on the road at eight."

Then, he spun on his heel, disappearing into his room and shutting his door with a click. I smiled.

The next morning, I was exhausted. My sleep was getting worse. My anger was constantly bubbling; my frustration was always churning; my health was still decaying. If I thought my sleep poor after the party, it was significantly worse after going on the run.

My brain simply wouldn't shut off. It was too busy thinking of all the things that could go wrong, of all the ways this could end badly. For the literal life of me, I couldn't think of a realistic happy ending. Though I'd been raised on fairytales and impossibly tidy endings, even when unreasonable or absurd—so should have believed by now—I was as baffled as I'd been as a kid. How could this possibly end up okay? Besides, this wasn't a fairytale, there were no writers to fix this, no origin tale to draw from.