Page 35 of Journey to Cheshire Bay
He put a finger up to stop me. “No. We’re not going there. We’re going to live in this moment, right now. This time is for us. Sunday night will be here quick enough, and then I’ll have to press play once more. Tonight? Let’s enjoy the hell out of it. You with me?”
“You sure the wine hasn’t hit you?” I gave him a quizzical look.
“Positive. So many things will change the moment I walk in the door at my grandparent’s house, that I don’t even want to think about it. I just want to be here with you, on this drive, and having fun.”
“I like the sound of that. Living in the moment. I can do that.”
Someone once had told me about taking a moment in time to forget about the troubles – maybe it was a shrink? – but it sounded like something I could finally do. Whereas Holden had his whole life planned out, and as he’d stated, his life was just about to have the play button activated. I’d lived on replay for far too long, always playing the same thing over and over, hoping for a different outcome. Maybe all I needed was to press pause on my problems, and have a commercial break, so to speak.
For the first time in forever, there was a sparking of hope flickering to life in my soul. A chance to try something completely different and a choice to be a better me.
What in the hell was happening? This wasn’t the Iris I knew. But I liked her.
Chapter Eleven
The sun had long set, and the inky darkness surrounded us when we arrived at the hotel.
After some research, we learned the ferries shut down at dusk and we’d missed our last opportunity hours ago. If we dropped off the car and flew over to Victoria, we’d need a cab to any hotel on the island, and that would be twice the cost of staying on the mainland in Vancouver and keeping the rental to ferry over in the morning. In the end, as these things always do, finances won the battle.
However, thanks to my amazing internet sleuthing, I’d found a smoking deal at a place not far from the ferry terminal, and that’s where we ended our Saturday road trip adventure.
Key in hand, and weary from the non-stop drive, we entered the room.
“Are you sure they gave you the right key?” Holden’s voice held more surprise than the look upon his face after he flicked on the lights.
The room we received was beyond my wildest dreams; we didn’t get the wrong key; we got the wrong price. They had to have missed a number or decimal place. The cost was the same, and came with a free continental breakfast, yet this was easily twice the place in elegance and space as the rinky-dink motel we stayed at for a few hours this morning.
Shit, had it really been only a few hours ago?
“All I’d requested was a comfortable bed, a place to clean up, and maybe something with a view, since I wasn’t sure when I was going to be visiting the area again. But hey, at least there’s two beds this time.”
Two queen-sized beds, complete with fluffy white bedding and more pillows than I could quickly count. I imagined laying on it would be like sleeping on a cloud.
Holden grabbed one of the complimentary water bottles off the dresser and handed it to me.
I leaned against the wall, taking a long hard look at my travel companion as I cracked the lid and drank down half. The trip had been really eye opening. Holden was so different from the boy I taunted in high school. He was now the nicest guy I knew, and as promised, a friend to boot. My troubled past didn’t seem to bother him, or at least he made me feel like it wasn’t a problem. How amazing was this guy?
“Thanks again for picking up the cost.” There he went, being all naturally sweet. Damn.
“Well, thankyoufor the car rental and doing all the driving.” Although I would’ve driven over the speed limit and we would’ve arrived earlier, Holden was a safer driver by far. My road skills weren’t at his level.
Neither of us moved, and the air crackled with an awkward pause as we gazed around the suite, as if we were unsure what to do next - although an idea or two sprung to mind.
I swallowed down a gulp of water and stretched my neck from side to side, trying to loosen the tension. “Do you mind if I take a shower?”
“Of course not. Take your time.” He quickly turned away and grabbed the one suitcase he brought to the room. What was that look in his eyes? A flash of desire? Was he feeling what I was feeling? Or was I flat out exhausted, and reading too much into something that wasn’t there?
Regardless, my heart twittered in anticipation as I propped my own suitcase onto the luggage holder and rifled through until I found a pair of pajamas and my toiletries. A long shower was just what I needed. Maybe even a cold one.
As I locked the bathroom door, my clothes fell to the floor in a heap. The hot water poured over my hair and body, and once I allowed the free, fragrant shampoo to wash over me and invade my senses, my thoughts wandered over to Holden.
How the frail and meekness had faded away, to be replaced by a buff body and handsome features I never would’ve guessed he’d grown into. But it was more than surface looks. It was the way his dark green eyes held my stare when I talked, like he was genuinely interested in everything I said. How he didn’t run when seeing my arms, and in fact, shared space with me without judgement. Holden had become the whole package, and I was a better person for having been witness to his transformation.
I rinsed the shampoo and applied a conditioner ripe with the scent of fresh apples, breathing in the calming aroma. Long gone was the sickly stench of jet fuel and day-old body odor mixed with treehouse sweat. I was finally starting to feel like a woman again, and maybe, I was looking like one too.
Shower finished, I stared at my reflection as I ran some facial crème over my skin and brushed the tangles from my hair, allowing the soft waves to bounce along my naked shoulders. I puckered in the mirror, making what I thought was a sexy face, until I softened it and tipped my head in a sweet, yet seductive pose. Did Holden find me as attractive as I found him? Did he desire more than just a kiss or two? I didn’t want to push it, and yet, there was a deep need to explore more of him.
I imagined how different things could be had I decided to not join him on the road trip, or had I not made the choice to leave Toronto behind and board the next flight leaving across the country. It was funny how that single choice had altered my thoughts and feelings. Holden, in a weird sort of way, had made an impact on my life, and a huge one at that.