Drive All Night

Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Ally sensed Sebastian wake, so she didn't need to glance over to see him open his eyes when she asked, "Pick a number between one and five."

"What?" he replied groggily, shifting in his seat and bringing his chair back up from a reclining position.

"One to five."

"Three." He looked over at her and she glanced and smiled.

"Three it is."

"What is?"

"The third exit from now, that's the one we're taking." Her grin was so large that it spread over to her passenger.

"You really have no idea where you're going, do you?"

"Nope," she replied, still smiling brightly as she counted off the first exit.

The third exit led them south, onto another highway. "South is good, South is warm," Ally said. "Okay, one more. Left or right?"

"Left."

"And now a number between sixty and ninety."

"Sixty-one. You're crazy, you know that right?"

"Yup. Okay in sixty one minutes, we will take the next left turn."

"Where are we now anyway?" Sebastian asked, watching for road signs to give him a hint.

"We just crossed into Kansas when you were sleeping. We can find a place to call it a day after our next exit."

It turned out the next exit guided them to a small town. It was big enough to have a few motels and a Walmart. Ally pulled over in the parking lot of the Walmart to do a quick search on her phone for the best, which meant cheapest, place to stay the night.

"This place is sixty-nine a night and it has mostly good reviews," Ally said, showing Sebastian the phone. "We could share a room if you want?"

Sebastian nodded, pulling at the edges of one of his sleeves. "Yeah, if it's not much trouble. I can get out of your hair in the morning."

"You weren't in my hair," Ally replied, shifting in her seat to look at him. "Really, I don't know if I would have gotten anywhere today. It was a rough start, but you really helped me."

Sebastian ran his hand through his hair, the front of it falling right back into his eyes; he kept his eyes on her phone and replied, "We just need to head a block back that way and then take the first left."

Ally nodded, put the car in drive and spun around, heading to the motel.

The hotel room was modest but clean. The TV was old but neither was in the mood to watch anything. Ally excused herself for a shower. The day had been taxing but therapeutic. She appreciated Sebastian there even if they didn't talk much. She hadn't felt so alone driving away from home with her friend beside her. She emerged from the bathroom in only a towel, not really thinking much of it until she saw Sebastian's face. He ducked his head and started rifling through his suitcase.

Ally felt her cheeks burn, she'd not really thought about Sebastian being a guy. She knew he was attractive but she never got the vibe from him ever that he saw their friendship as anything but platonic, and that was the way she'd always felt.

"Shower's free if you want it."

"Thanks," he murmured and grabbed his bag, heading to the bathroom.

When the shower started up, Ally went to her suitcase and looked through it. She hadn't really packed to be around a roommate; it's not that she packed lingerie but all she had to sleep in was a pair of boy shorts and a tank top. She pulled them on and then crawled into the bed, tucking herself under the covers.