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It was nice having him here, but I needed to be able to do it on my own, so I didn’t take his hand. Once I was to the fountain, then and only then.
I loved how his eyes lit up when I’d called him my reward. I wasn’t sure where that’d come from, but it sure felt right. When I’d touched his hand in the elevator, I knew I’d want more. Heck, I’d known since we first started talking on the computer, texting…and the patio. I—
“Lina?”
My heart warmed hearing him say the nickname only he had. It was his and his alone. The fact that he wanted to call me by a nickname made me smile. So yeah, holding his hand again would be my reward once I made it to the fountain in the center of the lobby.
“You okay?”
I looked up at him then around me. Holy cow, we were already beside the fountain. People loitered outside the gift shop and near the seating area outside the restaurant.
I’d done it. I’d made it to my fountain. My—and I didn’t even remember getting here. “Oh my gosh,” I said. My heart wasn’t even hammering. My palms were no longer sweaty. And most importantly, I was conscious.
“Hunter. We’re here.” I spun a circle, bathing in the excitement of making it through the lobby.
It felt as if a weight was off my shoulders. I could breathe, take a deep breath and have my lungs be fully filled with oxygen. Not the tentative breathing I’d lived with for so long from the oppressive weight of confinement.
I was free. I was—in my lobby. Energy burst through me. “Hunter. Let’s go to the door. I can do it. I—”
“I know you can.” He smiled, and by God and all things holy, his smile was magical.
The skin around his eyes creased ever so slightly and his eyes flashed as if aglow. He was happy for me, too. Excited. He didn’t sneer at me like I was a freak or anything. No. He looked at me like I was an actual human being. Not some broken little china doll.
He was why I was here. His courage, his encouragement…him.
“You lead,” he said. “I’m right behind you.” He glanced around. “You’re safe.”
I knew I was. With him by my side, I felt like I could conquer Mount Everest. I turned and faced the revolving glass doors. I took a step. Then another. And another. Heck, I didn’t even bother counting them. I just went with it.
One foot in front of the other. I wasn’t sure how many times Jenna had told me that while trying to coax me out of my apartment. But something was different about today. Sure, it could have been Hunter, but it was inside of me, too. A strength that had once been at the forefront was back. At least some of it, anyway. It’d finally broken through the bonds of what those guys had done to me.
I couldn’t wait to call Lizzie. And Jenna. They’d—
A team of guys barged through the push-doors beside the revolving doors, and I skidded to a stop. Hunter grunted behind me, but then was right beside me. The laughter from the guys coming in echoed off the cathedral ceiling of the lobby.
I’m okay. I’m okay.I’m strong.
I watched as the guys passed by without giving me another look. They were talking about the girls they’d hoped to meet and how it’d been so long since they’d partied. I even heard some talk about how college was getting the best of them, and they needed time to blow off steam before mid-terms kicked their asses.
I could relate. I narrowed my sights on the doors again and fisted my hands. The windows reflected the lights outside the hotel. I could barely make out what was going on out there, but I imagined tons of people walking, looking up at the beautiful stars, walking down the sidewalks and holding hands with their loved ones. Breathing in the fresh, crisp fall air.
Maybe even bustling around to find costumes for Halloween. I checked my phone. No. It was too late for shopping.
I glanced at my partner in crime and smiled. He looked forward, then over his shoulder. He really was watching out for me, wasn’t he?
Training my focus back to the door, I realized I was about three steps away. The bellhop smiled and went to usher me toward the door. I put my hands up and said, “I’m good.”
He dipped his head and stepped toward the concierge table. I pressed my hands on the glass and pushed.
“Alone or with me?” Hunter asked. I glanced at the space I was walking into and realized it’d be quite a tight fit if we shared the same section of the revolving door.
“The one right behind me,” I said, stepping into my own space.
“You got this, girl.”
I pushed onward, and the sounds muffled as I was sealed inside. My chest tightened, and my palms went sweaty, but I could see outside better now. Only a few more feet, and I’d be out into the cold. I pushed one more time and two steps later I was outside.
Holy crap, I was outside the hotel.
