God! She was making herself sick. She was acting like she was still in high school—only worse. Back then she seemed to have a good head on her shoulders. Now, she may as well be one of the groupies he had twisted around his little finger.
She settled into her seat, fastened her seat belt with clumsy fingers, and closed her eyes—she didn’t like this. Didn’t like this one bit. She opened her bottle of water and took a large mouthful, hoping to cleanse the bitter taste that had crept up her throat. What was she doing? Why was she acting like this? Why was she suddenly so insecure? But at the same time, how could she possibly believe this could work? He was Tristan, the brother of her best friend, the hottest guy at West Valley, and she felt like a sixteen-year-old girl again.
He topped off the gas a moment later and climbed into the seat beside her. His playful grin was back in place, but she sure didn’t feel as confident as she had a moment before.
“What should we open first?” he asked. “Salt and vinegar, or barbecue?”
Her stomach rolled with all the unknowns, and she turned toward him. She wanted to ask who he was talking to, wanted to ask what he wanted…but she didn’t do either. She looked down to the two bags between them and made a decision. There wasn’t going to be a future for her and Tristan. This was a temporary relationship, a rebound from one place to another. She wouldn’t allow it to be more than that. She wouldn’t allow him to hurt her.
“Salt and vinegar,” she said. The moment the decision was made, her mood instantly lightened. She looked up again and handed him the bag.
“Good choice,” he said with a wicked grin. He then ripped open the bag with his teeth, causing a few chips to fall to his chest and scatter across his lap.
She plucked one from his chest and popped it into her mouth. “Mmm… That’s good”
He grinned back at her and pulled back out to the road. “If you keep making noises like that, we’re never going to make it to the wedding.”
She licked her lips, then took another long drink of water to wash it down. She liked it this way. Playful, sexy, fun…and easy.
Chapter Twenty-one
They traveled a couple more hours, snacking on chips and all the other things Samantha had stowed away in her bag for the trip, but eventually Tristan turned off the highway, just outside of Pennsylvania. Her brows furrowed, and she rolled up the bag of barbecue, knowing they still had a good two hundred miles yet before their destination. “Don’t tell me we need gas again?” she asked.
He shook his head, his brow slightly furrowing. “Nah, I thought we’d stop for the night. I’m getting tired.” He said it quietly, but there was something under the surface that made her stomach constrict. Because it wasn’t true. By now she knew him well enough. Knew when he was tired and when he wasn’t. She also knew when something was bothering him. She could feel it in her bones. If they drove a few more hours, they would be there. At the wedding, which was the point of this whole crazy trip. But she kept her mouth shut…because she knew exactly what this was. This was their last night together. Their last hoorah, their last roll in the hay.
A few minutes later, Tristan turned into the parking lot of the Grand Belleview hotel, confirming it. It wasn’t the first motel they had passed, but this place was gorgeous. Ten stories high, all windows, with red carpets that led up to the entrance.
Tristan put the car in park, took his wallet from the center console, and pulled in a breath. Suddenly this felt like so much more than their last night. This felt like goodbye. Like she was stepping onto a plane with a one-way ticket. Tomorrow they’d be at the wedding, and all this would stop. If for no other reason, than for Renee. Because she didn’t deserve this drama before her wedding. Because up until this point, as far as Renee knew, they were two people who couldn’t stand each other. But at the same time, if this ride went on for much longer, Samantha wasn’t sure she’d be able to jump off. She turned toward the window, pulling in a deep breath to give herself strength. “It went by pretty quickly, considering.”
He leaned back in his seat, stretching his arms overhead. “Yeah, it did.”
She nodded at his reflection, squeezing the door handle, knowing she was about to cry. She hated goodbyes, even when she knew they weren’t forever.
She got out of the car, gathered her backpack to keep herself busy, then turned around to find him right behind her. He didn’t say anything, just took the bag from her shoulder and began walking toward the hotel.
There was a large fountain in the foyer, with large purple and blue lights that moved like currents. It reminded her of an aquatic version of the solar system. With a thousand playful lights dancing on the surface like stars.
Tristan headed straight for the counter, but she touched his arm, making him turn around to face her. “I haven’t talked to Ren in a couple of days—” she said softly. “Do you mind if I borrow your phone?”
He didn’t even wait for her to finish before typing in the password and placing it in her hand. He held her fingers, loosely, but all encompassing, and his eyes met hers. As though asking what she was thinking. But then he smiled, a soft tender smile that made her whole body melt. “Tell her I said ‘hi.’ ”
He let go then, setting a million butterflies loose in her stomach, before turning again to the counter.
When she moved toward the fountain again, she took a deep breath to clear her head. He was so perfect. So utterly amazing that she almost hated the fact she had to walk away. She began dialing Renee’s number but she only got four numbers in before the contact pulled up. “Li’l sis.”
She smiled at the name, but an unpleasant taste crept up her throat at the same time. She was Renee’s maid of honor. The girl Renee should trust most in this world, yet here she was, sleeping with her friend’s brother. Samantha pressed her forehead into her palm and sent through the call before she had time to think about it. With one step in front of the other she paced the floor, trying to decide what to do about the situation. On one hand, it was no one’s business at all whom she slept with. Including her best friend. On the other, she’d always made it Renee’s business to know all there was about her, and the last time she kept a secret it almost killed her.
“Hello,” Renee answered, nearly making Samantha’s heart seize in her chest. “I can’t answer the phone right now. I’m getting married and stuff. Leave a message and I might call you back.”
Samantha laughed at the message, as blood rushed back up to her face. She waited for the beep before filling her lungs with air. “Hey Ren, it’s me…” She took a step forward, knowing a confession like this wasn’t one that should be left in a message. She then sat on a bench and squeezed her eyes shut. “Long story short, but my phone is dead. We’ll be in New York tomorrow afternoon. I’ll tell you all the gory details then.” She looked over at Tristan, unable to prevent her eyes from raking over his entire body. “If you need me, call Tristan, okay?” She cleared her throat, averting her eyes once again to the floor. “Bye.”
She hung up the phone feeling somewhat relieved and turned around to head back to the reception desk, but a text notification popped up on the phone, stopping her.
“I can’t imagine my life without you.”
She looked away the second she saw it, before she could even see who it was from, but it was too late. She’d seen it, she’d read it, and her heart shattered into a million pieces.
Tristan stood across the foyer, his large form leaning against the counter. He was talking to the woman at the reception desk, his wallet out, deep in conversation. It was an invasion of privacy, but she didn’t care anymore. She walked farther into the seating area and looked down to the phone again. It was locked.
She took a deep breath. “Good riddance.” But she wasn’t quite sure she felt it. Because something had wrapped itself around her heart, squeezing it harder with each passing second. Whoever was texting Tristan had nothing to do with her. Whoever it was, who thought they couldn’t live without him, was none of her concern.
She gripped his phone tighter, then dropped her hands to her sides and walked toward the counter. The woman there was giving him directions to their room, but Samantha barely heard any of it. This was a temporary relationship, a rebound, and she wouldn’t allow herself to get hurt.