e v e r l y
"Holy shit, Stell," Everly murmured as they walked into the lobby of the Four Seasons hotel in downtown Chicago. "This is beautiful." The sun was shining through the massive windows along the side wall, the light reflecting off the marble floors and golden accented furniture. "Are you sure we can afford this?"
Stellan laughed and put his hand on the small of her back, right over her tattoo, which felt like it had burst into flames, and she wondered if he could feel it. He leaned in and whispered, "Don't worry, Angel; I got this."
Everly understood what he was trying to do—hiding in plain sight. Members of his gang would be looking for them in off-the-interstate inns and motels. Staying in such an upscale hotel could buy them a few precious hours—maybe even days.
Still, it had to be expensive. She didn't know how much money Stellan had, but there were thousands in bills in his wallet. She still wished there was some way she could help.
"I'll be right back," he said, sliding his hand off of her back as he stepped up to the front desk. She stayed behind, leaning against one of the marble pillars.
As she waited, she let her eyes roam over his frame–he was muscular without being too bulky, lean in the waist, with dark blonde hair that swept into his eyes when it fell just the right way. He really was handsome–
"Ev?" he asked, and she flushed when she realized he was right in front of her.
"Oh—sorry," she said, grinning.
Stellan smiled down at her, and her heart sped up. She looked up and away, anywhere other than his warm, deep eyes that just seemed to suck her in. The crystal chandeliers above their heads twinkled, and she awed at the wonder of it all again.
He took her hand, snapping her out of her thoughts. "I got our room key... it has a balcony!"
They made their way to the elevator and a few minutes later, Everly found herself sailing through the air to jump on the massive king-sized bed.
He was kicking his shoes off, and then she pulled him up to the bed with her, taking both of his hands in hers and bouncing on the fluffy mattress. They were both laughing and in that moment, she forgot that they were on the run from a gang, that she had been taken for ransom... and she was just happy.
Eventually, she ran out of breath and flopped down onto her back, and in a second, he appeared beside her. She leaned into him and glanced up and into his hazel eyes. "Thank you, Stellan..."
"For what?" he asked, slipping his arm around her shoulders, his hand hanging down and brushing her ribs.
"For this... for... for saving me and taking me away from there," she murmured.
"Well, maybe I should be the one thanking you," he said, poking her side. She squirmed, ticklish. "For so long I dreamed of leaving New York... but now that I left with you, I can't imagine being on the run with anyone else."
They lay back on the bed, staring at the high ceiling, following the crown molding to the large bay windows. Sitting up, Everly skipped over to the balcony door.
Stepping out, she leaned over the railing, looking down at the street far below. There were hundreds of people going about their daily lives, and she felt oddly weightless, just watching from above.
Stellan came up behind her. "Where would you fly to, Angel?"
She turned around and leaned against the railing, feeling it press into her lower back. She met his eyes, swallowed, and said, "Anywhere... as long as you'd go with me." Her breath quickened, and she struggled to keep it under control.
The look he gave turned her insides to putty and set her aflame all at once. He put his hands on the rail, enveloping her between his arms until all she could see was him. All she could smell was him. She looked up at his lips, and all she wanted to taste was him.
"Anywhere?" Stellan whispered. Her eyes followed the movement of his lips, before slipping closed, and she couldn't help but lean in. It seemed to be the only answer he needed.
Stellan kissed her. He pressed his lips to hers and an all-encompassing, hair-raising tingle ran from the back of her neck all the way down her spine. She felt the kiss in her toes, and it was perfect.
Everly leaned in further into him and slid her arms around his neck, tangling her fingers in the hair at the nape of his neck. She was losing herself in the feel of his mouth on hers and his arms around her. It was like she was floating–not on the balcony at all, but on the air, with nothing tethering her to this earth but his lips on hers.
She felt that every moment she'd had with him over the past few days had led to this. It was everything she hadn't known she'd needed, but everything she wanted.
She parted her lips to deepen the kiss, pressing her body closer to his, pushing him slightly backward against the brick outer wall of the building, standing on her tiptoes to be as close to him as possible.
For just a second, his arms came around her to glide up and down her waist, then suddenly he pulled away, his lips leaving hers wet and wanting more. She opened her eyes to see him breathing hard with a hand caught in his hair.
