Hope I Wake

Part Twenty-Eight

After they swam together and had lunch, they head back to the road again. Hazel is wearing his hoodie because she was feeling cold. It's, of course, smelling like him. She can still the butterflies in her stomach from the moment they kissed. 

''What are you thinking about, gorgeous?'' 

''I was just thinking about you and I. It is so amazing that we are on our way to California'', she sighs while staring out of the window. 

''It feels really good when you say it like that.''

''It just feels good to be around you, Mason.''

''Cutie.''

The sound of cars raging past brings her into deeper thoughts. It is time to figure out how she's going to tell this to Rebecca. There will be no right moment, a good way of saying things, right reasons, no matter how Hazel will tell her, she is going to get upset. This is completely understandable, she has been in love with this guy for years now. It will probably break her heart, there is a chance Rebecca doesn't want to be friends with her anymore. Hazel needs to face those consequences then, it was her choice to go for Mason after all. She didn't just fell into his arms, kissing him in the lake. It was all her choice, it was basically a choice between Mason and Rebecca. How much she loves Rebecca though, something just attracted her to him. There is a chance he will break her heart, she lost her best friend for a guy then. Whenever she saw that in movies Hazel just wanted to punch those girls in the face. How could they leave their best friends behind for some guy? Well, she knows why now. If the boy is unconditionally loving you it almost feels logical to chose for him. Hazel can't fully explain it, it is just a feeling. 

''Hey, I asked you something'', he chuckles.

''Oh, I'm sorry! What is the question?''

''It's almost getting dark, shall we ride to a motel and stay there for the night?''

He's right, the skies are a darker blue than they were this afternoon. The weather is also very cloudy, it might rain later. Hazel loves the rain, especially when she's reading under a blanket with some tea. 

''Sounds great!''

''Can you look up a motel on my phone, please? I can't because I'm driving'', he laughs while handing her his phone. 

''Of course, I'm the best motel searcher in town.''

''We'll see about that'', he smirks.

A list of motels pops up on his phone, some are expensive, others are quite cheap. It might be best to look at the ratings. After a couple of minutes, she stumbles across a cute, cozy motel. It isn't too expensive and it has good reviews. 

''I found one!'', she shows him the pictures while he also tries to focus on the road.

''Looks great! What's the address?''

Hazel types the address in on his GPS. It is twenty minutes from their current location, they will arrive there perfectly at dinner time. 

''Do they have dinners there too?''

''I was just thinking the same thing''', Hazel laughs. 

''That's us, always thinking about food.''

''Yes, they have meals too luckily. They look quite good as well, check this out'', she holds the phone up to show him the pictures for the second time. He nods agreeing. 

''Who is going to have a nice meal in twenty minutes?'', he shouts.

''Us!'', she shouts back.

They laugh together as he turns up the volume of the radio. Hazel and Mason both start singing along and they don't stop for the whole twenty-minute drive. Their stomachs ache from laughing so much. There is only room for laughter and fun in their heads. All their worries disappeared. 

When they arrive Hazel jumps out of the car. All that driving made her really hungry and she's excited to see their room. Mason locks the car and follows the happy girl. 

''Someone is really hungry.''

She laughs at him while they enter the building. There is a woman sitting behind a computer at a desk, she smiles at them. 

''Welcome. Can I get you a room?''

''Yes please, we would also like to have a meal here'', Mason answers. 

''That's possible. Here's your key for room 109, do you want to pay tomorrow morning or now?''

''Tomorrow morning is fine'', he says as he takes the key. 

''Perfect. Have a nice stay!''

''Thank you!''

They walk to room 109, and when they enter the door they are flabbergasted how cute the room is. It's not very big, but it's very neat and cozy. The bathroom looks very clean too. 

''Oh.''

''What is it?'', Hazel asks as she walks to him.

''There's only one bed.''

''It's okay, we can share.''

''You sure? If you want I can get us another room.''

''No, you don't have to'', she smiles, ''it's totally fine.''

''At least we won't be cold then'', he laughs and tucks a piece of hair behind her ear. 

''Good point.''

He gives her a kiss on her forehead before taking her hand. His soft fingers hook into hers. 

''Let's go get some dinner, shall we?''

''Yes, we shall'', she chuckles. 

Hand in hand they walk over to the dining area. A lot of people are already seated there, but they are still able to find a spot, next to the window. It is already dark outside, so they don't really see much. When they ordered their meals Mason takes her hand. 

''Shall we toast to a good week?''

''And to us.''

''Of course.''

As their glasses touch each other they stare in the eyes of each other. Hazel can feel her cheeks getting warm. To hide it, she quickly starts eating. 

''Enjoy your meal!''

''You too.''

Hazel and Mason spend the whole night in the dining area. They laugh, eat, drink, and chatter for hours and hours. The rest of the people slowly leaves the area, as the night continues, but not them. Hazel wishes she could stay here forever, with him. It feels so right to be around him, it was just meant to be. It will be worth it to tell Rebecca, after that they can finally start spending time with each other publicly. It would be a dream come true.