Follow Me Back (complete first draft of the published book)

Chapter 39: Hypothermia

Chapter 39: Hypothermia

Eric hunkered down behind the steering wheel and wrapped his arms tightly around himself for warmth. How cold was it tonight, anyway? It must have dipped below freezing at this point, judging by the temperature inside his parked car.

Another violent shiver overtook him, and he looked longingly for a moment at the key dangling from the ignition. He could at least idle the engine for a little bit, right? Just for a few minutes? But he resisted. Not yet. He only had a quarter tank of gas left, and he needed to make it last all night.

Eric glanced down at his phone to check the time. Just past 11 o'clock. Two hours had passed already since that silent car ride back to Tessa's house. She hadn't uttered a single word to him until he'd pulled into her driveway and cut the engine.  She probably wouldn't have spoken to him then, either, if he hadn't stopped her with a question before she could get out.

"What time is your mom coming home?"

She'd had her face turned away from him, but he saw her give a little start at the sound of his voice. "What do you care about my mom?"

"You shouldn't be alone in there," he answered. "Not tonight."

She'd cracked the car door open. "Thanks for the ride."

"I'm not leaving," he'd called after her.

She'd finally glanced back at his face then, trying to judge his intentions. "If you think I'm inviting you into my house-"

"I'll just sit out here in the driveway," he'd interrupted, striving to keep the desperation out of his voice. "Just in case. I'll just keep an eye on things until your mom comes back."

"Well, that should be around nine tomorrow morning."

"Then I guess I'm sleeping in my car tonight."

She'd rolled her eyes and exited without another word.

Now he trembled against the cold and swore under his breath. Damn, it was cold tonight. He'd thought it was freezing outside the concert venue earlier, but the temperature had continued dropping colder and colder in the hours since.

To hell with it. Eric reached out to turn the key in the ignition, when a sharp knock on the car window interrupted him. He looked up, startled, and then his body temperature rose a few degrees at what he saw: Tessa, with her hands cupped round her face, squinting at him through the glass.  She hadn't left him for dead out here after all. He cracked the passenger door back open.

"Do you have hypothermia yet?" she asked. "It's supposed to fall into the 20s tonight."

Eric couldn't help but grin at the sight of her. She'd changed from before. Taken a shower, twisted her hair into a thick braid, and scrubbed her face free of makeup. She'd decked herself out in a pair of mismatched pajamas, covered by a ratty flannel robe. And on her feet, of course, she wore a pair of hot pink bunny slippers.

His smile deepened further as he nodded toward her feet. "Nice slippers. Those are even hotter in person."

She merely glared at him in response. She climbed into the passenger seat and tucked her feet beneath her, out of sight. "Here." She shoved an oversized blanket at him that she'd carried over from the house.

"I love you!" he exclaimed, pretending to address the blanket. He took it greedily and wrapped it around his shoulders. It was big enough to go around him twice, but he held out the excess toward her instead - a silent offer to share. For a moment, he thought she would refuse that too. Her eyes darted to his face and back away again. Then she shimmied an inch closer and wrapped her side of the blanket around her arms.