SOFT SPOT// h.s

1.4 ~ one night of luxury

It started out as little smoky wisps of vapour ascending from the engine, which we didn't even notice at first. Then those small clouds transformed into a huge puff of dark grey smoke that suddenly blew out of the engine and killed the car.

Great. I looked at Harry who was staring straight back at me as if to say, "What now?" I shrugged in reply to his gaze and glanced at the map.

"We can't be too far from a town," I said. "I'm sure if we walk a little bit we will find something."

"Why does this feel like it's happened before?" Harry groaned, with a small smile playing on his lips.

"Oh I don't know Harry. Maybe because your Volvo is currently deep under a hole of sinking sand," I replied sarcastically.

"Don't mention it," Harry said, putting a hand over his chest. "The pain is too much."

I laughed at him as we began throwing all of our few belongings into the only bags we had to bring with us. I hadn't a cent left and I knew Harry's money was running out fast.

I slipped my hand into Ellie's, as she insisted on walking and we walked along the sidewalk, abandoning the car. It was of no use to us now.

Harry swung his arms by his sides and seemed unusually optimistic as we trudged towards the nearby town. "We can get there and find a motel to stay the night in. I think we can afford one night of luxury," he said laughing.

I looked at him astoundedly. "But I don't have any money Harry!" I objected. I felt guilty at letting him pay for everything, but I was insistent on paying him back the minute we got home.

"Relax. I've got it covered," he assured me, waving his thinned-out wallet in front of my face as I gave him a weak smile.

We passed the welcome sign that told us that we were in Rockport. The salty scent of the sea wafted through the air as the seagulls screeched, circling the sky. I hadn't been to the beach since I was a kid, and Ellie had never been. Despite being in California for a week on our holidays, our apartment was far away from the beach and neither Noah or Amy and her boyfriend wanted to go. I wondered wistfully if Harry would mind a quick trip..

He must have spotted my wishful gaze in the direction of the beach as he said, "We can go if you want." I looked at him in surprise.

"Really?" I asked him, not hiding the ascending pitch in my voice as I broke out in a grin as wide as a Cheshire cat's.

"Sure," he shrugged. "We're not going to get any more travelling done today so we might as well find a motel, leave our stuff there and go down to the beach."

I had to resist the urge to jump up and down on the spot and clap my hands like a bloody seal. "That sounds great Harry! Do you wanna go to the beach Els?" I asked Ellie excitedly.

I watched her face think it over, concentration evident on her fine features. "Do we get to make sandcastles?" She asked, unsure of what going to the beach consisted of.

"Of course baby. You can make all the sandcastles you want," I told her as she giggled excitedly, nodding enthusiastically.

By the time we found a motel, I was exhausted and almost regretting my promise to go to the beach. Almost, but not quite.

The building was whitewashed and dull looking, but seemed to fit our budget. The so-called lobby was shabby, with moth eaten sofas and in painted floor boards, but I decided not to judge, crossing my fingers that there would be a decent shower.

"We aren't staying here, fuck no," Harry announced when we walked through the doors.

I nudged him in the ribs, shushing him.

"Stop that Clary, we are not staying here and that's final," he said, putting his foot down.

Although it was no five star hotel, it seemed considerably clean and quiet. And even more importantly, it was guaranteed to be at a low cost.

"Harry it's fine, it's only for one night," I insisted, looking into his face expectantly. I certainly did not want to trail around the town again, looking for somewhere to stay.

Harry's jaw was clenched as he stood solidly by the entrance doors, but his hard features soon softened when Ellie emitted an exhausted yawn and raised her arms to me, signalling to be lifted.

Harry rolled his eyes and swore under his breath as I gave him a pointed look as if to prove to him that Ellie was tired and so was I.

After shooting me dirty look, Harry strolled up to reception and rudely asked for two rooms. I was relieved when I learned that the accommodation was indeed dirt cheap, leaving me less indebted to Harry.

We were handed the two separate keys and I gave Harry a hopeful smile as we pushed open the doors to our adjoining rooms.

I nearly dropped Ellie, (who was balanced on my hip) in shock. The room was no bigger than a cupboard, instantly making me feel claustrophobic. On the floor was a stained, grubby white carpet, which had yellowed with age. The single bed had a scrubbed up, grey duvet, which I suspected bed bugs lived within. The thin curtains were washed up blue with traces of faded patterns. The window was smudged with dirty smears and I could barely see through it.

I searched for the bathroom to find a small closet sized washroom, that had a single shower and a toilet. There wasn't even a sink! I doubted the functioning of the shower as I could see the stains of rust creeping around the once silver shower head.

I turned the knob out of curiousity, standing well back as I still expected water to come out, but nothing. It didn't work. I wonder if Harry's room was as awful as mine.

I sighed as I sat on the edge of the bed, dumping the rucksack on the floor. This road trip was becoming undeniably tiring and draining as hell.

"Are we sleeping here?" Ellie asked me, her eyes wide and confused. I knew that it must have alarmed her as she was used to living in five star conditions, guaranteed comfort courtesy of Noah's bank account.

"Just for tonight babes, I promise we'll be home soon," I swore, not wanting to think of how many times I had told her 'soon.'

She nodded forlornly and I didn't hesitate to cheer her up. "So how about those sand castles?" I giggled, poking her cheek and spinning her around.

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Bit of a filler chapter really! But tysm for 400+ reads that's really cool ily!

Ilysm and don't forget to smile!:)

03.02.15
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