The incident happened a good few hours ago and it was already starting to feel like a distant dream. The memories had gotten somewhat foggy and all that remained was tiredness, despite having done nothing but sit in the truck all day.
A few minutes ago they passed a sign that said "Welcome to Montana", which was the first clue as to where she was since the beginning of the ride. She loved the view they had from the truck. On both sides were huge mountain ranges visible, surrounded by huge green trees. She wished she could enjoy them more but she couldn't.
Darius seemed to still be worked up over what had happened earlier that morning, which made him even quieter than he usually was. She also found that his mood greatly affected hers. She knew he wasn't much of a talker but at times when they'd pass something he would comment on it or explain something, which he hadn't done for a while.
Even when she prompted him to say something she'd just get short answers. It was driving her nuts to know he was beating himself up over what happened earlier, even though she was perfectly fine now.
Besides, she was starting to worry. Not only for his health but also for their safety. Darius has been driving ever since they had to leave the house in the middle of the night without much of a break or sleep. She knew it couldn't be healthy for a person, even though he said he 'had worse' as he'd put it a long time ago.
Reaching over, she grabbed his free hand. He'd been driving with his left elbow on the door and his left hand on the wheel while his right hand rested in his lap. He briefly looked over to her as she put both her hands around his and put it in her lap, but soon turned his eyes back to the road.
And while he let her do it, he still didn't speak.
"Darius?" she quietly asked.
Again, his eyes shifted over to her but quickly turned back to the road. At least he acknowledged her.
"Maybe we should stop, get some sleep? It's almost dinner time so we could grab some food as well," she proposed as she started drawing circles on his hand with one of her thumbs.
"You can sleep now if you want to, I'll wake you when I find a roadside restaurant or something."
It was the most he'd spoken since the incident, but his answer didn't satisfy her. It was clear he wasn't thinking of stopping anywhere soon.
His beautiful face looked tired and his usually bright grey eyes were now dull and red around the edges. There were also bags under his eyes, proving her point even further. The only thing that was the same about him was his hair, which looked good on him no matter how he wore it.
"No, the sun is almost setting again and you need to sleep."
She tried to use her sternest voice but it didn't come out as confidently as she'd liked. It felt odd telling him what he needed.
"I really don't, and we shouldn't stop."
His stubbornness was going to be the end of him someday she thought. But she knew she could find a way to sway him.
"Yes, you do. I insist."
"You insist huh?" he replied almost amusedly. Even though it was a half-taunt, at least it was some kind of reaction.
"Yes."
He looked over to her while the corner of his mouth lifted ever so slightly before he replied.
"I'll have to decline, love."
The words made blood rise to her cheeks like it always did but she refused to let it distract her from her goal.
"Okay, so you want me to beg?" she asked with a frown. The frown was fake and difficult to keep in place, but her tactic seemed to work as he sighed and took back his hand.
"Alright, how about we take the next exit and get something to eat, and then we'll discuss this later."
She didn't want to drag out the discussion for longer than it needed to be, but at least he was willing to stop now. She quickly nodded and looked outside to see a restaurant off in the distance.
Perfect timing, I'm starving.
The place was decorated like a diner from the old-timey days. She loved the general aesthetic of it all and the fact it was filled with people indicated the food would be good as well.
A waitress in a pink apron dress guided them to their table after introducing herself as 'Claire'. The table was on the far side of the diner, away from the windows. Nathalia didn't know what Darius would think of that but she liked to imagine he approved of the location of the table.
"Can I get you anything to drink?" the waitress asked them politely as she handed them the menus. She looked very young, around 16 maybe, and Nathalia noticed she has trouble making eye contact with Darius. It didn't seem to bother him though, he probably knew he looked somewhat intimidating.
"I'll have a Coke, please."
"Water."
She lightly frowned at his lack of manners but he wasn't looking at her. His eyes were scanning the room as he took in every person present. She decided not to comment on it as he wasn't in the best mood but made a mental note to work on it later.
Her eyes swept over the room as well and landed on a group of women at the center of the diner. They looked to be between the ages of 30 and 50 and all wore the same style of biker jackets. She wondered if they formed some sort of women's biker gang?
She imagined what it would be like to be one of them. To have your bike and ride anywhere you wanted to go without anything holding you back. It must feel like pure freedom. Something the exact opposite of what she had now.
Her thinking got interrupted by the waitress returning and putting down their glasses.
"Can I take your orders?" she asked Nathalia more than Darius as she still wasn't looking at him.
She'd been so distracted with her thinking she hadn't even looked at the menu. She quickly opened it up to scan the contents while Darius got his order and her eyes landed on a simple burger with fries just in time to order.
Just as the waitress promised them she'd be back soon, Nathalia saw Darius stifling a yawn from the corner of her eyes.
Hah! Gotcha.
She tried to look as smug as possible and it seemed to work. Darius narrowed his eyes at her as to say 'what?'.
"That was a pretty big yawn for someone who doesn't need sleep," she said while folding her hands on the table.
"So?"
The immature response somewhat threw her off, but she imagined he was too tired to form any real arguments. She knew she'd already won.
"So, I think we should call it a day and find someplace to sleep."
"I disagree."
"Well, I disagree with your disagreement."
"That doesn't even make sense."
"Neither does driving when you can't even focus your eyes properly."
He just blankly blinked at her for a second before sighing and leaning back. He rubbed his eyes with his hand while stretching before turning his gaze back to her.
"Alright, fine. Just for a few hours though, we really should keep moving."
