Fast Car | Escapes #1

Chapter 32: Brayden

I silently chewed on my muffin while I watched my Jenny put away a plate full of eggs, sausage, and waffles. She kept glancing up at me and blushing. I would just smirk and her gaze would drop back to her plate as she shoveled more food into her mouth. She wasn't normally this shy, but I was here for it. 

Maybe it was because we had both cried until we fell asleep. Perhaps it was because she was embarrassed because I insisted on carrying her to breakfast. Whatever the reason, I wanted to keep doing this to her. She was adorable.

The man running the breakfast kept looking at us from the front counter. There were a handful of other guests providing a low hum of conversation at their large table. Every once in a while they would burst out laughing, drawing everyone else's attention for a second before we looked away again. I locked eyes with the man at the counter and frowned. He knew who I was, and the night before was more than happy to put me up in a single room for a discount. 

Now he was eyeing Jenny, seemingly confused about her presence, but I didn't like his eyes on her. It was obvious he wasn't trying to ogle her. Still, I found myself glaring at him. A hand settled on top of mine. I drug my eyes to the concerned ones in front of me. "Everything okay?" Jenny asked.

I gave her a smile as I felt my face instantly relax. "The guy at the counter keeps looking at you, but it'll be fine." Truth was usually best, and if it kept her away from him, that was even better. She didn't need to know his gaze held anything more than confusion about where she came from and what happened in that room. 

She nodded and dropped her gaze back down to her plate. There wasn't much left on it. If I had known she was this hungry, I would have gone ahead and loaded the car and taken her to a nicer place. Maybe found a Denny's or IHOP and ordered her whatever she wanted.

The plate slid across the table towards me. My brow furrowed and I looked up at her. "I think I've had enough," she muttered.

I frowned and gently slid it back towards her. "If you want it you should have it."

She frowned right back. "I've already eaten too much." Her cheeks turned pinker. "You probably already think I'm a glutton at this point."

"Jen, I would never think that." It was the truth. Now that I was thinking about it, she'd always been skinnier than I thought she should have been. That was probably due to her never being able to eat much when she lived with her dad. 

"But-"

"No." I shook my head. "If you're full, that's one thing. If you're only concerned with what I think, then it's a no." I held her gaze, trying to convince her with my eyes of how serious I was. After a few moments she sighed and looked at the plate. She stabbed the last sausage and shoved it into her mouth. I watched her chew, unable to stop smiling. When she was finished, I reached for the plate. "Do you want more?" I asked.

She looked at the table laden with breakfast foods and I would have sworn there was longing in her gaze. "No, I'm good." She smiled up at me. "Thank you, though. You should eat too. More than a muffin, at the very least. I thought guys ate more than girls?"

I chuckled. "Some of us definitely can, but not all of us." I stood and kissed the top of her head before walking over to the buffet table. Most options still had a lot left, but I only got the ones I knew Jenny liked. The man that was at the counter came over. "Good morning," I said when I realized he wanted to speak.

"Brayden Milton," he said quietly. "If this is another one of your flings-"

I dropped the spoon in my hand with a loud clang, both cutting him off and drawing everyone's attention to me. "I don't know what your daughter told you," I said quietly enough I hoped no one else could hear as they returned to their conversations, even if they were more hushed now. "She only knew me for one year in college. I'm not the same person."