How We Found Us | ✔️

Chapter Forty

The sound of a door closing woke me. I sat up, still groggy, and watched Riley place take out on the table by the room window. He pulled off his wet jacket and hung it over the chair before turning to me.

"Are you alive yet?" he asked.

"Depends on your definition of alive," I mumbled, wiping the sleep from my eyes. The paper bag crinkled when Riley dug through it and pulled out two wrapped foods. He waved them both toward me.

"Hamburger or taco?"

"Taco." I snatched it from his hand as my stomach growled.

We hadn't talked as his taxi drove us back to my hotel. It was a dumpy hotel in possibly the worst neighborhood in Seattle, but it was the best I could afford. Riley held me the entire night as I cried myself to sleep. When I glanced at the clock, I realized I'd slept the day away. It was already late afternoon.

"How did you know where I was?" I asked through might bites.

He sat in the chair with his jacket, nibbling on his French fries. Sometimes the way he could keep his face so blank, with no hint to his thoughts, annoyed the crap out of me. Those wonderful blue eyes of his were the best thing I'd seen in weeks. His lips begged me to come to them, but I wasn't sure I could.

"George called me almost as soon as you left the house. He gave me the hotel and my brother gave me Preston's address. I caught the first flight I could."

I finished my taco and tossed the wrapper in the trash. My hands sat in my lap as I sighed. There were too many things to say to him and I didn't know where to start.

"There's more if you're still hungry," he said.

I took a deep breath and stood up. Riley reached into the bag and pulled out another taco, but that wasn't what I was going for. He still had the taco in his hand when I kissed him. It was a hard kiss as I pressed my hands to his cheeks and tried to hold his face to mine. Riley pulled away and flicked a finger against my nose, smiling.

"This time," he whispered. His thumb brushed against my lips. "I'm going to stop you. You're emotional Chloe again and as we both know . . ."

". . . I don't always make the best decisions when I'm emotional." I laughed and pulled away from him, taking a seat in the second chair around the table.

He looked up to where the roof leaked, dripping water on the tabletop. "Couldn't find a worse motel, could you?"

"Hey now," I said, biting into the next taco, "this is the best my property tax could afford."

"Ah yes, your property tax that is due in a couple of months."

I shrugged. "Who needs a roof over their head anyway. Not me. I'm looking forward to the cardboard box under the overpass."

Riley reached into his pocket and slid a folded up piece of paper to me. It was a refund from the airline. I frowned.

"What's this?"

"What does it look like?"

I snorted. "Like most of the cost of my return flight. Are we moving to Washington then?"

Riley leaned back in his seat and reached into his pocket again, jiggling keys. "No, but we are taking a road trip back home."

"You're willingly putting yourself in a car for seventeen hours, and that's if we don't stop, with the girl who shattered your heart?"

Riley shook his head and put the keys back into his pocket. He took another French fry and bit down. So much happened between us yet it was like nothing had changed. Riley was simple to talk to, pleasant. Even his navy blue cardigan was a sight to look at. He reached across the table and wiggled his hand. I smiled and slid mine within his rough palm.