Page 33 of Bowser (Dragon Riders MC 2)
I threw the door open to the room, but all Hope did was stand there.
“Don’t you want to go in?” I asked.
She sighed. “Which bed is mine?”
“Either one. I’ll take what you don’t.”
She slowly looked back at me. “I take it you’re heading out again tonight?”
I paused. “Hope, you know this is a—”
“Work trip. Yeah. I got it.”
And even though her words told me she got it; her tone of voice told me something else.
How the hell did I fix something like this?12HopeThe room didn’t smell like mildew, so that was a plus. Nor were there water stains on the ceiling or the walls. In fact, the room was kind of nice. Two queen beds, a flat screen television mounted to the wall, a bathroom that didn’t have a leaking faucet. The carpet was nice, too. I mean, it was still that scratchy shit, but it didn’t have a smell or noticeable stains on it. I set my satchel down in the corner and walked into the middle of the room. I could hear the guys outside, but I didn’t hear any chaos in the rooms next to me.
“It’s kind of nice in here,” Bowser said.
I nodded, but I didn’t say anything.
I was too hurt, to be honest. And whenever I got hurt, my tongue got sharp. Like a wounded animal backed into a corner, my tongue always set out to hurt whoever hurt me. And I didn’t want to hurt Bowser. I just wanted him to understand how much this sucked. I understood that this wasn’t a fun trip. I knew that this was a risky trip that came with risky issues and the possibility that I could get seriously hurt. However, I didn’t expect him to avoid me as much as he was.
Last night really, really hurt.
“Here’s some money for dinner. The bar across the street has great food that they’ll deliver right on over. There’s also a pizza joint up the road, a great Italian place that will—”
I nodded slowly. “Thanks. I got it.”
Bowser sighed. “Hope, I—”
I waved him away. “Just go. Do whatever it is you’re going to do. I won’t wait up.”
He paused. “All right, then.”
I heard him toss some money onto the table by the door, then he dropped his bag on the floor. I watched his reflection in the mirror as he kicked his bag off to the side, then his eyes rose to meet my own. We stared at one another in the reflection. The red puffiness of my eyes gave away how much crying I’d done on the way up here. I wasn’t sure where we were, what state we were in, or even why this was our final destination. But I knew one thing.
Bowser wasn’t staying.
“I’m sorry, Hope. I promise I’ll make this up to you,” he said.
Then, he was gone. Just like that. He stepped out of the doorway and closed the door, leaving me alone. In another motel room.
And the tears fell effortlessly.
I turned around and took stock of the wad of cash on the table near the door. I walked over to it and picked it up, balling it up into my fist. With a roar falling from my lips, I threw the money as far as I could. And even though it only made it as far as the middle of the first bed, it made me feel better.
“I don’t want your money!” I shrieked.
Then, a knock came at my door. “Hope?”
“What the fuck do you want, Link?” I glowered.
“You good in there?”
“Yeah. I’m fine. Now, go away.”
I heard his footsteps falling away and I drew in a sobering breath. I marched over to the sink and turned on the cold water, splashing some in my face. I wouldn’t do this. Not over another guy. I wouldn’t spare one more tear for some bullshit asshole who didn’t care about me.
“You’re a new woman,” I said to myself in the mirror. “Start acting like it.”
I dried my face off and walked over to a small corner window. I peeled back the curtain and noticed that our room faced the road this time. We weren’t on the back end of the motel property. I saw Link walking with Sly, his arm tossed around the man’s shoulders. I saw Knuckles and Ash with their hands going, probably having some sort of “very important” conversation. Then, there was Bowser. Jogging across the road like he couldn't get to that damn bar fast enough.
Why did he get to go to the bar and have a drink while I couldn’t?
Dress up and go over there. He doesn’t own you.
I grinned to myself. “Perfect.”
If Bowser got to go out and have a drink, so did I. I mean, he just threw a wad of cash at me. Why not use it? I scurried away from the window and raced for my bag. I tossed it onto the bed and opened it up, rifling through it as quickly as I could. Most of the clothes I had were comfortable and casual. But there was one dress I had in here that I knew would make Bowser fucking drool on himself.
