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“I’m getting closer,” he responds, but his voice turns somber. I slide off his bike, standing still while he follows suit. He reaches out for my hand, and I stare at it a moment as if it is a snake, coiled and ready to strike. Carefully, I put my hand in his and let him lead me toward the motel.
It’s a large brick and cedar wood building that lines up along the side of a hill. There’s a neon sign by the corner of the building where the office is. It proclaims in large, deep blue neon the words, Lake Vista Motel. The vacancy is halfway lit up, but the A’s are out and dark. I guess someone forgot to buy a vowel. I smirk at the corny joke I made. I think seeing Raze and Liliana together has fried my brain. I mean, it hurt a little. I can’t lie about that. I’m sure, however, that it didn’t hurt like it should have. Maybe that’s because things have been cooling down with Raze and I. It could be because as much as I enjoyed the distraction he gave me and heavy make out sessions, I never saw our relationship as going anywhere special. I can admit that my pride is stung, though.
I bring my attention back to the motel. There’s an office at the end and then a straight line of rooms. The doors are brick red in color and have black metal numbers above a peephole. I quickly count that there are thirteen doors. They have the heating and air units where half of it is outside, just under the double glass window. They’re all running, and the sound is distracting, to say the least. Dom leads me to room number nine. Once he gets the door open, he steps back, letting me enter first.
The cold air hits me at once. I was expecting a dark seventies motel vibe, but I’m pleasantly surprised. The walls are paneling, sure. It’s also definitely paneling from the disco era. Still, it has been painted a bright white, which makes the room appear bigger and at least more than a little updated. There’s one large king size bed in the middle of the room. A decent sized flat screen television and dresser are directly across from it. A desk area is on the other side of the room, with a small microwave, coffeemaker, and a door. I can only assume that it is the restroom. As I walk toward that area, I see there’s a mini-fridge under the desk.
“Soooo…” I breathe. “You’re living here.”
Dom laughs. “What’s wrong, Princess? Not swanky enough?”
“Um… it’s… clean?”
“You always were a smartass. Anyway, it is clean. You were right. Plus, you can hide out here and lick your wounds for the night.”
“I don’t really need to lick my wounds. I mean, my pride was a little damaged. I can admit that.”
“It shouldn’t be. Raze is an asshole.”
I smirk at him. “I thought you two were close.”
“Doesn’t mean I’m not aware he’s an idiot. He’d have to be to fall back into Liliana’s clutches. Especially when you’ve been together for a while now.”
“I don’t know that you could say we’re together,” I respond, crossing my arms at my waist. I’m nervous and have no idea why.
I kick off my shoes and sit on the edge of the bed. I feel totally exhausted.
“Babe, you spent the night with him often. You forget I know you. You aren’t the type of girl to do that unless you are serious. He’s a fool for throwing that away.”
“You make it sound like we were sleeping together, moron.”
“You’re not?” he asks, and I see the disbelief on his face.
“Well, technically, I guess we were, but only with my clothes on. I just got out of a relationship. I wasn’t ready to give myself that way yet.”
I cringe as I explain myself. I don’t even know why I am! I’m insane. That’s the only explanation. Dom and I have only been working on our friendship for a brief time. Why am I blabbing everything to him? I should cut out my own tongue. I need to remember he’s the same asshole that put Gabby before everything, even his own brother. The thing is, I’m having a harder time of doing that lately. The Dom I’ve been spending time with isn’t the same guy that I used to think myself in love with.
“Well, that’s the problem right there.”
“Huh?” I ask because I’m completely lost.
“If Raze was the right man for you, you wouldn’t want to wait. You couldn’t wait.”
“Yeah, right.”
“How long did you wait for Mr. New York?”
“I’m not discussing my sex life—or the lack thereof—with you, Dom.”
“Why not? If we’re going to make this friend thing work, we need to be open. Are you going to tell me you and T never discussed sex?”
“Not once. Other than me telling him he needed to kick Gabby out of his life.”
“Seems you told both of us that,” he mumbles, scrubbing his face with his hand before he looks me directly in the eyes.
“The difference is that Thomas never cut me out of his life.”
His lips thin out in a grimace. “I should have never allowed that to happen.”
