She's Too Naive

Chapter 30

My teeth were chattering so bad that I figured Rosen wouldn't even have to look for me, he could probably just hear me. The goosebumps had been raised on my arms for the past hour, as I tried huddling in on myself to block out the cold. The phone battery had dropped to 30%, just from roaming for service over the past few hours. I thought about turning it off, but knew that Rosen could be calling at any moment now. The sun had dropped behind the trees, and that was when the temperature dropped right along with it. I could currently only see about three feet in front of me, and that was all thanks to the moonlight breaking through the treetops.

I jumped when the phone rang, my numb fingers trembling as I hit accept call.

"R-Rosen?" I stuttered, trying to control my shivering. "p-please tell me you're in town and not s-stuck in a- in a traffic jam." Rosen laughed lightly, but I could tell it was strained.

"We just got into town. Start walking out of the woods and then tell me what you see."

"Don't hang- hang up on me," I said quietly, starting to walk slowly in the direction I knew town was.

"I'll stay on the line with you," Rosen assured.

I only walked for about five minutes before I saw the treeline. Sprinting the last few feet, I almost cried in relief at seeing the first building in my site.

"Okay I'm r-right by a bar called z-zesty's," I read the sign out loud. I hesitated, but began walking towards the building and stepping onto the sidewalk. The bar was busy, and people were milling about outside smoking and laughing with each other. Nobody spared me a glance.

"Found it," I heard Cole say in the background. Rosen gave a relieved sigh.

"It's only a few block away Ellie, We'll be right there." Rosen's voice helped soothe my fear, and I knew that this would be over soon. Well, at least part of it would be.

I watched a car slow down at the front of the bar, before pulling off to the curb. I was on the side of the building, hidden by the shadows.

"Is that you that just pulled up," I asked quietly, not wanting to draw attention to myself.

"Yeah, that's us. Where are you?"

"Off to the right side." I watched as the driver side door opened and Rosen stepped out. I felt my heart flutter, but I resisted the urge to run to him. He locked eyes with me and I saw his tense shoulders drop and his face fall with relief.

We both started walking towards each other and at the last few steps I couldn't help myself as I flew into his open arms. He stumbled back slightly and I drank in his warmth, pressing my face into the soft cotton of his sweatshirt. I felt his breathing stutter, his arms clenching tightly around my waist.

"Thank god," he groaned into my ear. "I was so worried." I breathed in his familiar scent, not ready to let go. I realized I was crossing into dangerous territory here, but I didn't care. Rosen pulled back way too soon, but he moved his hands to cup my face.

"Are you hurt?" He asked, searching my eyes. He turned my face, looking for injury. When he let go, I shook my head.

"I have a few scratches and thorns on every part of my body, but other than that I'm okay," I replied. "More shaken up than anything." I added. He pulled me back into his embrace, and I sighed as my fear from all the past hours melted away. I knew I was safe in his arms.

"Come on guys, we better go. We have no clue where Knox is and putting distance between this place is probably the best idea," Cole interrupted, coming up behind us. Pulling away, I noticed his gaze linger on Rosen but I couldn't decipher what it meant. Rosen nodded, his face going serious as he put his hand on my lower back to guide me to the car.