The Perfect Storm

Chapter 17

"WHERE ARE WE exactly?" I ask Jace as he opens up the tank.

"Oregon." He says with a wink.

"Are we . . ." I say but don't finish.

"Yeah." He simply says with a smile. I bite my lip before I finally ask; "Are we going to Santa Monica?" I ask with hopeful eyes.

"we are." He says with a smile, I jump out of joy, giving him a tight hug. A few tears run down my face before I can finally recover. Santa Monica has always been the one place I've wanted to visit, and now . . . I finally am.

"thank you so much, Jace,  you have no idea what this means to me," I say.

"I do actually, I've been watching you obsess over that place since we were little kids." He explains and I giggle.

"Really, thank you, Jace," I say giving him the biggest smile I can muster. "Let's go buy some snacks for the rest of our trip." He says and I nod in approval.

We walk over to the coolers, each grabbing a cold drink. The water bottles feel cold against my skin, easing off the slight burn from driving in the sun all day.

"don't look at the price, this is your birthday trip." He explains and I nod.

Despite his offer, I'm still going to look at the price. I grab a few snacks before both of us head towards the counter.

The cashier stares at my chest and Jace eyes his every move. He quickly pays the rude man before we head back into the car. The car takes a minute to start but we're finally on our way.

"wait where are we staying?" I ask.

"Uh . . . I booked us a hotel to stay at, it's nothing too expensive but it's not a hostel either." He smiles proudly.

"Can you open this for me?" he asks handing me the drink he bought. I nod and hand him the now open drink after he takes a few sips.

I wave my hands up in the air, the open roof feels amazing as it runs through my long hair.

JACE CHECKS us in before we're finally let into our room. The hotel is bigger than I expected and much more expensive than Jace led it on to be. As I look at the queen-sized bed in front of us I shake my head; I somehow thought Jace would get us two sperate beds.

"Are you okay?" he asks, pushing me out of my thoughts, I give him a nod before placing my small bag onto the chair next to the big window.

"Are you hungry?" he asks with a smile.

"No, I'm okay. I don't mind, I love being with you." I say, returning his smile before walking into the bathroom.

The small mirror reminds me of my now, mother's house. I quickly get into my pajamas before pulling the shorts down a little and finally exiting the bathroom. Jace's eyes scan my body before his eyebrows raise.

"that looks really good on you." He says with a kind smile before making the bed ready.

I climb into bed playfully and Jace follows right after turning off the light.

"you know I really missed you, we haven't been apart in forever." He says as my eyes try to adjust to the darkness.

"Me too, I really have," I say with a smile although he can't see it. The two of us face each other, I lift up both of my knees up into the fetal position.

"come here." He says, hugging me. Ever since we were little he's always been there for me, always my protector.

Whenever things got tough or scary he was always there with open arms, his arms were the only place I felt safe.

Before I know it I start tossing and turning and finally . . . falling asleep.