4. Chapter 4
When we get back to the hotel, neither of us breathe as we walk to his room. By the time we get inside, Sam’s face is bright red, and I’m sure mine matches. We burst into laughter.
“Why is that elevator so slow?” I ask.
He shakes his head. “It’s like they know people are trying to hold their breath.”
I laugh, glancing around, and a crease forms between my eyebrows as I take in the empty room. “Where’s Walt?”
“Oh, he texted me that he got his own room. Said he didn’t want to spend the night in the lobby.”
The crease in my forehead deepens. “Hm. Kind of presumptuous of him to think I’d be here all night.”
Sam’s lithe expression falls, his face paling as panic flares in his eyes. “No, Brynn, I didn’t mean… I wasn’t saying that… Shit.”
I laugh outright. “Sam, it’s fine. I’m joking.” Sort of. “I get that Walt wouldn’t want to be the third wheel. It’s actually very nice of him to pay for another room.”
“Yeah,” Sam says in one long syllable as his shoulders noticeably relax. “He said I should consider it my next birthday present.”
“When’s your birthday?”
“March 30th.”
“That’s so far away!” I practically double over with laughter, but as soon as it subsides, I shiver in the chilly room.
“You okay?”
“Yeah, I hate air-conditioning.”
“Oh, well, come on.” Sam walks across the room and throws back some heavy curtains. “This place may not be luxurious, but it has a balcony.” He opens the squeaky slider, motioning for me to follow.
I gladly step through the doorway and into the warm evening air. It may be sunset, but it’s still a wonderful eighty-five degrees, and my body naturally adjusts to the temperature.
“You have a fantastic view.” Sarcasm drips from my words as I take in the gas station below.
Sam laughs as he pulls a couple of chaise lounge chairs toward us. “Maybe that’s the real reason Walt switched rooms.”
I laugh with him and take a seat. “We can pretend it’s a really boring TV show.”
“I don’t plan on looking at the gas station much.”
I whip my head up to find Sam staring at me, his brown eyes full of an intensity that shoots right to my core. My mouth goes dry. My brain can’t seem to form thoughts. Not coherent ones, anyway. “So, uh, your birthday is March 30th, huh? That’s Marie Curie’s birthday.”
“What are you, some kind of chemistry scholar?” Sam’s mouth ticks up on one side.
Something like that. “I’m impressed you know who she is, let alone that she’s a chemist.”
He shrugs nonchalantly. “When’s your birthday?”
“May 4th.”
Sitting up, he slaps his knee. “Like, as in, may the fourth be with you?”
“Ugh, yes.” I’m so tired of hearing that joke, but the fact that he understands the reference makes my heart soar. “Twenty-one I just turned,” I say in my best Yoda voice.
Sam throws his head back as he bursts into laughter. “That’s awesome.”
“Thanks.” I blush, pressing my lips together. “I’m still adjusting to drinking in public. It feels weird when I order alcohol sometimes.”
“Meh, that will go away. I turned twenty-two last March and I don’t give it a second thought now.” He gives me a sideways glance. “Do you want a drink, Brynn? I’ve got some cheap beers and an even cheaper bottle of tequila if you’re up for shots.”
I crinkle my nose.
“Or I have bottles of water, too.”
“A beer is fine with me.”
“Coming right up.” He winks before he gets up, and my stomach does that flip thing again.
When the slider door closes, I exhale. If ice cream didn’t do anything to cool me off, hopefully a beer will. My phone dings. I pull it out as Sam opens the door and I immediately cringe. “Shit.”
“What’s wrong?” he asks, handing me my beer.
“It’s Lisa. I told her I was coming back here to hang out, and she insisted I check in with her.”
“Is she one of those mother-bear type friends?”
I snicker as I shake my head. “No, usually the opposite.”
“So what is she freaking out about?” he asks before taking a sip of his beer.
“She wants the hotel name and your room number. Oh, and a picture of you.”
Sam frowns.
“For identification purposes. You know, in case I go missing.” I lift my phone and shrug a shoulder, giving Sam a pleading look.
He rolls those dark brown eyes, but they settle on me with an intense gaze. Shifting his position in his chair, Sam angles his face and gives me the sexiest smirk I’ve ever seen. My mouth runs dry as I drink him in. His strong jaw line curves perfectly as his curls frame his face, and I feel like I’m gawking at a work of art.
“Um, Brynn? You going to take the picture?”
My lungs begin to work again, and I choke on my breath. “Yeah, sorry,” I manage to say. With a click of the button, I take the picture and send all the info to Lisa. My phone almost immediately dings with a response. As I read Lisa’s message, I feel my cheeks getting red.
LISA: Ooh, girl, you better hit that tonight!
“What did she say?”
I whip my head up, wide-eyed and head shaking. “Nothing.” Tucking the phone away, I open my beer and take a big drink. Now I know my cheeks are red. I take another huge gulp.
“So, Brynn, where are you from? I’m guessing not Grand Junction if you’re staying in a hotel.”
I give him an acknowledging nod as I finish my sip. Do I tell him I live in Greeley? It’s only four hours from Casper, so there’s a chance we could still see each other. But that will probably segue into me going to school and all the things I didn’t want to tell him about earlier. I still feel like I’d be bragging if I spill my guts about my promising future. I can deflect, though.
“I grew up in Aurora. It’s a suburb of Denver.” The almost-lie tastes bitter on my tongue.
“So, not close to here?”
I shake my head. “No, it’s like a four-hour drive, without traffic.”
