Meeting You

22. Auden

“You look really pretty,” Storm says, sitting against the headboard and staring at my naked ass as I lie on my stomach at the end of the bed eating fruits from the fruit cup.

“I do have a cute bum.”

He lets out a nasal chuckle. “I’m not looking at your butt.”

I glance at him over my shoulder, tossing a grape at him. He tries to catch it in his mouth but fails and laughs, coming to lie next to me. He opens his mouth and looks at the fruit bowl in front of me, expecting me to give him one. I don’t; I pretend to and pop it in my mouth instead. He chuckles, biting my shoulder, and takes a strawberry.

I pout. “Hey, that was my last strawberry.”

“Want it back?” He opens his mouth, revealing the strawberry all mashed up.

I laugh, turning on my back and bending my knees. “Oh, gross.”

“Y’know. I liked being alone all the time. I could do what I wanted when I wanted it. Now that I met you. I don’t like being alone. It’s lonely,” he admits, leaning his head on his hand.

I don’t know what to say. I don’t want him to get hurt. But I didn’t come here for a relationship. I came here to meet my birth father. Get in. Get out. That’s it. Yet, here I am, looking into the green eyes of a man who’s willing to give me a chance. Who’s willing to grow for me. If he can show me that stability, then everything will be just fine, wouldn’t it?

I smile at his beauty, watching as he stares at my tits for a moment, then meets my eyes again. “Want to be my date for lunch today?” I poke his nose. “Stacy is having a luncheon in the backyard.”

“Their daughter, Desire, is one of my exes.” He tongues his cheek. “She’s the girl I kissed last night.”

I nibble my bottom lip, looking at the ceiling, and let out a breath. “Is she someone I should worry about?”

“No.”

I nod, slowly shifting my gaze to meet his, and take a breath. “Well, I assumed something happened between you two. She shouldered me pretty hard in the hallway yesterday. And I’m pretty sure that was her banging on the walls, too.”

“Doesn’t bother you?”

“Do I want to be introduced to everyone you’ve ever slept with? No, but everyone has a past. What matters is what you do with your future,” I say. “My dad told me that when my second boyfriend broke up with me.”

Storm traces the outline of my nipple. “Am I a thought in your future?”

“Do you want to be?” I whisper.

“More than anything,” he says quietly.

There’s a tug at the corner of my lips, looking down at his finger tracing around my nipple and pebbling it up. “Then make love to me.”

He’s showing so many signs that make me want this to work, but it’s still too soon to tell if he’s right for my future. The only thing I care about is my future. It’s everything I worked for. Can Storm better himself to fit into that future with me?

***

There aren’t many people at the lunch when we arrive. Maybe seven people, not including Storm and I. The backyard is decorated with white Christmas lights and a long table on the right that has so much food, I can’t wait to dig in. A large tree reaches high into the sky at the far left, a green wooden bench sitting under it. There’s a little bar area with bottles of booze and an open cooler with cans of soda and juice boxes. I wonder if she planned lunch for me. I’ve learned that I’m the talk of the town. I’m not surprised. I’m sure Frank has made it quite known he was searching for me. I’d be more than flattered if this lunch does happen to be in my honor.

Storm and I step off the porch as he carries a tray of muffins we purchased from the bakery across the street when Stacy waves us over. “Thank you for coming,” Stacy says. “Everyone’s fashionably late as usual.”

I smile. “It’s no problem.”

“Already sink your claws into her?” Stacy cackles, pointing at my neck. “We heard you all night last night.”

I put my hand on my mouth. “Oh, God. I’m sorry.”

Storm just laughs, which causes everyone here to turn their heads, and weaves his fingers in mine. “I’m gonna make an honest woman outta her, you’ll see,” Storm says, pulling me to the small drinks table.

“I’m so embarrassed,” I whisper.

“Don’t be,” he says. “Sex is natural.”

“Not how we do it,” I tease, making him laugh again.

Desire makes her way over to us, purposely forcing herself between Storm and me so she can make herself a drink, which separates our hands. Storm steps back and takes my hand again to bring me around her, holding me in front of him as he makes us drinks. I don’t tell him I’m sober, especially not now. I don’t know what he would think about it. Would he think I’m crazy for being a twenty-four-year-old sober girl? Would he be happy for me? I already told him about my dad, which was the main reason for my drinking. Almost losing him caused stress to build, and then my marks started slipping at school, and that began to stress me out even more. The only constant in my life was alcohol. It made me feel good. It was always there when I needed it.

