1.1 The Chronicles of Us - Vice & Virtue

Chapter twenty-six

Santiago winks at me. "Adios Mamacita! See you next time."

I give him a warm hug in return but words of goodbye remain stuck in my throat.

Axel takes a step forward and swings his arm around me. "Don't be a stranger, Ellie. Look us up if you ever find yourself in Los Angeles."

I clear my throat and fight the tears. "Definitely."

It will never happen, but there's no need to get all literal. This is the end of our journey. While their lives move on, I'll be going backwards. Back to Faroaks. Will it be like it never happened at all?

After some more hugs and wishful promises, I leave the bus. Tex is already waiting outside with our bags. Nobody complained when he told them he would stay the night with me. They weren't even surprised, like they already knew that he would.

In silence, we watch the bus leave the hotel parking lot and in some more silence, we get the key from the lobby.

I smile a little when we step into the elevator. "Second floor."

He nods and presses the button. Honestly, his distant behavior is worrying me. I understood his reluctance at the earlier. It wasn't the right place nor the right time. We weren't thinking clearly. Yet, I hoped—once we both had calmed down—we would at least find comfort with each other. Now, though, I'm wondering if he will even sleep in the same bed as me.

He will.

I shake it off and enter the room. It's everything one can expect from an airport hotel. It's clean but outdated. There's nothing cozy or romantic about the grey carpet and beige plastered walls; nothing inviting about the tightly tucked in white linen. It's hard to imagine our desperate bodies lying there. With the way Tex is acting, I doubt it will happen at all.

I need to talk to him, speak my mind. Then again, what will happen when I tell him that he—our time means a lot to me? Will he shut me out even more?

Coward.

"Gotta take a piss."

Tex places our bags on the foot end of the twin-bed and disappears in the bathroom.

Not sure what to do, I rummage through my items. Should I surprise him by wearing something nice? No, I don't have that many clean clothes left anyway. I sit on the bed and stare at the bathroom door. Sounds come from behind it—toilet flushing, faucet running and ... a shower?

The flowing of water stops and Tex appears again, all dressed. "I fixed you a bath. Thought you could use that."

I smile and take my toiletries out of my bag. "Subtle way of saying that I smell."

"That's not what I meant."

"I know. I was just kidding."

He frowns and looks away. "You shouldn't be joking right now."

Maybe he's right. Is it so weird if I don't want our last night to be about another man? I just want it to be about him and me, no one else.

I nod once and then head into the bathroom. He closes the door behind me, staying on the other side.

After pulling my hair in a top-bun, I strip off my clothes and step into the warm, soapy water. It was very thoughtful of him to make me a bad. And he was right, I need this to soothe my angry mind.

How dare that disgusting man touch me, put his lips on me. I rub my neck and face furiously with a towel cloth to get rid of any trace of his smell and saliva. A couple sobs force tears from my eyes. Most of them are due to the attack, but some are for Tex.