Deception and Desire

Chapter Sixteen - Odd

⟪Elizabeth⟫

The rest of the week went well. I had planned on bringing up the whole thing with Daniel to my mother, but chickened out. It probably would've ruined the whole trip and I didn't want that. It was nice to hang out with my parents and be at ease.

Now Kaden and I were boarding a plane, which would take us straight to the city where his next match was. St. Louis, Missouri.

I–once again–got the window seat. It was quiet on the plane. Though I was fully rested, Kaden was not. I felt bad because I know he hasn't slept well. I don't know why, but he hasn't for the last few days. Now he was dozing off in the seat next to me. He had a match coming up, he needed rest.

"Kade," I whispered softly, tapping his hand.

His eyes shot open, meeting mine in a panic. "Yeah?"

"Are you all right?" I asked, sure there was concern clear in my own eyes.

He settled back into his seat, shoulders shagging. "Mm-hm," he hummed, eyes shutting. "I'm good."

"Kaden, I'm serious. Are you feeling okay?" I placed a hand on his arm, worry seeping into my chest and making it tighten.

"I'm fine, Liz," he insisted.

I dropped it then, turning my gaze back to the window. Time ticked by without me caring to know how long it was. I almost jumped out of my skin when I felt something land on my shoulder. I looked over to see Kaden slumped over, breathing deeply. He was asleep. His head rested on my shoulder, leaning against me.

He wasn't looking too great either, which worried me even more. There were prominent dark circles under his eyes, which looked permanently tired. His hair was its normal 'I just rolled out of bed' mess. He looked a little pale, not much but still.

Maybe he'd get better before his match. It was still a few days off. He still had time. He would be fine.

The rest of the flight went on just fine. Kaden slept through most of it. He would wake here and there, blink a few times then settle back into unconsciousness. I felt bad when it came time to exit the plane since I had to wake him up, but I could just leave him here until he decided nap time was over.

After that, he rented another car, loaded our bags–without help because he all but shoved me in the car and tied me down to do it on his own. I wanted to help but it was useless fighting him. He then climbed into the driver seat, blowing out a breath as he started the engine.

The car ride was silent, which was unusual. It did let me know that he must really not feel well. He didn't even change the radio station or say a word about it. I should worry, shouldn't I?

Once arriving at the hotel we'd be staying at, I went to get us a room while he did whatever Kaden does. At this point, I'm not sure whether he was going to take a nap in the car or bring the bags in. It was debatable.

"The name of the reservation?" The lady behind the receptionist desk asked me.

"Uh, King," I answered. "Kaden."

She clicked away at the keyboard, humming something under her breath. "Yes. Our honeymoon suite. Room–"

"Your what?" I asked as she held out a key.

The woman–Linda, her name tag says–looked confused and slightly taken aback. "Our honeymoon suite? It says here it was booked for Kaden King. For the next week. Is there a problem, ma'am."

She was being kind and I didn't mean to snap. It just caught me off guard. Then I remember I didn't book this room. Normally, I would have, but Kaden said he'd take care of it since I was busy with the plane tickets and timing of everything.