A Flame Divine ♕

V. F L Y

e v e r l y

She turned toward him in her seat. "Give me the good news first."

"Well, I got us a hotel room," he said, holding up two key cards. "Bad news, we arrived so late, that we didn't exactly get our first choice. There were only rooms with one king bed left."

For some reason, the bad news wasn't all that bad to her. Still, she had a nervous tingle in her stomach. A whole night, sleeping in the same bed as Stellan... she had to stop thinking about it before she turned into a tomato.

Stellan drove around the building and parked in front of their room. He grabbed their shopping bags and hefted them up the stairs.

"207," he said, stopping in front of the door. Everly slipped her key card in, and they entered.

She looked around and admired the room. It was simple but chic, clean with crisp white bedding on the king size mattress.

She swallowed as she ran her fingers along the soft comforter, kicking off her flats and sitting in the chair at the desk. "This is nice," she commented, and Stellan nodded agreement.

"Definitely." He gestured toward the bathroom. "Ladies first," he offered. "Then I'll take one really quick and cut your hair while it's still wet." She swore she saw his face redden slightly before he sat down to untie his shoes, turning his face down toward the floor.

"All right," she said, getting her new pajamas and bathroom stuff out of the Target bags and stepping into the bathroom, shutting the door behind her without locking it.

Everly couldn't wait to get out of her dirty pajamas. As she peeled them off, she was well aware of just the thin door between her and Stellan. Then she wondered if he was thinking of her as much as she was him, and promptly turned the shower on, stepping under the cold stream until it turned warm.

The hot water was a relief. On those nights her father had left her in the dark, even her hot water heater was not spared. She had taken freezing baths, never forgetting the shivering cold winter nights she lay in bed until falling asleep.

She let the water run over her naked body. It was the first time she felt like she was really, truly free of her past. She washed her body with the complimentary soaps that left her skin feeling clean and tight, washed her hair with the shampoo she'd bought at Target, then shut off the water. Wrapping herself in a towel, she inspected her reflection in the foggy mirror.

There were bags under her eyes from almost no sleep in the last 72 hours, but her face was bright with hope. She couldn't remember the last time she felt this much joy.

She dressed quickly, marveling at the way her new fluffy pajama pants fit her body. It felt nice, like she was being reborn. Not Everly Preston, daughter of a millionaire, but Everly Preston, master of her own fate, captain of her own soul.

She opened the door to the bathroom, towel drying her long hair, ridding it of any excess moisture. When she looked up, Stellan was lying on the sofa underneath the window, his long legs stretched out over the end. His forearm was over his eyes, causing the sleeve of his cotton t-shirt to stretch over his bicep.

Clearing her throat, she stepped closer to him. "Stell? The shower is yours," she said, perching on the edge of the bed.

Stellan rose from his lounging position, rubbing his eyes. "That was quick," he said, gathering his things. "Brush your hair out straight, okay? I'll be right back," he said, making a beeline for the bathroom.

She did as he asked, combing her long chestnut locks carefully, getting all the knots out. It wasn't long before Everly heard the bathroom door open. She turned just as Stellan was stepping out, and she could have died and gone to heaven in that moment.