Now, I won’t drink, not even a drop. It nearly killed me. Almost made me lose my friends, my scholarship. Alcohol is my enemy, my demon.

Storm’s a bartender and I’m sober. There can’t be a love story written in the stars here.

He kisses my shoulder and fluidly stirs up a simple vodka and orange juice as if remembering my vodka soda from last night.

Desire sips a tequila on the rocks, her long brown hair is tied in a thick braid on her shoulder. “You together now?”

“We’re hanging out,” he says, kissing my shoulder again.

“He’ll sleep with you, then never call you again,” she warns. “Use you like he constantly uses me.”

I smirk, looking back at him. “The difference is, he likes to use me. I don’t think he likes using you.”

He sips his drink, his gaze locked on me. “And I’ll use her until the day I die. She’s my angel, Desire. You were a crack in my very dark road. She’s my new pavement. The one I keep riding on smoothly.”

Desire scoffs, rolling her brown eyes before walking away. I don’t like her, haven’t from the moment she knocked her shoulder into me and I didn’t even know who she was.

More people have shown up and start whispering to each other about Storm and me. I wanted to be invisible when I arrived, but I guess being the daughter of the town’s general store owner would make headlines.

I step away and hold the screwdriver Storm made. I don’t drink it. I won’t drink it. “Thanks for coming with me.”

“Of course,” he says, holding my chin and kissing me softly.

Yep, gasps. People gasp when they see us kiss. His reputation must be bad for people to gasp at us. But that’s okay. I know the real Storm, these people just know what they want to believe.

I look around and smile at a couple of people I’ve seen in town. “Are people going to stare at us all day?”

He sighs, gulping his drink. “I told you, everyone thinks I’m bad news. I’m the town fool.”

“You are kind of a fool.”

He nudges me and chuckles, leading us to the food table.

I take a plate and scan what there is. Everything looks divine. Such scrumptious homemade food. There are noodle salads, potato salads, fried chicken, smoked ribs, different kinds of green salads, and mini sandwiches.

“You’re Auden? Frank’s kid?” a tall man asks. He appears to be the same age as Storm, but he’s much rounder, has a patchy beard, and has tattoos up and down his exposed arms in the jean vest he’s wearing.

I nod moving hair from my mouth. “Auden Summers.”

“Matt, I work for Gerri at the garage. Super nice of you to let us have the BMW for parts,” he says, putting his hand out to me.

I put the drink on the table to shake his hand. “It’s no problem.”

Matt chuckles awkwardly. “I was gonna offer you a drink, but it seems like you’ve already got one.”

“She’s good,” Storm interjects with his mouth full. “I made her a drink when we got here.”

“Okay.” Matt nods. “Come see me later. Or when you finish this one.”

I glance at Storm and shake my head. “N-no, it’s okay. But thank you.”

It seems like Matt doesn’t take the hint and continues to stand there scanning me. His gaze flickers between Storm and me, as if thinking of something that he knows will piss Storm off. “If you don’t mind, I’d like to take you to the drive-in tonight. As a thank you.”

“I’ve never been to a drive-in before,” I say excitedly. “We can meet you there.”

Matt frowns. “We?”

“Storm and I.” I point at Storm with my thumb, and he really appreciates that. There’s a smile on his face as he fills his plate.

“Don’t you work tonight?” Matt asks Storm.

Storm drops two pieces of fried chicken on my plate. “I can take it off. Tomorrow is Wednesday anyway.”

“Did you ask Ross if that was okay?” Matt asks.

Storm taps my bum to move forward. “He’s not going to mind, don’t you worry.”

“I’ll pick you up at six,” Matt says, nodding, and walks off.

I look back at Storm, filling my plate with a Caesar salad. “You won’t get in trouble if you take off work, will you?”

Storm finishes off his drink and tosses the cup out as I lead us to empty seats. “Negative. Like I said, I haven’t taken a night off in two years. Ross won’t be mad if I ask for a night off.” He kisses my head before sitting down next to me. “Don’t you remember, I have tomorrow off, too. It’s pizza night with Heath. Which…I’d like you to come to, if that’s okay?”

I nod quickly, loving the routine he has with his nephew. “I’d love to.”

I nod quickly, loving the routine he has with his nephew. “I’d love to.”

