Oakley
Seven
The loud banging on the door of the motel room jars me from sleep. My eyes spring open, and my heart rate accelerates until my brain catches up and I realize where I am.
You are okay. You are safe. He can’t find you here.
I throw a glance at the ancient alarm clock on the nightstand, and realize it’s nearly nine in the morning. A spew of curse words fall from my mouth. I was so exhausted last night that I forgot to set an alarm. I leap from the bed, nearly tripping over the blanket wrapped around my legs.
“Coming!” I call back as I make my way to the door, pushing a lock of frizzy blonde hair back from my face.
I yank open the door to see Levi, dressed in a pair of blue jeans and a black T-shirt that fits his broad chest so well it looks like it was spray-painted onto him.
Jesus. As if the sight of him looking like every girl’s blue-collar wet dream isn’t enough, he holds a to-go cup of coffee out to me.
The smell has me nearly whining in relief at the glorious offering of caffeine.
I don’t mean a to-go cup like one you’d get from a Starbucks or a Dunkin’ drive-through—not that there are any chain coffee shops around here that I’ve noticed.
No. I mean an honest-to-God travel mug like the ones people keep in their homes for when they’re running late for work and need to take their liquid courage with them in a hurry.
“Good morning. I brought coffee.” He raises the cup in front of him, his warm smile encouraging a smile of my own as he holds it out to me.
Gently, I take it with a murmured thank you and take a grateful sip. I step aside and motion for him to come in. The coffee pools in my stomach and warms me from the inside out, already putting me in a good mood. It tastes divine. Way better than any drive-through coffee I’ve ever had.
There’s a slight chill in the morning mountain air, and it smells faintly of fresh pine and clean laundry as the sun shines through the trees with the promise of another beautiful summer day.
Levi watches me as I busy myself with cleaning up my few underwhelming belongings, and I flush pink when his gaze lands on my bare legs.
“I’ll just be a minute.” I excuse myself to duck into the bathroom, where I quickly do my business, brush my teeth, and get dressed.
When I emerge from the bathroom a few minutes later, Levi is sitting on the edge of the sleep-rumpled bed, examining a stain on the carpet I hadn’t noticed the night before.
I’m definitely not going to try to decipher its origins. I think I’m better off not knowing.
Clearing my throat, I say, “Thank you again for saving me from the mountain lions. And for the room. And for picking me up this morning. And the coffee. And—”
“Oakley, it’s my pleasure. Consider it your welcome into town.” He smiles at me as he stands and moves to open the door for me, grabbing my bag along the way.
“I can carry that,” I protest, reaching out for the bag, but he pulls it away from my outstretched hand and motions me through the door.
“My mother would never let me live it down if she knew I let you carry your own bag or open your own doors.” His carefree chuckle follows me through the door and out into the open mountain air.
Taking a deep inhale, I relish the cool air in my lungs.
The smell of pine and laundry is stronger out here, but the air is also now tinged with the faint sweet smell of wildflowers.
For the first time since arriving in town, a flurry of excitement overwhelms me, the crisp air dripping with the potential of freedom and peace.
All my worries from the night before drain from my body, leaving me feeling light on my feet as I follow Levi to his truck, taking another hasty sip of the coffee as I go.
I pout when he takes the coffee, but as promised, he holds the door open for me. I swing myself up into the seat with ease, exactly the way he taught me last night.
“Look at you. Already a pro.” Levi gestures to where I sit perched in his truck, and I flash him a genuine smile.
“I had a good teacher. Besides, if I can manage not to fall flat on my face climbing up in the dark, I’d say my odds are exponentially better in broad daylight.”
His eyes smile back at me as he hands me my coffee before closing the door and rounding the front of the truck.
I watch in rapt fascination at the way he moves, the languid and purposeful gait of a man who knows he looks good but doesn’t go out of his way to flaunt it. Every movement he makes exudes a simple confidence that I envy. I used to be that confident, once upon a time. Before…
The metallic clang of the driver’s side door closing effectively cuts off the mental cliff I’m barreling towards, and the tightening in my chest eases a fraction.
“Seatbelt.”
“Bossy,” I tease, but my expression falls a bit as his intense stare meets my own across the cab.
His eyes flick down pointedly to the seatbelt before returning to my own. “Seatbelt,” he repeats. His tone is firm, and I all but scramble to balance the travel mug between my thighs and click the seatbelt into place.
Once secure, his boyish grin returns, and he throws the truck into drive. He fiddles with the radio as he pulls out of the motel driveway until a staticky country station comes through.
“Figured I’d bring you to your car first, rather than the apartments, since I have to be at work in a little bit, and my boss will have my balls if I’m not on time.”
I let out a chuckle at the mental image. “That would be great. Seriously, thank you so much. Oh!” I exclaim as we approach a gas station. “Would you mind stopping at a gas station? I’ll be quick, I promise. Just need to grab some gas for my car.”
He continues driving, and I frown as the gas station whizzes past us on the right.
“Already taken care of.” His answer to my unasked question confuses me, and my brows knit as I look over at him.
He’s relaxed in his seat, his left hand thrown haphazardly over the steering wheel while the other arm rests on the console between us.
“I filled a gas can for you this morning before I picked you up. It’s in the back of the truck. ”
Sure enough, when I turn in my seat to look out the rear window, a bright red gas can sits in the truck bed. With the way the sun is hitting it, I can see the liquid contents sloshing around within it, and my heart warms another fraction towards the man to my left.
