Fast Car | Escapes #1

Chapter 17

Something was poking my cheek. I cracked open an eye and saw a building. The shadows had grown long and I could tell the sun wasn't far from setting. Something poked my cheek again and I opened both eyes, blinking the sleep away. I looked over and saw Brayden watching me. 

"Hey," he said, lowering his hand. "We're in Denver. I just checked us into a hotel."

I blinked at him a couple of times as his words sank in. We were in Denver. My mind finally caught up and I began looking around. The view was obscured by buildings. There wasn't much I could see. I'd always thought that I'd be able to see the tops of the mountains above anything, but I couldn't. My shoulders sagged as I looked over at the boy who drove me here. "Thank you," was all I could say in response to his words.

"Let's get inside and find our rooms, okay?" He gave me a warm smile and got out. 

When I opened my door, I was hit by the stink of a city. I could barely smell the mountains. Not that I knew what they smelled like, though. I'd always kind of assumed that the mountains had a fresh, earthy smell to them. The scent of decaying leaves and whatnot. But this was the same smell as Lincoln: exhaust fumes and who knew what else. It didn't smell natural. 

Disappointed, I got my luggage out of the car and carried it into the building. Brayden led me to the elevators and then to our rooms. They happened to be next to each other. He gave me my key and I went inside. I flicked on the light and sat my luggage on the bed I wasn't going to use. The curtains were open, but the shades were drawn, obscuring my view. I opened them to find my view was obscured by a tall building.

I flopped on my bed. Why wasn't Denver like I'd always thought it would be? It felt like I had been disillusioned. The magic that I had always felt drawing me to this place had been shattered. Still, I wanted to be here. More than anything. It was what I'd wanted my whole life, so I wasn't going to give up on this dream easily. Even if it wasn't what I'd expected. 

My eyes slid closed as I listened to hum of the air conditioner and the traffic outside. Bumps and scrapes came through the wall, letting me know that Brayden hadn't stopped to rest just yet. We were going to dinner as soon as we both got settled. Whenever that was. 

The next thing I knew, someone was knocking on my door. I sat up quickly, startled. The room was much darker. I could see that the building out my window was barely visible. How long had I been asleep for?

Another knock. "Jenny?" came his voice. 

I hopped up and hurried to the door, opening it wide. "Hey," I said. "I fell asleep."

He raised an eyebrow, but didn't comment on my sleep schedule. "Well, I was wondering if you wanted to grab a bite now."

"What time is it?" I glanced behind me at the clock by the beds, but I couldn't see it from my angle. 

"It's nearly seven. Sorry it took me so long. I felt like I needed to shower and rest a little." His eyes went up to my hair. "Looks like you did, too. I hope you can sleep well tonight. Tomorrow is going to be a big day."

I attempted to smooth down my hair. "What's tomorrow?"

He grinned at me. "You'll see. There's some things that are better in Colorado. Want me to wait out here while you get ready to go to dinner?"

"You can come in. I'm just going to fix my hair." He walked past me and I could smell his Axe bodywash. His hair looked slightly damp from his shower. There was something else that I smelled as he passed by that was just masculine. I'd never thought I'd ever love the scent of a man, but there I was - completely enamored by it.

He stopped and turned to me as I closed the door. "Did you just sniff me?" Amusement shone in his eyes.

I blushed and walked past him to my suitcase. "Of course not. Why would I do that?"