“That’s a long way to drive for a mud race.” Sam’s mocking mouth tips up.
“Yeah, but it’s closer than Wyoming.”
The light in Sam’s eyes dims at my attempted joke. Maybe I ruined the fun by pointing out our limited time together. I also put more miles between us by lying about where I live. Good job, Brynn.
To further safeguard myself from details, I get up from my chair. “I’ve got to pee.”
Sam motions to the slider, and I take my leave. Goosebumps immediately rise on my skin at the stark difference between the warm, welcoming evening air and the frigid air-conditioned room.
The entire time I’m inside, I’m at war with myself. I mean, technically, I didn’t lie. I did grow up in Aurora, I just don’t live there anymore.
But why didn’t I tell him that?
I guess it doesn’t really matter anyway. Sam’s going back to Wyoming tomorrow, and we’ll never see each other again. What does it matter where we live after that? Long-distance doesn’t work. At least that’s what Connor said?
I shake my head. Don’t start thinking about him. He left a year ago and Sam’s here, right in front of me. For now, at least.
Once I’m finished in the bathroom, I step back onto the patio, shivering as I do.
Same gives me a sideways glance.
“Air-conditioning,” I say as I shrug. Then I notice our chairs have been moved. They’re right next to each other, the arms touching. “What happened here?”
“Oh, the wind kicked up. A huge gust blew your chair right up against mine.” Sam smiles mischievously.
I purse my lips as I glance around, playing into his ruse. “That’s weird. There’s not even a breeze now.”
“I know. Super strange.”
I round the chairs, biting my cheek to contain my excitement, but as I go to sit, Sam puts his hand on the arms of our chairs and turns his palm up. My heart flutters as I slide my hand into his, entwining our fingers. The little squeeze he gives prompts flutters in my stomach, too.
“I’m glad we got to hang out tonight.”
“Me too.”
His thumb caresses the back of my hand as he gazes at the darkened sky. “I really wish I didn’t have to go back to Wyoming tomorrow.”
Him voicing the inevitable slices through me like a sharpened blade, and I sigh. Why do the men in my life keep leaving me for other states? I don’t know what to say, so I don’t speak.
Sam turns his body so our eyes meet, his flicking between mine, but he keeps our hands entwined. “Brynn, if you could have one wish, just for tonight, what would it be?”
I jerk my head back. “That’s a loaded question. Let me think about it.”
“No, don’t think.”
“Ha. Overthinking is what I do. I weigh all my options against the possible outcomes, and go with whichever one would yield the best results.”
“So, you treat everything like a science experiment?”
I hike a shoulder to my ear. “It’s gotten me this far.”
“Okay...” Sam draws out the syllables. “For this experiment to work, you have to give an organic answer. You could have anything you want, right now, but it only lasts for tonight. What do you wish for?”
I purse my lips, raising my gaze to the sky for a moment. “I don’t know. How do you wish for something you know will be temporary?”
“You’re a realist, aren’t you?”
More like a scientist. “I guess you could say that, but I don’t see the sense in having the thing you truly want for a finite amount of time. Why not wish for it to be yours forever?”
“Because that’s not how life works. You have to seize the moment while you have it. Otherwise, you’ll end up living in regret.”
I exhale through pursed lips. “Wow, this conversation got real heavy real quick.”
“Sorry. I didn’t mean for it to.” Sam settles back in his chair and runs his free hand through his hair. “Did I ruin our date?”
“No, not ruined.” I sip my beer. “But I have to say this is one of the more unorthodox dates I’ve been on.”
“Yeah? How so?”
“I don’t know. I always thought of dates as dinner and a movie.”
Sam makes a grunting noise. “It’s too hard to get to know someone that way. You can’t talk while you’re shoving food in your mouth?” He pauses to make strong eye contact. “Ice cream doesn’t count.”
I laugh.
“And you definitely can’t talk during a movie.” He gives me a sideways glance, his brown eyes sparkling. “This is better.”
“I guess I don’t have much to compare it to, but this is turning out to be my favorite.”
Sam’s eyebrows squish together. “Not much to compare it to? You don’t date?”A lump forms in my throat and I have to swallow it down before I can speak. “I’ve only gone on two dates in the last year. Neither of them were good. Before that, I was in a long-term relationship.” I drop my gaze to watch a truck that’s heavy on the exhaust drive away from the gas station. That can’t be good for the ozone layer. “It didn’t end well.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Thanks. I’m actually still kind of recovering from it.”
“Well, I don’t know who the guy was, but I’m going to go out on a limb here and say he’s an idiot.”
When I lift my head to thank him, I find the warmest, most genuine smile on his face, and my insides melt. We stare at each other for several moments, as if we’re both memorizing each other’s features. Every passing second, another butterfly takes flight inside me.
Sam blinks. “I, uh, I have to use the bathroom now.”
When he slides his fingers from mine, I immediately miss his warmth. In fact, I miss his presence entirely. It’s a weird feeling. My heart didn’t come out of my relationship with Connor intact, so for me to be feeling these things about Sam, well, it doesn’t make a lot of sense.
But I’m feeling them anyway.
I just met the guy today, but it’s like we’ve known each other for a lot longer. Not like old friends, but not exactly acquaintances. Somewhere in between, and… I like it. It’s so natural to talk to him, and I don’t ever want to stop.
Tomorrow will come, though. And sooner than I want it to.
An idea pops into my head. It’s a bold move, bolder than dancing in the park, but I can’t squander this time I have with Sam. I hope I’m not being too forward, but I have to try. If I don’t, I may never know if this thing between us is real.