After we eat, he introduces me to everyone important in town. The bank owner, the woman who owns the café, and the sisters who own the boutique off 2nd Street. Everyone is so friendly and welcoming—some a little shocked that I let Storm work his charm on me. But I feel like I know a different side of Storm than they do. So, I ignore the comments, even though I can tell it’s getting him aggravated. Burning a fire under his skin.

“Want to get out of here?” I whisper. We’re sitting on a bench under a tree, his arm is draped on the back of it and he’s leaning into me.

Storm raises his eyebrows. “Go upstairs and have a quickie before heading to see Ross? I think he’ll give me two nights off in a row. Last time I took a sick day was ages ago.”

“Keep it in your pants,” I say, getting off the bench and taking his hand.

“I’ve never done it in my Jeep before.”

“I’ve never done it in a Jeep before, either.”

“Have you done it in a car?”

I wrinkle my nose and start to walk away. I have, many times. But he doesn’t need to know that. The less we talk about our pasts, the easier it’ll be to focus on the future.

He threads his fingers with mine and I smile at everyone as we walk out, leaving a little wave to Stacy. These people are so genuinely kind, it’s astounding how badly they think of Storm.

He’s a snake, a cheat.

You’re a smart girl, you should know better.

He’ll leave you heartbroken.

That nasty boy has ruined so many women.

Cheater.

Asshole.

He’s Lucifer himself.

He deserves so much more than he’s given. So, I don’t listen. I defend him because he’s not a snake. He’s a sinner, and we’ve all been sinners at least once in our lives.

We’re supposed to go meet his boss and ask for the rest of the week off. Instead, Storm lifts me over his shoulder and makes his way to the room I’m sleeping in. He tosses me on the bed and I’m in a fit of laughter when he jumps on top of me.

We kiss. We lose our clothes. We screw as quietly as we can, then lie back breathless and satisfied. People call him an asshole, but the sex aside, he’s so much more to me than a cheat. He’s lost and needs guidance to find his way home.

He chuckles. “Always a pleasure.”

“We should buy condoms again. Birth control or not, I do not enjoy you leaking out of me all day.”

He sticks his tongue out. “Mm, I like it.”

I tap his chest. “Shut up.”

“Lemme ask you something,” he says, clearing his throat. “Why’d you toss out the drink I made without even taking a sip?”

I frown, pretending I don’t know what he’s talking about. “What?”

“You tossed out the drink without drinking any of it. If you didn’t want it, I would’ve drank it,” he says, leaning his head on his hand to look down at me.

“I, uh, I quit smoking cigarettes three years ago.”

“I know, that’s why you don’t like me smoking around you.” He’s told me how much he hates when I take away his cigarettes.

“Mhm.” I nod quickly and push my lips together. “That’s not all I quit though…I’ve been sober for three years, too. I hit a wall in school and almost lost my scholarship because of it. A whole year of my life I don’t remember because of how blackout drunk I was all the time.” I let out a breath. “It started with my dad. I drank when I was scared, sad. I drank when the thought of losing him flashed through my head. And I didn’t stop drinking until shit hit the fan and I fell onto a metal fence, nearly decapitating myself.” I sigh, licking my lips slowly. “So that’s why I tossed out the drink. I don’t trust myself around it.”

It feels good to get that off my chest.

I remember the first time I blacked out it was our first frat party. We pre-drank in Millie’s dorm, vodka cranberry—vodka is my weakness—and I must’ve had at least three when I started feeling it. Then we got to the frat house and I did six shots from the front door to the backdoor, and I didn’t stop there. I continued to go back for more. Even after I threw up, I had another three drinks. Millie was embarrassed by me. I was loose. I was free.

For the better part of eight months, I don’t remember. My twenty-first year is gone. I started drinking that night and didn’t stop. Party or not, I’d drink alone or sneak booze into the library while I was supposed to study. Not being myself felt nice for a bit. I didn’t have to worry about studying or being the best all the time. The worries about my father uplifted. I was carefree. But that carefreeness came with a price. I skipped many classes, stopped studying as much, and I skipped ALL of my midterms. Every. Single. One.

When I got a letter in the mail warning me about potentially losing my scholarship, I freaked out. Sean helped me quit that day. No going back. No smoking, no drinking, not even a glance at my usual partygoers. I became straight edge. I miss that carefree girl sometimes. The last carefree thing I did was on a rainy night in a bar with a man I just met. Storm broke me out of my shell. Broke out the good parts, of course. But I feel that carefree, spontaneous girl come back to life. He’s going to bring me back to who I was without the smoking and the alcohol, I just know it.

