The plane jerks just a touch, giving me the chance to knock his elbow, waking him. “What time is it?” he asks, his voice soft, making me forget why I was mad at him in the first place.
“We should be landing in fifteen minutes. Are you tired?” I ask him while he blinks his eyes a bit to focus.
“I didn’t sleep well last night,” he says quietly, taking in everyone else, who is either listening to music or with their eyes closed. Some are reading, some are playing cards, others are on their phone, but no one is really talking.
“Why?” I ask, worried he might be getting sick.
“I guess I was just nervous about today. Almost like it’s the first day back at school after summer break.” He smiles and shrugs. “It’s stupid.”
I turn, reaching over and touching the same elbow I almost tried to dislocate. “It’s not stupid. I get it. I still remember the day before I started high school I set out my clothes and dreamed all night that I would miss my alarm.”
“Yeah, Allison is like that.” He sits up straighter. “She also brings a change of clothes to school. Well, she did till Cooper decided that he was going to surprise her with lunch. Let’s just say she had a wardrobe check for a month. She was pissed.” He laughs softly, thinking about the memory. The ache in my heart was faint for not having that big family dynamic. Don’t get me wrong, my dad was always there for everything, I just had no one to share it with.
“Your sister sounds like my kind of person.” I smile at him while the landing wheels make sounds, letting us know it’s time for landing.
Once the plane lands, he stands up and his hand goes out to me. I grab it so I can get up, but I shouldn’t have. The simple touch has given me goose bumps all over my arms, making me shiver. It’s almost electric. I’m not sure he feels it, but one look up at him and I see his eyes fixed on our hands that are still connected. The door of the plane opens, making him drop my hand. Reaching up, he grabs his carry-on luggage and mine, carrying it off the plane for me.
They roll the steps straight to the plane, letting us get off on the tarmac. Again, a greyhound bus is waiting for us. I hold on to the railing, walking down behind Matthew. This time he is the one on the bus first. I was planning on sitting in another seat, but once I climb the bus he’s there, standing in the aisle, not moving.
“Excuse me,” I say, trying to get around him.
“Sit down, Karrie.” Three words. Three words that make me grit my teeth together. I make my way to the window, sitting and crossing my legs. He sits next to me, his feet crossed at the ankle, his hands crossed in the middle of his legs. “See how easy that was?”
I roll my eyes at him and glance out the window, not making eye contact with anyone. By the time the bus is loaded and we are on the way to the hotel, fatigue is starting to kick in. I close my eyes, listening to the little chatter that’s now going on around me.
I don’t know how long I’m asleep till I hear Matthew whisper in my ear, “Babe, we’re here.”
I open my eyes and see that my head has fallen on Matthew’s arm. I sit up right away, looking around, making sure no one saw that.
He gets up again and reaches for my hand, but I stand up without taking it. Walking off the bus again, I see him holding my bag, so I reach out for it, but he just shoots me a look of ‘don’t even try it.’ So I walk ahead of him into the hotel.
The hotel coordinator is there waiting for us. The guys each line up, say their name, and get their key cards. I get to the desk and say my name.
“Here is your card. Just so you know, the room is adjoining to a Matthew Grant.”
I nod, taking it and walking to the elevator that has already taken some of the guys up.
There are about six of us who fill the next elevator. The guys look beat. We are all on the same floor. Slowly they each walk into their rooms saying goodnight with a see you tomorrow. Matthew stops at his door while I continue to mine, opening it and letting myself in.
It’s a standard king-sized bedroom. The shades are still open, the light from the moon coming in. I approach the window, which overlooks the highway. It’s almost two a.m., so few cars are on the road. I kick off my shoes and shrug my jacket off. I start pulling the shirt from the waist of my skirt when I hear a soft knock at the closed door that separates my room from Matthew’s.