Road trip

24- New York

I couldn't keep the smile off my face the whole way down into Manhattan. Thanks to our unexpected  vehicle trouble we were close to manhattan and I had one of the best nights of my life stuck in a random hotel.

Austin kept kissing the back of my hand as we meandered down the scenic roads of New York into the more congested city streets going into Manhattan. Eventually we pulled into Mandarin Oriental and my jaw dropped.

I wanted to have fun on this trip, but not bankrupt our parents. After the exquisite hotels we had stayed in so far I was hoping for something nice but not too extreme for the last leg of our journey.

As if reading my mind he turned to me as he shut the truck off, "Your dad comes here for business so he has points, he told me to come here.".

I relaxed and kissed his cheek before thanking him. "come on let's get settled, I wanna see the city at night."'

He just laughed and shook his head before he quickly ushered us to the exquisite room overlooking the city and the Hudson River.

"Do you need to rest or shall we head out?"He asked, obviously trying to avoid pressuring me on either decision.

"Quicker we go, the quicker we get back, and man am I excited to use that bathtub beside the window."

"Love you A." He grinned as he took out his phone, snapping a picture of him kissing my cheek with the city view behind us .

"Love you." I smiled.

There was no way we were going to see everything we wanted to see in two days, especially since it was now only going to be one full day, which meant that I had to cut a few things from my itinerary.

As we walked through the neon signs and bright lights of Times Square my mind raced with just how small life was in the grand scheme of things. Here, underneath the towering buildings and thousands of people, it was easy to remember just how important it was to do something with life, not to regret anything.

I stole a quick look at Austin while he talked about how cool the city was as we continued to walk through the streets of New York until we eventually came around in a circle. He was relaxed and for the first time in a long time I noticed just how long it had been since he had looked like that.

"Anna?" He brought me out of my thoughts as we approached Central Park.

"Huh?"

"We gonna go through the park?"

"Absolutely, in the morning." I rolled my eyes playfully and pulled him back towards the hotel. "I got a date with our bathtub remember?" I grinned as he smiled and shook his head.

When we were back at the hotel he ordered us some food before we climbed into the bathtub. I was honestly planning for a solo soak, but when his fingers began kneading my shoulders the idea of making him get out was all but forgotten.

The food was going to be an hour due to the evening rush which gave us plenty of time to relax and be dressed when the room service arrived.

"Can I ask you something?" His voice was low, almost a whisper as if he were unsure.

I turned around to face him, our noses almost touching. "Of course you can." I smiled, content here with him.

"It's just, I don't want you to freak out." He looked away from me before returning to my questioning gaze when I slid my arms around his neck.

"Austin you can always ask me or talk to me about anything, you know that." I leaned closer and pecked his lips.

"I want more." He blurted out before he pecked me back and froze.

I pulled back slightly, not completely sure what he meant and watched the uncertainty cross over his face as he contemplated whatever he was going to say.

"Not in a weird way." He added, "I just, damn..... promise you won't run away?" I furrowed my eyebrows but nodded anyway. "I want you to be my girlfriend, like officially?"

"Austin, I..."

"I don't need an answer right now, just think about it. I love you Anna, and I don't want to keep bouncing between the friend zone and whatever it is we are doing. I want to be yours completely." He explained as his hand brushed my cheek.

"I'll think about it okay?" I said cautiously. He knew I didn't want to jump into a full relationship, but at the same time he was the only guy that had ever made me feel the highs I had been feeling since we started fooling around with each other.

"That's all I ask." He kissed my nose . "Come on, let's dry off before the food gets here."

We dried off and I put on pajamas while he opted for some basketball shorts that hung low on his hips. We sat on the bed as I towel dried my hair when he moved behind me and took the towel from my hands and proceeded to dry my hair for me.

When my hair was lightly damp, he got up to get the food from the door and we ate the best Chinese I had tasted in my life as he fed me noodles from chopsticks.

I guess I kind of already knew he would be a great boyfriend and that's part of the reason I was fighting myself. I couldn't lose him, couldn't lose the only best friend I had left. The thought of being official and committed terrified me for that fact alone. Casual dating was one thing, but full official status meant that the end meant the end, which meant no more Austin.

"Let's get some sleep." He smiled taking my empty containers and throwing them in the trash. "Tomorrow is gonna be a busy day with lots of walking."

I let him lead me to the bed where he wrapped his arms around me and we curled up together.

There was only one person who knew Mols as much as I did to give me advice, and as much as it would be an awkward conversation to have, it was necessary.

"Can I call you tomorrow I need to ask a question?" I hit send on my phone.

"Sure thing, talk to you then."

I set my phone on the nightstand and sank into the warmth of Austin's body. I loved him so much and that's why I couldn't break my promise,I couldn't lose him. If I did, I would have lost my best friend and betrayed Molly's dying wish, neither of which I was prepared to do.

"I love you." I whispered as his arm tightened on my waist.

"Love you more." He whispered in my ear as the blackness took over.

It was at that moment I knew..... we were already in it too deep.