Storm nods, then frowns, feeling bad for me. He takes a second to process what I confessed, staring at me seriously, then letting his mouth quirk up into a grin. He doesn’t judge me, he listens. “Thank you for telling me,” he says, moving hair behind my ear and letting his hand rest on my cheek. “I’ll never make you a drink again.”

“Not even a coffee?”

“No, you drink coffee like a crazy person,” he says. “Who drinks black coffee?”

“I do!” I exclaim, laughing.

He laughs, too. “It’s funny you’re dating a bartender and you’re sober. Oh, the irony.”

“Dating, he says.”

“Yes.”

I giggle, studying his perfect face. Dating? I’m not quite sure how I feel about this yet. I like him, a lot. But the ache of knowing he could be faking his way through this just to sleep with me swims at the back of my mind—maybe it’s because of all the bad things people say. I defend him because I don’t believe their words. But he did kiss a girl last night. A girl who wasn’t me.

***

Ross gives Storm the night off, thankfully, and Matt meets us at the BnB at six sharp. Storm and Matt don’t seem like they get along very well, their eyes roll and they sigh constantly, but they seem like they go way back. Like my best friends and me. It’s important to have friends that support you and my group always will. Other than Sean, my girl, Millie, is like my sister. And I miss her terribly.

I’m sitting in the backseat of Matt’s truck trying not to touch anything. I’ve been in dirty cars before, Millie’s fiancé is a pig, but this is something else. There may be something moving in the McDonald’s bag at my feet. “How far’s this drive-in?”

“Right outside of town,” Matt replies, glancing at Storm beside him, then back at the road.

“What’s playing?” I go on trying to fill the awkward silence in this truck as my phone vibrates. An incoming text from Sean that says nothing more than, hey.

“Some eighties horror movie,” Storm says, turning in his seat at me. “You like horror movies?”

“I’m not opposed to them,” I say, wrinkling my nose at him as I lift the phone to reply to Sean’s text. “I am a chicken shit, though.”

ME: Hey, you! I’m on my way to a drive-in movie! I wish you were here ??

SEAN: Say the word and I’ll drive down. Think your boy toy will mind me crashing with you? ??

ME: As long as you’re sleeping on the floor, I don’t think he’d mind an audience lol

SEAN: Ooh, I’d love to watch ?? lol

“Think it’s Child’s Play,” Matt chimes in.

“Oh, I like that movie,” I say excitedly.

Storm chuckles, still facing me and staring at my phone. “Who’re you texting?”

“My friend, Sean. Telling him about my day,” I say, flashing Storm a smile.

He tongues his cheek and turns around, opening the window, then lighting one up. Matt cocks his head, an obvious ask for a cigarette. Even with the windows open, the smoke still envelops me. Fuck, I miss this. Driving with the windows down in the summer; the inhaling, the tingling, the dizziness, and release. I’m tempted to ask Storm for one. Just a puff, even. I won’t because one cigarette with turn into two and then I’ll want to pair it with a vodka soda. And having a vodka soda will turn into another blackout. It’s been three years. I can’t go back to that state.

So, I don’t ask for a cigarette.

SEAN: Have fun at the drive-in, kid. Take loads of pictures ??

Matt pulls into the drive-in, pays for our tickets, and reverses into the spot not too far from the screen. It’s quite packed with people. I’m not sure what I expected. The only drive-ins I’ve seen are the ones in movies. The one I always envision is the one in Grease. It’s kind of like that. We have a speaker hanging out the back window, and Storm went to the concession stand to buy us popcorn and drinks. I’m super excited but I try not to show it.

Matt fixes the blankets on the bed of the truck and taps the spot beside him while smiling at me. Wearing wedges on uneven ground is not the best choice, but it’s not like I’m doing any walking tonight. I hop up on the bed of the truck and crawl to the end of it, opposite to where Matt is sitting. He’s still smiling at me, and I’m not sure whether to be flattered or not. I don’t want to be full of myself, but men have noticed me a time or two. I ignore all the creepy comments and lingering stares because I know what I like and I go for it when I can. I wouldn’t necessarily say that I’m picky—I mean, according to the townsfolk, I’m an idiot for getting with Storm in the first place—but Storm is a work of art and I would by lying if I said he wasn’t trouble. But I like this trouble.

Matt stares at my cleavage. I knew I shouldn’t have worn the same dress I wore for lunch. “You and Storm a thing? Or is this just a fling?”

I don’t know how to answer a question like that. “We’re messing around.”

