Page 49 of Room Service

I pursed my lips at the wording. “First of all, never say that. You can't call what went down between me and Trent ‘play’, Emily. I don’t know what you’ve heard, but it’s true that I’ve been in love with Trent for a long time, and… we clashed when he came back.”

Emily hummed. “It was a bit of a surprise when he suddenly started looking for me. Usually, he wouldn’t give me the time of day. And then I show up on his doorstep, and he’s asking me all about you. I was worried, Jessi.”

“There was no need for you to worry.”

“But something happened, didn’t it? I’m not going to ask what… but there was something?”

I couldn’t answer her. I wiped my tears away as they blurred my eyesight, but I could feel my throat tightening uncomfortably. I was far from done with crying.

“Where are you right now?” she asked.

I sighed, knowing she probably heard the news that I was leaving, too.

“I’m sorry,” I said first thing. “I should have told you first when I was going to leave. You’re right. Something did happen between me and Trent.”

“Was it enough to make you run away?”

I shook my head. “I couldn’t stay there, Emily. I just… couldn’t stay close to him after everything. I’m already in too deep, and I know him. He might not be outright plotting it, but he’s going to break my heart if I stay, I just know it. He’s already done it so many times without trying, this wouldn’t be any different.”

Except it might be, I thought.

I pushed that thought away, or I wouldn’t have made the decision to run away. I’d pretty much bared all of myself to this man. There was no way I could handle any disappointment from him after that.

“Couldn’t you try to stick around and work things out though?” Emily reasoned. “I mean… you probably know my big brother better than I do, but he can't be that big of an ass, right?”

I huffed a small laugh. “I don’t know about that. I mean, he’s changed over the years since I’ve known him, but there are parts that are familiar. I might know him better but it’s not by much. But he… started making promises this time, and that’s probably the scariest part. I know they’re not things he can give me.”

There was a short silence, and I wondered what Emily was thinking. My own thoughts were replaying last night, from when Trent showed up at my door and asked me to stay, then started giving out praises like he actually believed everything he was saying. It… all had to be a lie, right?

“I see,” Emily finally said, her voice tight. “And there’s absolutely no way for you to change your mind?”

I shook my head slowly. “I don’t think that would be possible at this point, Emily. I’m sorry I didn’t talk to you about any of this before.”

“It’s fine, I understand,” she said. “He’s my brother, of course it would be awkward for you to speak to me about him. As much as I don’t like this, I wish you luck, Jessi. Keep in touch, okay?”

“Thanks, and you too.”

With that, we hung up. I wiped away the fresh tears, took a deep breath, and drove on.

My destination was Myrtle Beach, and it was a six-hour drive to the new hotel I’d be working at. I just wanted to get there and start getting settled in. I wasn’t sure about a lot of things, like where I would stay and what my position there would be in the kitchens, because there was always some hierarchy. But right then, I just wanted to get out of the car.

I had a week. When the manager told me, I’d wanted to let him know that I wouldn’t need it, but I got it anyway. I would have a week to change my mind, if I wanted to stay at the new hotel or go back to Charlotte, but I doubted I would.

As abrupt as it was, I knew I needed this change. And besides, after I’d set it all up, it was too late to change my mind, wasn’t it? What would be there for me to go back to anyway, now that I’d actually left? Trent would be annoyed with me after I stole away for a second time while he slept. It would do me no good.

Even if Emily said I could change my mind, there was no point now. With all the rumors I’d left behind, I could just imagine what the staff would come up with if I suddenly came back after a transfer. And even if I was making a mistake, it was made. If I went back and Trent ripped into me for it, I couldn’t take that any more than him not keeping the promises he’d made to me.

You’re doing the right thing, I told myself. It was the only thing I could have done in the situation I was left in.

I truly believed that. But… why did I keep looking in the rearview mirror? There was no way someone would be coming after me to stop me, to get me to go back. I knew that logically, but the further I got from my hometown, the more my heart dropped.

It was my fault for having expectations. It’s time to move on… to my new, boring life.