We Belong

Chapter 8

When we got back to the hotel I expected everyone to break off into their own groups which is exactly what happened. Laura and Aiden went off hand in hand as did Mark and Amanda. Lee mumbled something about wanting to get to bed early so he would be ok to wake up in the morning when we left for Cambodia. And when I turned to look for Molly, she was gone.

I expected that.

Though she stayed close to me for the rest of the elephant excursion and all throughout lunch and the trek back to the hotel, I knew she wouldn't afford me any more than that. So I was on my own for the night.

I ordered something from the hotel restaurant for dinner, stopped at the front desk to ask for a wake up call, and then I headed to my room.

I took a bit to repack my suitcase, pulling out everything I'd need for the morning. I got myself ready for bed. I sat down with my guitar on my lap and I strummed until my anxiety about everything that was happening...or not happening...in my life was barely a whisper.

I hadn't played my guitar since we got here, which was odd for me. Usually my guitar was where I went when I was twisted up into knots. I guess I'd forgotten that while I'd been desperately trying to get Molly to let me in.

So I played. I played until my dinner got to the room. And then I went back to playing after answering some text messages and emails. One hour turned into two. A few new songs became more than just running ideas in my head. I made sure to write down the chords and the words that passed through my head when I played them so I could get back to them later.

It was close to midnight before I knew it. I was stuck on a melody I couldn't quite finish when I heard a knock at my door.

I froze. I knew who it was before I ever got up to answer it. In fact, I contemplated not answering it for a bit. She would just think I was asleep. But I couldn't do that to her.

I pulled the door open, expecting to see Molly on the other side. And that's exactly what I got. Only this Molly was one I hadn't encountered before. She was crying, though she was trying to hide it. She was switching between nervously wringing her hands and shoving them into her pockets. I could visibly see her shaking.

She cleared her throat,

"I'm sorry it's so late."

I was rooted to the spot I was in. I wanted nothing more than to pull her into my arms, tell her it was gonna be alright, implore her to talk to me. But I knew none of that would work. I didn't even know if that's what she was coming to me for.

"It's alright." I finally answered.

She gestured into my room,

"Can I come in? I'd rather not talk out here."

I nodded, still slightly confused, I stepped aside to let her in. My palms instinctively started to sweat. I wiped them on my shorts as she walked by. I took a few moments to gather myself before I reached up to close the door.

She was still wearing my baseball cap from earlier. I don't know why I noticed that out of everything in front of me at the moment. Maybe my brain just couldn't compute the intensity currently displayed by the person in front of me. Whatever was happening with her, it was big.

She turned around, her hands still wringing. She didn't focus on me, just sat on the bed abruptly. She rocked back and forth. I could hear her whispering to herself.

She braced her hands against the mattress,

"I don't know." She repeated.

I was completely at a loss.