“If you’re just messing around, then why’d you invite him tonight? I thought it would be fun just the two of us,” he says, scooting closer to me, as if this is something that would have happened if we were alone. It’s not. He is definitely not someone I would ever go for. I’m shallow when it comes down to it. Matt is on the rounder side, his beard is patchy, and I didn’t notice it before because he had his hat on, but he’s balding. I prefer clean-cut men, Storm being the only one on the rougher side. And even then, he’s fairly clean-cut if you take away the stubble, the piercings, and the scars.

“Why wouldn’t I invite him?” I say, then frown at the thought. I guess we are doing more than just messing around.

“Up until a couple of hours ago, he was working tonight.” Matt’s strangely close to me now, and I don’t usually feel uncomfortable around people, but Matt makes me feel extremely uncomfortable. Maybe it’s the heavy breathing, the gawking, the way he might force himself on me. Does this town not have any attractive women?

I gulp, trying to move over, but there’s nowhere left to move. “And he took the night off to spend time with me since this is the first drive-in movie I’ve ever been to.”

“Being another notch in Storm’s bedpost must make you easy.” Matt snickers. “What’s say you—”

“I don’t think so,” I say, scrambling to my feet. “I think I’ll just go find him and see if he needs help carrying any—”

“Hey!” Storm calls, taking notice of me standing up abruptly. “What’s up?”

I stammer, looking back at Matt with that smug grin on his face. So much for friendly townsfolk. “I was j-just coming to find you.”

“Leave it to you to bag the sexiest chick this town has seen.”

Storm smirks, placing three bags of popcorn on the truck. “I know, right?”

“Nothing to drink?” Matt asks, getting up and purposely sliding his fingers along my backside, then pinching it. I don’t take kindly to this, so I shove him. “Jeez, relax. It’s just an ass grab.”

“Do it again and you’ll lose your fucking hand,” Storm snaps, jumping on the bed of the truck with us. If a fight breaks out, I’m falling off of this truck.

Matt snickers. “Never liked sharing your girls, did you, Storm?”

“This was a bad idea,” Storm growls. “We’re leaving, babe.”

“He was our ride here—”

“We’re leaving,” he snaps at me.

“Still sour?” Matt asks, chuckling as he takes a popcorn. “It’s been seven years.”

“I don’t give a shit,” Storm yells, hopping off the bed of the truck.

I don’t wait for him; I take my popcorn and head to the concession stand for something to drink. I’ve never been to a drive-in before and I won’t let whatever stupid argument they’re having ruin my night. I’ve had enough ruined nights I can’t remember, nights that my ex used to rub in my face. No more ruined nights for this woman. No siree.

I purchase a soda and look behind me, thinking I’d see Storm, but I don’t. He’s still at the truck arguing with Matt. Two girls are twirling their hair at them, one Matt’s obviously flirting with, and the other is holding onto Storm’s bicep, laughing stupidly at whatever Matt’s saying.

Again. He’s doing it again right in front of me like everything he’s ever told me was a lie. Just my luck isn’t it. I don’t know who to call for a lift back into town, nor do I even know what fucking town I’m in right now.

I take my phone out and call Sean, my only saving grace lately. I can call Millie, but she’s so wrapped up in her wedding plans that my shit isn’t a thought in her mind. And I don’t blame her. She suffers from severe anxiety and is prescribed pills to help calm her when she has an episode. If I told her about my trip before her rehearsals, shit will hit the fan.

“Yellow,” Sean answers, belching. “You at the drive-in?”

I balance the phone on my ear and take a sip of the soda, heading for the front of the parked cars. “Yeah, they’re playing Child’s Play tonight.”

He laughs. “You hate scary movies.”

“It’s an experience, stop.” There’s a patch of grass where a few groups of people have gathered, readying to watch the movie that should be starting any minute. The pit of my stomach is in knots, I hate this jealous feeling. I’m not a jealous person. Yet with Storm, I’m always on edge as if he could leave me at any given moment for any given woman. It’s sickening. “Do you think I’m stupid for forgiving him so easily?”

“What happened now?”

I shrug, moving in and out of cars. “Just second guessing my every move here. It’s an enlightening experience, but I’m thinking like a fucking idiot while I’m here.”

“That’s why I should’ve come with you,” Sean sings, chuckling.

I don’t mind watching the movie alone. I’ve spent countless hours watching TV alone when I became sober and Evan still wanted to party. I couldn’t trust myself around alcohol back then. So, I’d stay alone. It’s better to be alone sometimes. Although right now, I feel so out of place.

