Page 22 of Shut Up and Drive

“Perfect,” Pearl replies, tearing out my receipt and handing it over. “I’ll show you to your room, then.”

She hugs the chastity blanket against her and leads us down a dark hallway. Her flashlight illuminates old photographs on floral wallpaper as we pass by, before we scale a small staircase in the back of the inn. At the top of the stairs she stops and sticks the key into an antique doorknob.

“You’ll have room thirteen tonight,” she says as she swings the door open.

Sera leans in closely to Pearl. “Are there any other rooms besides this one?” she whispers.

“Changing your mind about the king suite?” Pearl says with another wink.

“Uh, no. I just don’t like the number thirteen.”

“Oh, sure, Fina! That’s the oldest play in the book. See? I told you she wanted me,” I say, elbowing my new best friend Pearl.

“You were right about this one. I’m not leaving until she’s good and tight in that blanket.” She eyeballs Sera.

Sera grabs her suitcase in a huff and wheels it inside. I tap the flashlight on my phone and set it on the nightstand between the beds.

“I’ve got some candles downstairs for you so you don’t run your phone down. I’ll be right back,” Pearl says, hobbling away.

The second we’re alone, Sera turns and glares at me, putting her hands on her hips.

“What?” I feign ignorance.

“Are you kidding me right now? You’ve sunk to a new low. I am so embarrassed!” She points a stern finger at me. “I’m gonna kill you, Thane Donnelly!”

“If I had a dime…” I reply, sitting casually on the bed, completely unbothered by her empty threat.

“So help me, I will get you back one way or another! It may not be tonight, but mark my words, Iwillavenge my dignity before this trip ends.”

“Duly noted. Now you’d better get ready for bed quickly. Pearl will be back soon, and you’ll regret not going pee before she straps you in,” I say, laughing.

Sera pivots toward the bathroom. “Did I mention I’m going to kill you?” she asks before slamming the door.

A few minutes later, Sera comes out of the bathroom bare-faced and beautiful—my favorite look on her, though I’ve never told her that. Her wide-neck T-shirt drapes off one shoulder, exposing a tiny, caramel-colored birthmark I can’t seem to forget about, no matter how hard I’ve tried.

Seeing it brings back a slew of memories of swimming in the lake, of how her tan darkened each day to the point that her birthmark almost blended in with the rest of her skin. I memorized the strawberry shape of it that rested just above her collarbone, and I dreamed that just once, I could brush my thumb across it.

Or my lips, I’m not picky.

She pulls her hair from a towel on her head, and it falls down her back in damp, midnight strands. I watch her absent-mindedly brush it, the way her head tilts, exposing her soft neck. I know I’m staring—I can’t help it. To this day, I prefer a black, dark-roast coffee because it remindsme of her hair. I got homesick every day of the year I spent in Costa Rica, because my morning coffee only brought me thoughts of Sera. Seeing her like this makes me homesick for her all over again.

I want to tell her how much I missed her. How I thought about her every day I was away. I want to tell her how hard it was to leave, and that it was even harder to forget her once I was gone. I want to hit my knees and tell her just how sorry I am for leaving her the way I did, and to beg for her forgiveness. I want her to wrap her arms around me like she did that day I kissed her on the side of the road, and sigh into my chest. I want to erase the five years that passed between us, where we grew from secret soulmates to strangers.

I step closer to her, my heart ramming into my ribcage. I’m gonna do it. I’m gonna finish what I wanted to say to her at the Waffle House. I take a breath in and exhale slowly, trying to return my pulse to normal. She absent-mindedly moves toward her suitcase to put her brush away and ends up chest to chest with me. The space between us electrifies with a loaded static charge. All involuntary functions in my body halt, and I’m left trying to manage breathing, blinking, and a pulse all on my own. Her dark eyes search mine in the dim light, and her attempts to steady her facial expression wobble.

Does she want this as much as I do?

I clear my throat. “Sera, I?—“

A knock sounds on the door. “Are you two decent?” Pearl calls from the hallway.

The moment shatters, and the walls around her heart stand firmlyin place.

I turn the knob and open the door. “Well,Iam, but I’m not sure that will ever be a word we can use to describe ‘Handsy’ over there,” I say with a laugh, trying to hide my disappointment. I hate that my default setting is to tease her, but it’s the only way to vent out the real way I feel inside about Sera.

“Okay, dear. Let’s get you settled in,” Pearl says, handing me an armful of candles and a book of matches. She motions for Sera to lie on the bed.

“Oh, I don’t think that’s really necessary.” Sera shakes her head and shoots me an S.O.S. look with her eyes.