Your Side and Mine

Chapter 16

The car ride back was mortifyingly horrific.

I dressed faster than I thought was humanly possible. I practically ran into the road, and Connor screamed behind me to not get hit by a car. I ran back to the top of the slopes with Connor close behind me yelling that he had my skis.

Dammit, I had to wait for him. I grabbed my skis from his shoulder and ignored his pleas as I put them on. When I stood up, I noticed the sign at the top of the run said 'Memory Lane.' Whyyyy?

I ran down the mountain, if such a thing existed on skis, while Connor screamed behind me to wait for him at the bottom. And once at the bottom, I popped off my skis and boots and started to sprint to the car until Connor was recognized by a group of girls who surrounded him asking for autographs and pictures—saved by the tweeners. I left my skis, boots, and poles on the ground for him to return. I glanced back once to see him silently screaming at me with his eyes as I turned the corner.

When I made it to the car, I was sweating and out of breath. How much was a two-and-a-half-hour Uber ride? $200? $300? That had to be worth not sitting in a car with him for the entire way back. I leaned against the car. What could I do? As I fumbled with my phone, Connor walked up to the car in a huff. He threw our bags in the back seat and slammed the door shut.

"You're not getting an Uber!" he snapped at me all-knowingly. He walked around to the passenger side and opened the door for me, raising his eyebrows. "Don't make me push you in. I'll look like a kidnapper."

"No," I said.

"Marin, let me explain. Please. Get in the car."

"No. I do not want to get in the car, and I definitely do not want to talk. No."

I just got rejected by Connor O'Quinn, the man who seemed to never not have a girl, and it was possibly the first or second (or THIRD?! Who knows how many times) time. How can I come back from this? I thought to myself again.

"If I promise not to talk, will you get in the car?" he asked.

I got my phone back out and weighed my options silently. My Uber app told me it was $267. Would a driver actually accept it? I googled bus schedules, but the last shuttle bus back to Toronto already left. I could hitchhike but risked getting ax murdered. What were the chances a psychopath picked me up—one percent? On the bright side, if I had gotten chopped up, at least I wouldn't have to bear the embarrassment any longer. I was so mad for allowing myself to be two hours away with Connor alone and no way of getting home.

"You are so stubborn, Marin. Get in the Goddamn car!" he growled, letting his anger show.

"Do. Not. Talk," I said, sitting in the passenger seat defeated. Connor nodded, and I made out a so fucking stubborn under his breath before he closed my door. He crossed in front of the car and got in on his side. He looked at me, almost painfully, then started the car. I would show him how stubborn I really was.

I fumed to myself the whole way back to the hotel. I had put myself out there, only to have him shove it back in my face. I was going to have sex with him, and I knew he knew that the moment my shirt came off. God, I was pretty much begging him to. Just like my fifteen-year-old self again. My desperation was humiliating. I was going to have to get out a globe and see what point was exactly halfway around the world from Los Angeles because that was the only place I could move to that would be far enough away from Connor.

I could feel his eyes on me every minute for one hundred and fifty-three minutes, but he kept his promise and didn't speak. When we neared the hotel, I asked him to drop me off a block away so I didn't have to deal with any cameras. He obliged my request silently and pulled over a block down Yorkville Avenue. As I was gathering my things, he reached his hand out and placed it on mine. I stared down at his large hand. Do not cry, Marin, I told myself. He tightened his grip. Instead, I mustered anger, ripped my hand back, and got out of the car without looking at him.

When I got upstairs, I pounded on Liv's door hoping she was back from Niagara Falls. When I heard her unlocking the door, I momentarily froze realizing she could be with James or sleeping. It was late. She opened the door, took one look at my expression, and her mouth dropped.

"Marin, what's wrong?"

I didn't want to be standing in the hallway when Connor made it back. I hurried past her without saying anything and fell onto the bed face first.

"Liv," I screamed into the comforter. "Kill me now!"

"What happened?" she asked, sitting on the bed beside me.

I rolled over, and for the next twenty minutes, I replayed every detail of the day back to her. Her eyes went wide the moment I said I went skiing with Connor and didn't go back to normal until I finished talking.

"Wow," Liv finally said. She gave me a big hug. "I'm so sorry, Marin, but you should talk to him. Maybe he has an explanation. I'm sure he likes you. He was the one who kissed you."

"No way. I'm going to pretend like this day never happened. You don't know what it feels like to get rejected while you're straddling someone." That would never happen to Liv in a million years.

"So, tell me about Niagara Falls," I said, trying to sound happier.

"What? No! This isn't the time. I'll tell you later," Liv insisted.

"No, really. Please. Tell me something happy."

"Well," she started, trying to contain her excitement. "James told me he loves me."

Happiness really did spread from my heart for her, but I couldn't help but wonder if she would break his heart. Between the celebrity and the lowly common man, it seemed like the celebrity was never the one to be heart broken.

After she gushed about her wonderful weekend for forever, I peeked out into the hallway through the peephole to make sure the coast was clear before opening the door. I made it back into my room, washed my face, and sat down at the desk. Three seconds after turning on the lamp, I heard a faint knock at the door like he was sitting there waiting to see the light beneath it.

Nope, nope, nope. He could knock all he wanted.

I finished looking over the schedule for the next day and lay down in bed hoping I could clear my mind long enough to fall sleep. I heard Connor knock three more times before I finally fell asleep.