“You didn’t have to do that. I can pay you back. Let me know how much I owe you. For the gas and the motel.” I don’t bother adding that whatever both of those costs would eat a good chunk out of my savings, but it’s the least I can offer after all the trouble he’s gone through to help me.
“Don’t worry about it. I told you. Consider it your welcome to town present.”
My pride niggles at me, and that single flicker of independent Oakley returning has me ready to jump for joy. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen her, but I swallow my argument, knowing I’d only be fighting a losing battle if I were to try and push him.
“Thank you,” I say quietly, and we fall into a comfortable silence as he drives.
He makes a turn, and a breathtaking view of the mountains in the early morning sun greets us, drawing a gasp from my lips.
I watch Levi’s head tilt gently in my periphery, but my eyes are glued to the mountains sprawled out before us in various shades of green, brown, and gray.
It’s the most magnificent sight I have ever seen.
How would it feel to stand atop one of them?
To see the landscape rolling out below me and witness the expanse of the world out there to discover.
My face tingles with awareness at the weight of his eyes on me, but it’s only a momentary feeling as I watch the ever-changing scenery before us, engrossed in the real life depictions of something I’ve only ever seen in a storybook.
“I’ve lived here my whole life, and it still never fails to take my breath away.” His quiet words wrap around me like a warm embrace. He speaks reverently, his unspoken words letting me know he sees me even though I haven’t yet said a word.
“I’ve never lived anywhere like this before.
I never imagined something as beautiful as this existed outside of highly photoshopped pictures online.
” My quiet confession feels intimate, like I’m sharing a piece of myself without the expectation of anything in return.
It’s a strange feeling, but not an unpleasant one.
How is it that I’m more at ease sitting here with a man I met only yesterday—and under very stressful circumstances, mind you—than every single moment combined from the last seven months? I’m not sure I’m ready to dissect that right now.
“You should see the view from the top,” Levi says.
“I don’t know how it could get any more beautiful than this.”
We’re quiet for a while as we drive, and I soak up the way the light shines through the pines, making patches of them appear a lighter green than the ones that fall in shadow.
“I could show you sometime, if you want.” His offer is low, just loud enough to reach me over the quiet music and the sound of the gravel under the truck tires.
He leaves the offer hanging there, not pushing me for an answer but instead letting me consider it in my own time, like he’s in no hurry to find out what I’ll decide.
We take another turn, and a few minutes pass in peaceful quiet as I drink in the surrounding landscape, my nose all but pressed against the window to see better.
All too soon, the truck slows to a stop, and I pry my eyes away from the view of the mountains to see we’ve parked behind my car on the side of the road.
I climb out of the truck, grabbing my keys out of the front pocket of my bag before swinging it over my shoulder.
The metallic clang of the tailgate sounds from behind me, and the sound reverberates uncomfortably through my body, from the top of my head all the way down to my toes, sounding too much like the slamming of a car door.
The sound alone threatens to drag me under the imposing tidal wave of memories I’d rather keep buried.
I jump when Levi speaks up from close behind me. “Pop the gas cap.”
I hurry to open the car door, pull the lever, and throw my bag into the passenger seat.
As Levi pours the gas into the tank, I lean against the car and take in the view of the mountains from where I stand.
Last night, in the midst of my anxiety and spiraling thoughts, I hadn’t realized how close to the edge of perfection I was sitting on the side of this road.
When he finishes pouring the last of the gas into the tank, he slowly approaches me.
His steps are cautious, the kind I imagine he might use when approaching a wounded animal, and it snaps something in me.
I stand up straight, throwing my shoulders back and lifting my chin to meet his eyes.
If he sees a change in my demeanor, he doesn’t let on, save for the slight lift of his lips and the knowing gleam in his eyes.
He stands there in front of me with the empty gas can in one hand, and his other tucked into his pocket, and regards me with a quiet curiosity.
I allow myself a moment to appreciate the roughness of him. The way his shirt hugs his biceps and the way the breeze ruffles his wavy dark brown hair. The locks gleam in the sunshine and match the shine of his eyes.
There’s a reserved fascination as he assesses me, like he’s trying to understand what he’s seeing without asking me outright. His attention is uncomfortable, but I realize with surprise that it’s not unwanted. Something settles heady in my stomach as he watches me. I break the silence first.
“I should get going. The building manager said I could meet with her this morning, and I’ve already kept her waiting long enough.
” I search his face, looking for anything to reveal his true feelings about me leaving, but his expression gives nothing away.
It’s silly to expect it of him. I’m a stranger to him, after all.
Still, a small part of me hoped to find even the faintest glimmer of disappointment in his eyes.
“Think you can find your way back?” His gentle teasing coaxes a small smile from me, which he returns.
“Most likely not,” I respond honestly.
His chuckle is low and rumbling, and it seems to do something unmentionable to my insides.
“Come on. I’m already a little late for work. I can spare a few extra minutes. You can follow me back.”
“I would definitely be mountain lion food if it wasn’t for you.” The mountains suddenly seem so utterly dull compared to his bright smile and shining eyes.
“Nah. Something tells me you can hold your own. But that doesn’t mean that you always have to. You’ll learn, the longer you hang around a small town like this, that it’s okay to let people in.”
Without waiting for a response, he turns and climbs into his truck while I’m left standing there with the weight of his words hanging over me.
If only he knew how much I once believed in those pretty words of his, spoken from the lips of another.
If only it was easy to believe in them again.