I toss a few bills onto the table, enough to cover the tab, and head for the door. Cecilia calls after me, but I don’t bother to respond.
Stepping outside into the chilly night air, I close my eyes and try to steady my racing thoughts.
The others follow suit, their expressions grim as they join me outside. Kasey asks about our plans for the night, but my mindis elsewhere. Driving back to Richland now would be reckless—it’s late and I’m not in a good headspace. But the thought of spending another moment in this heavy silence is unbearable.
I see the way Julio and Felix are looking at me.
As everyone says their goodbyes, I linger beside my bike, feeling the weight of the evening pressing down on me. Cecilia’s gentle touch breaks through my reverie, her concern evident in her voice.
I try to brush off her questions, but her persistence softens my resolve.
“Are you okay?” she asks, her eyes searching mine.
“Fine,” I manage, my tone softer now. Taking a deep breath, I try to push aside the turmoil churning inside me. “I’m fine,” I repeat, more to convince myself than her.
She sinks her teeth into her bottom lip.
“So, uh …” She swallows hard. “Your mom is getting remarried?”
“Looks like it.”
She nods. “It’s none of my business?—”
“Then leave it alone,” I cut her off. “My mother isn’t something I want to talk about right now.”
Her brows pull together, and I know she wants to argue, but with a sigh, she folds her arms over her chest and lets it go.
“Here.” I hold out my extra helmet for her and help her secure it. “Let’s get you back.”
After we arrive back at the hotel, we all take the elevator and head to our respective rooms. We got two, each with two queen beds, but the thought of going back to mine sends a spear of dread into my stomach. I hesitate beside the door for Cecilia’s. She and Adriana are sharing one, and I’ve never been more envious of the girl in my life.
“I’ll see you in the morning,” I tell them both, dropping a quick kiss to Cecilia’s forehead.
Adriana huffs out a breath, her tone irritated when she holds out her hand. “Give me your room key,” she demands.
I scowl at her. “Why would I do that?”
Her eyes flick from me to Cecilia. “Because weird shit is going on with you two. You’re getting stuck in your head and she—” she points a thumb in Cecilia’s direction, “is going to stay up all night worrying about you. I, for one, would like to get some sleep. Give me your key, and I’ll take your bed. You can have mine,” she snorts. “Though I doubt you’ll use it.”
Rolling my eyes, I pull out the thin electric card and hand it to her. “You sure that’s the only reason you want to swap?” I ask her. “You know I’m rooming with J, right?”
She shrugs. “He’ll get over it. Let me just grab a few things.”
We all three step inside Cecilia’s room while Adriana grabs some pajamas and heads into the attached bathroom, presumably to change.
She comes back out in a pair of sleep shorts and an oversized shirt with a small toiletry bag in her hands.
“See you two in the morning,” she says, heading for the door without so much as a backward glance.
Cecilia is the first to break the silence now that it’s just the two of us in her room.
Her voice is hesitant as she speaks. “Gabriel, about the invitation …”
I tense, the mention of the wedding an unwelcome intrusion into my thoughts. “I don’t want to talk about it. There are far more interesting things we could be doing in this room than discussing my mother’s wedding.” My gaze drifts to the bed, a silent invitation lingering in the air.
Cecilia’s breath hitches at my insinuation, her eyes flickering with a mixture of uncertainty and desire. She takes a small step closer, and I meet her halfway, closing the distance between us. “Gabriel, I?—“
“No more talking.” I silence her words with my lips and walk her closer to the bed.
