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“That just makes me so sad, River. I wanted you to come here and have no-attachments sex, but I hadn’t expected the guy to be…well, Alex.”
“Yeah, damn those Southern cowboys,” I mock. “All charming, sweet, and polite.”
“And in bed?” She wiggles her brows.
“Definitely not polite.” I smirk. “Always the gentleman, though.”
After I help Natalie and Adam pack, we say our goodbyes. They’re going to grab lunch before heading to the airport, so once they’re off, I head back to Alex’s room.
When I walk down the hall of his floor, I see his door is propped open, and when I get closer, I see it’s housekeeping.
I look around for him or Dylan, but when I step in, a woman is stripping the beds.
“Hello,” I say, shyly. “Are the two guys who stayed in here around, do you know?” I feel silly for asking, but I have no idea where else they’d be.
“No, ma’am.”
“Okay, thank you.”
Where the hell would he be? He knew I was coming back.
Swallowing, I walk out and head up to my floor. Once I’m at my room, I see a piece of paper taped to my door with my name written on it. I open it up and see it’s the scratch paper we used to write out my vacation bucket list. After deciding that we were going to follow one, Alex and I had handwritten one out. He must’ve had it in his pocket.
River,
We got a notification that our flight was canceled, and the only flight available back to San Angelo was right now or we’d have to wait till Monday. We had no choice but to take this one, and I’m so sorry I have to leave like this. I looked in the lobby and around the bar, before coming back to your room to double-check if you were here. But we have to go now.
I don’t want this to be the way we say goodbye, so please call me. (325-555-2539).
Love, Alex
P.S. For what it’s worth, you were much more than a no-strings-attached-vacation-hookup. You made these last two weeks memorable in every sense of the word, and I’ll never forget it.
Oh my God.
My feet feel frozen to the floor as I scan the note again. He’s gone.
I feel my heart racing, and I blink out of my trance before running back to the elevator. Maybe he’s still down there. I have to at least look.
Searching the lobby, pool, and bar area, it’s confirmed. He’s gone.
Go to the airport, a thought pops into my head. And for a second, I consider it, but then push it away. Calling him and hearing his voice or seeing him one last time isn’t going to change anything. In fact, it’ll only make things worse. Saying goodbye wasn’t going to be easy in the first place, so maybe this is the way it had to be.
As I walk back to my room, thoughts of last night surface and how wonderful and magical it all was. Those are the memories I want to remember. Like I told Natalie, that was the perfect way to say goodbye. Anything else would only deepen the wound.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
ALEX
THREE MONTHS LATER
The rain won’t stop coming, and by the looks of the forecast, the rest of the week will be exactly like today. I’m cold, wet, and miserable, and no amount of rain gear helps me stay dry. By the time Dylan and I break for lunch, we’re soaked from head to toe.
“This fucking sucks,” Dylan complains as we slosh through the mud toward the truck. Once we’re inside, the rain pounds so hard against the windshield, I can’t see shit. I put the truck in reverse, and the wheels do nothing but spin. No amount of pressing the gas pedal is getting us unstuck at this point. I look over at Dylan, and he’s pinching the bridge of his nose.
“Guess we’re walking back to the house. Dammit,” I hiss between gritted teeth.
I keep the truck running and try to warm up my frozen hands.
“Let’s call Jackson to come get us in the Jeep. It has 4-wheel drive at least, and we won’t have to walk over a mile in this crap. It’s cold as hell out there.”
“Good idea,” I say, grabbing my phone from my pocket. Jackson’s probably doing nothing right now anyway, so I don’t even feel guilty bothering him. During the day, he usually trains horses and takes guests trail riding, among other things. When the weather is shit like this, he doesn’t really have much to do.
Alex
Hey, the truck is stuck and we need a ride back. Can you give us a lift?
Jackson
Busy.
Alex
Don’t be an asshole. We’re stuck at the barn in mud to our fucking knees.
Just as I’m about ready to call John, he texts me back to let me know he’s on the way. Bastard just likes to make me sweat.