"Everly... we can't," he rasped.
She stepped back, her lips swollen and her heart sinking to her feet. "What? But you... you kissed me," she whispered, humiliation washing over her.
Her feet were back on the ground, the feeling of flight completely destroyed. She shook her head and backed up further. "Oh my God," she muttered, her cheeks flaming. "I'm an idiot..." She turned away toward the door.
"Everly, no it's not... it's just..." Stellan grasped for her hand, but it came up empty as she slipped back inside.
Everly strode across the room to the bathroom and locked the door behind her.
She turned on the water in the jacuzzi tub as hot as it would go, throwing in a bath bomb she had picked up at Target. She peeled her jeans off, followed by her v-neck, and stood in front of the mirror, running her hands along her abdomen and resting them on her hips. What did I do wrong? she thought as she slid her underwear down, kicking them to the side and unclasped her bra, dropping it on top of the pile. She stepped into the tub and gasped at the scalding temperature, but as she sank down into the purple sparkly water, she felt her muscles immediately relax.
She closed her eyes and slid down as far as she could without putting her whole head underwater, a tear sliding down her cheek.
For the next two hours, she stayed in the tub, running new water four times. She just couldn't bear to go back out there and face Stellan. She really must have misread the signals for the past few days, but he had kissed her. She just didn't know what had gone wrong.
Finally, her fingers and toes were so shriveled, she had to vacate the tub. Drying off, she wrapped herself in a fluffy robe from the back of the door, wrapping her hair in a towel. She emerged from the bathroom, finding Stellan sitting at the desk in the corner of the room.
Stellan turned at her entrance, standing immediately.
"Listen, Ev—"
"Don't," Everly cut him short. "Just...just forget it, okay?"
Stellan frowned. "If that's what you really want."
Everly nodded vigorously.
Stellan chewed his lip and nodded. "Okay." He ran his hand through his already tousled hair. "Did you have a nice bath?"
Everly nodded and pulled the robe tighter around her. "Yeah. It was fine. There may not be any hot water left for a while," she said, a smile crossing her lips for an instant before she cleared her throat and sat on the edge of the bed, crossing her legs uncomfortably.
Stellan scoffed. "I'd give you all the hot water in the world if you'd just smile at me again," Stellan said under his breath. Everly tried to ignore his presence as he sat on the opposite side of the bed.
After a minute, she glanced over at him, and her heart constricted. She wanted to smile at him... she wanted everything to be the way it was before when they were driving down I-80, singing along to stupid rap songs, or just hours ago when they were jumping on the bed and dissolving into laughter.
But something had shifted between them now, and she felt like there was something missing.
And she was suffocating.
"Stellan, I need some air. Can we get out of here for a bit?" she asked, barely able to meet his eyes.
Stellan checked the clock on the bedside table. "Sure, we can check out the nightlife if you're up for it."
She nodded. "Okay. Just let me get dressed."
She grabbed something out of her bag and went into the bathroom. A few minutes later, she came out in a short, tight red dress and black heels. Her hair had air-dried and she left it down over her shoulders in waves. She had done her makeup quickly, but she was such a pro, it looked like she'd spent far more time on it than she actually had–smoky eyes, mascara on her long lashes, and red lipstick.
"Okay," she said to his back as he stared out the window. "I'm ready."
Stellan did a double take.
"You—you're going like that?"
She raised an eyebrow. "You said nightlife... where I'm from, that means the club. What do you want me to wear, a burka?" She looked down and smirked. "Do you not like it?"
"No—I mean, yes. I do," Stellan floundered. "Too much." He stood and looked down at his jeans and black t-shirt. "Can I go like this?"
At his words, she looked him up and down and her body flushed. While she hated to admit it, he looked gorgeous. She attempted to play it cool and just shrugged. "Yeah, you look fine," she said, but her voice squeaked.
Stellan smirked and crossed the room to her, offering her his arm. "I suppose we should be on our way then," he said softly.
Everly was hesitant to touch him for a second, but when she did slip her arm into his, she felt her heart settle into a confined space. Maybe it was time she built some walls while she still had a chance.