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Busted
Sitting on the edge of the hotel bed, I fiddle with the wrinkled piece of paper in my hands. Haze is still asleep. He looks so peaceful, worriless—basically everything that I’m not right now. I spent the entire night tossing and turning, haunted by questions I couldn’t answer, the main one being why on earth is there a motel address in my boyfriend’s pocket?
No words can explain the dread I felt when I typed the address into the internet search bar and landed on the creepiest motel I’ve ever seen. Holland Motel, named after the street it was built on—because that’s original.
The old exterior is something, but the inside could give a grown man nightmares. Everything about the place felt off. I wager this is a first-choice spot for all sorts of shady business: drug deals, money laundering… scandalous sex?
Stop, Haze would never do that, I try to convince myself.
Then what the hell is he doing with the address? the devil on my shoulder laughs.
I wince at the thought of him kissing some other girl in there. Undressing her. Holding her. Making her…
Snap out of it!
“Morning, gorgeous.”
I jump.
He laughs quietly. “Sorry, didn’t mean to scare you.”
I don’t move a muscle. I can’t even look at him, infuriating images still holding my mind hostage.
Winter, you’re literally making yourself mad with scenarios you made up in your head.
“Baby?” he says in a husky voice.
I take a breath, debating myself on whether or not I should confront him. Collecting my courage, I get up and swivel to face him. He’s lying in bed, hair an adorable mess and blue eyes small from just waking up. He smiles at me, in all of his I-just-woke-up-but-I’m-still-annoyingly-perfect glory, and I wish I could go through this entire conversation without looking at him. It’s his eyes, I swear. They make it hard to think.
“What is this?” I say quietly, holding the piece of paper up.
The smile on his face disappears in a matter of seconds.
“It fell out of your jacket last night,” I explain.
He sits up straight and opens his mouth to speak. Except no sound comes out. Not on the first try. Not on the second. I wait for the rational explanation I pray is on its way, and a ton of scenarios pop in my head. What is he going to say?
“It only happened once. She didn’t mean anything. I… I got caught up in the moment.”
I shake my head, chills of horror running throughout my entire body, and erase this option from my head. Nah, he’s not going to say that. Maybe something like “I’m selling drugs?” Nope. Not going to say that either.
I focus on him. He finally speaks.
“I wanted it to be a surprise.”
I frown. “What?”
“Come here.” He pats the bed. When I don’t move, he arches an eyebrow. “Please.”
Half-heartedly, I grant his wish, climbing next to him.
“Remember when I said I wanted to step out of my father’s shadow?” He takes my hand.
I nod.
“I’ve been thinking about starting my own business for a while, and I thought I could look around deadbeat places to hopefully buy and sell the lots. I just… The location is great. The only reason it’s not doing well is because of the way it looks.”
No matter how doubtful I am in this instant, I feel like the weight of
