That Summer (Completed)

Chapter 21

"He kissed her cheek and then she knew,

you could get homesick of people too."

******

I walked silently behind Jake towards our room, trying to squelch the butterflies. He unlocked the door and threw it open. I shuffled in after him and paused, taking in my surroundings.

"You have got to be kidding me," I heard him say. The room was the definition of tacky. The carpet looked like it hadn't been cleaned in years and the yellow flower wallpaper was peeling at the edges. There was a pungent stench of cheap perfume and dew. I looked at the bed and cringed. It was huge, taking up almost the entire room.

At least the sheets looked pretty clean, I thought grimly.

They even set up a couple of towels in the shape of kissing doves, clearly getting the wrong impression.

"Well then," I said, dropping my bag on the bed.

Jake rubbed a hand down his face. "Ok, I'll take the ground."

I looked down at the filthy carpet and grimaced. "Um, you can sleep on the bed. It's huge."

"Don't worry about it. I'm going to go shower," he said, grabbing some clothes from his bag and going into the bathroom.

Ok then.

I drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly, looking at the bed. Thankfully, I'd taken a shower just before the drive, so I was ready to knock out. Hopefully, by the time Jake came out, I'd already be asleep.

I took my hair out of the braid and shook it out. I walked over to the mirror and looked at my reflection. The bruises seemed darker today, bluer against my pale skin. I had taken some mild painkillers before leaving, so I didn't really feel them anymore. My cheeks were still cold and flushed from the rain, my eyes too bright and excited for it being almost one in the morning. I wanted to splash some cold water on my face and call Grandma but I didn't want to wake her up. She'd know what to do.

I sighed and rubbed my eyes, feeling the day get the best of me. I slipped back the comforter and got into the bed. I snuggled in deeper, trying to get warm. The room felt like an ice box.

I tossed and turned for the next fifteen minutes, the sound of the rain making me unusually restless.

After a while, the door to the bathroom opened and I stilled, shutting my eyes, pretending to be asleep. I heard Jake rummage around in his bag and I peeked over the blanket, feeling my heart stop.

Aw, hell. I was never going to get over this.

His sweatpants hung low on his hips, putting his back muscles in full glory as he searched through his bag. His hair was wet, making it look almost black, and slicked back messily. Unfortunately for me, he found a shirt and slipped it on quickly.

Wow, I needed to get laid. I made myself look away and went back to pretending to be asleep. As if I was getting any sleep tonight, knowing he only a few steps away.

A few minutes later and Jake had settled himself on the ground. I stayed in the same position for a few minutes, trying to relax my body. Maybe I should've taken a sleeping pill. The silence in the room was starting to become deafening.

"Jake?" I whispered.

I heard a grunt from the end of the bed.

"You awake?"

"No."

"Ok."

I sat up on my bed and took out my phone. I scrolled through my social media and texted Anne about the delay.