I sit down and get comfortable, placing the popcorn on my lap and sipping my soda again. “I know, it’ll be fine.”

Sean sighs, clearing his throat. “You sound off, kid. Talk to me.”

I don’t want to talk. I don’t even know why I called him. It’s like an automatic movement I do when I’m insecure. He’s my crutch, always will be.

I munch on some popcorn, looking up at the crowd of people who start to cheer. The movie is starting and a couple of people are looking over at me. I guess it’s probably because I’m alone. I can’t stop thinking about how the heck I’m getting out of here, why did I come tonight? I should be with Frank, spending as much time with him as I can before I have to leave.

It’s okay, though. I’ll worry about this later.

“The movie’s starting, Sean. Talk later, okay?” I say quietly.

“O-okay, kid. Love you.”

I hang up and get excited as the opening credits roll. Sean would love this. We’ve watched Child’s Play a million times and it’s been his favorite movie since we were kids.

Before putting my phone away, I send him a picture of the screen.

As out of place as I feel, this week is turning out to be so much more than I expected. I’m surprised at how welcoming Frank is. How happy it has made me to meet him and his family. My family? This week is a great decision.

“Why’d you leave?” Storm whispers, sliding in behind me, and making me jump.

I look at him as a soft grin spreads to his lips. That jealousy pours out of me for no reason. He’s not my boyfriend yet here it comes again. That boiling spite after seeing him with another woman.

“You seemed pretty chummy with that woman.” I turn back to the screen, taking more popcorn to my mouth.

“That’s my cousin,” he points out, laughing. “I wouldn’t do that to you.”

I keep my focus on the screen. “You did it to me the other night.”

“I’m sorry for that.” He kisses my shoulder. “And I’m sorry for Matt.”

I want to know what their beef is, but I also want to calm myself around Storm. I can’t let my feelings for him take over. I don’t know how to let them take over without one of us breaking on the inside. “It’s whatever,” I say, sighing, and leaning into him.

“Matt and I go way back,” he whispers, taking popcorn from my hand. “He fucked my ex the day we broke up. Thought he was my bro. Bros don’t do that to their friends.”

I look up at him. “That’s shitty.”

“It’s always been a competition with him to try and get the girls I get with. I don’t care—I cared about my ex at the time.” He takes more popcorn. “And you. Mostly care about you. I don’t want him to touch you. I don’t want anyone to touch you.”

I chuckle softly, leaning into him more and inhaling. Citrus and cigarettes. “Sorry to break your bubble, but a few other guys have touched me before you.”

“Well, I know that,” he says, almost laughing. “It would be kind of insane if you were a virgin. Virgins don’t fuck the way we do.”

“An experienced virgin? Now that I’d like to see.”

A couple beside us shushes us, making me giggle.

The movie is as expected. Cheesy, gory, and just the right amount of horror. Storm and I started making out halfway through the movie. He takes like cigarettes and butter. It’s kind of gross, but I like kissing him.

I feel like a teenager again. Having that urge in the pit of my stomach to need him. A want that I can never fulfill unless our lips are pressed together. Just a few more days here until this is all over. But I don’t want this to be over. I’m just too scared to admit it out loud.

We hitch a ride back with Matt in the end. I guess arguing the way they do is normal to them. Millie and I are like that, too. We fight about the stupidest things, and then two minutes later, we’re back to being our stupid selves. With Sean, however, when we fight sometimes the fight can last for days, months even.

“Thanks for the lift,” Storm says, getting out of the truck before I do.

I smile. “Thanks for the movie.”

“Any time,” Matt says, looking back at me with a wink. Storm takes my hand, pulling me out of the truck. He saw that wink, he had to have.

Matt doesn’t even wait for the door to close; he speeds off leaving a cloud of dust behind him that causes me to cough. I don’t have time to waft it away, either. Storm has me flung over his shoulder and is running into the BnB.

Our giggles are moving through the silence, along with his stomps and the slam of my door. I keep reminding myself that I’ll leave Stacy and Gerri with a hefty tip once I leave for all of this nonsense.

In minutes, Storm and I are naked. We’re kissing, then moaning and holding back from screaming. He’s become my drug, my newest addiction. I gave up cigarettes. I gave up alcohol. Giving up Storm might be the hardest thing I’ll ever have to do. Because I still can’t see a way that this will work in the long run. Why can’t I see our future?