She didn't even attempt to hide her happiness as she beamed brightly at him and nodded, more than content with the outcome.
"Deal."
She'd asked the waitress for directions to the closest place to stay, which turned out some dusty old motel next to the highway. There were only a few cars parked in the parking lot and one of those was a rusted white 'I will kidnap you' van.
Darius parked the car neatly in one of the spaces before motioning for her to follow as he got out. She had to nearly run to keep up with his long strides, which he didn't seem to notice at the moment.
The man behind the receptionist's desk sat upright and faced a small TV, but wasn't watching since his eyes were closed. His hands were neatly folded on his stomach, as though he'd been waiting for someone to come in but fell asleep.
Without hesitation, Darius rang the little bell, startling the man. He awoke with a gasp and wide eyes, as though he'd been busted, and Nathalia sent him a small apologetic smile. But Darius didn't seem to care at all and went straight to business.
"We need a room."
The man nodded frantically as he turned around to grab one of the keys. After doing so, he turned his attention to the computer next to him and started typing in something.
"Can I have your name?"
"Emilio Rossi."
The name didn't make any sense to Nathalia until she remembered Darius probably wouldn't use their real names or their fake ones. Or perhaps this was his real name?
She quickly shook that thought off, she knew he'd never do that.
The man behind the desk just nodded as he typed it in and handed them the room key. Darius paid upfront with cash and the man told them they could just leave the key in the room when they left.
Nathalia threw in a quick 'thank you' as she hurried to follow Darius back out. He handed her the room key before grabbing their bags and closing the truck door again. She read the label on the key which read '12'.
She looked around and spotted the room on the first floor.
"It's that one," she said, pointing her finger.
He nodded and followed her as she opened the room door.
The very first thing she noticed wasn't the drab yellowish decor of the room, nor the musty smell of the furniture.
It was the lone king-sized bed in the middle of it all.
There was not a couch in sight, which meant they were going to have to share that bed. She supposed it made sense, and that asking for separate beds or rooms would draw more attention than just a couple staying over for the night. But it did make her somewhat uneasy. She'd never slept in the same bed with a man.
Darius, however, didn't seem to care as he threw their bags on the bed and turned to her.
"Secure all the locks on the door and close the curtains," he said before grabbing some stuff from his bag and walking into the bathroom.
She did as she was told, but it only took a minute. She heard the shower start running and couldn't wait for her turn. Her hair felt greasy and her skin oily. To pass the time she neatly folded all the clothes she'd thrown in there haphazardly the night before.
Soon, she heard the shower turn off and Darius came out in a white shirt and grey sweatpants. The shirt wasn't tight, but it did show off his muscles perfectly and the sight almost made her drool.
His towel-dry hair lay across his forehead, giving him the perfume commercial model look. He looked insanely sexy at that moment and she knew she'd been staring when the corner of his mouth lifted ever so slightly as he held her eye contact.
Quickly grabbing the things she'd laid out, she scurried past him into the shower and closed the door. She looked at her reflection and sighed.
Why do I always have to be so creepy?
Shaking her head, she quickly showered and put on her pajamas before going back into the main room. Darius sat in one of the chairs in the corner and was busy doing something with his gun. His head shot up when he heard her enter and she suddenly didn't know what to do.
Did she just go to bed and wait for him to join? Or should she wait for him to go first and then join him?
Suddenly, he stood up, interrupting her over-thinking. In a few long strides, he'd made his way over to her and without warning pulled her body into his. His head dipped low enough for him to kiss her and she instantly responded by snaking one arm around his neck and the other to the back of his head, grabbing some of his short hair.
The kiss was heated and passionate, and she didn't know she'd longed for it until that very moment. Since they'd been driving all day the circumstances for kissing weren't optimal to say the least.
His tongue danced around her mouth with hers and she suddenly felt a burning inside of her, like it just wasn't enough. Like she needed more.
He broke the kiss to continue on her jawline and neck, peppering them with small kisses. Out of nowhere, a moan escaped her lips, causing her to slap her hands to her mouth in embarrassment.
Darius just lightly laughed at her embarrassment and pulled her hands away to kiss her on the lips again, and the moment was soon forgotten again.
He put his hands on her hips and softly pushed her back. She didn't know what his plan was but she allowed him to do so, she trusted him. Soon, the back of her knees hit the edge of the bed and he slowly pushed her into it, using his hands to keep her steady. As her back hit the mattress he removed his lips to pull her further into it while hovering over her.
"You're so goddamn beautiful," he murmured before continuing his attack on her lips. She couldn't respond with words so she weaved one of her hands through his hair again while the other went under his shirt to caress his abs. This earned her a groan from him as he lowered his hips, which were between her legs, and she suddenly felt something very hard press against her core.
Since she was only wearing thin cotton pajama shorts and he was only wearing sweatpants she could feel the general outline of his member and it frightened her to know it felt big.
But her surprise lasted only a few moments as he ground his hips again and all she could feel was a warm burning sensation between her legs, exactly what she needed.
But much to her disappointment he groaned again and he pulled himself off her and laid beside her. She only now noticed they were both panting and her cheeks burned when she thought of how intimate they'd been only seconds before.
He didn't say anything as he grabbed the covers at the edge of the bed and pulled them over them both before snaking his arm around her waist and pulling her to him. She turned away from him so she could press her whole body into his and it pleased her to know she was the cause of his hard member poking her backside.
He kissed the back of her neck one last time before murmuring a 'good night'.
She bid him good night as well but she knew he didn't hear it, he was already asleep.