On The Other Side

Chapter 26 - Chased

GEORGE
—

"Georgieee!" Clay's voice calls out, and suddenly he throws himself onto the bed beside me. I can't help but smile, so I playfully hide my face beneath the blanket.

"Georgie, we need to eat," he whispers, drawing closer to me while my face remains concealed beneath the blanket.

With a quick yank, Clay pulls the blanket away, revealing my face. We exchange glances, and a grin spreads across his face, mirroring my own.

"Good morning," he greets me, and I can't help but smile even wider, shaking my head slightly in response.

"You can sleep in the car," he whispers softly, his hand gently brushing a strand of hair from my forehead.

"I want to sleep here," I mumble.

His smile grows, and he leans in to plant a sweet kiss on my forehead. Without wasting much time, he hops out of the bed and takes hold of my hands. "Get up!" he exclaims, playfully tugging me to my feet.

I groan and roll my eyes as I get up from the bed. Clay scans me and then chuckles.

My hair probably looks fucked up right now.

"What?" I ask and he shakes his head.

"Nothing, let's go." he turns around and walks off, out of the room.

I enter the kitchen after Clay, and we begin our meal together. After we finish our breakfast, we prepare to leave, and Jules generously gives us around a dozen sandwiches to take with us on the road.

In a hushed tone, Jules pulls me into a heartfelt hug and whispers, "Take care of Clay for me."

I nod in acknowledgment and then gently release her from the embrace.

"Goodbye, Oma. Stay safe," Clay says, embracing her tightly. She nods, her eyes welling up with tears, and I can see the fear for us in her eyes.

Nick honks from the car "We love you, Jules, but it's time to hit the road!" Clay's grandmother bursts into laughter, nodding in agreement as they release their hug.

Clay and I make our way to the car, with Clay taking the passenger seat and me settling in the back. We all roll down our windows and wave at Jules, who's waving back at us.

We drive off.

"Man, I'm gonna miss her," Nick says and Clay chuckles.

"Yeah, we all will," he says and looks out of the window.

I can tell he loves his grandma and that if he could he would take her with us, but he doesn't want to put her in danger.

—

Ten minutes have passed, and we're now on the highway, with approximately four more hours of driving before we reach Florida.

Nick's attention remains fixed on the road as he asks, "George, is that black SUV still following us?"

I push myself up to get a better look back at the highway, and sure enough, there's a black SUV with tinted windows not too far behind us, maintaining a close distance.

"Yeah," I say and sit back down. "Should we be worried?"

Nick runs a hand down his beard and I can hear him mumble something under a sigh, but I'm not sure what.

"Keep an eye on it, and Clay, check around for any other black SUVs," Nick instructs. Clay nods, shifting his focus from his phone to scanning the road ahead and around us.