AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Me: I think I’m close, but I’m not sure.
Mason: I’ll be here.
I feltimmense relief as the taxi slowed to a stop and I spotted a tall, broad man approaching, and then he leaned over to peer at me through the window. Mason. He opened the door for me. “How was the trip?”
“Long.” I squinted at him, shielding my eyes from the sun.
He took both my bags from me. “Let’s get you inside.” I followed him down a long alleyway, and at the edge of the alley, he pointed to a building across the street. “See that building there?” I nodded as he explained. “I want you to go up those stairs on the far side, and we’re in room 214. It’s on the second floor.” He handed me a key.
I looked at him confused, “You’re not coming up with me?” I felt anxiety creeping in. I’d never been to another country, and traveling alone was already a big deal for me, and now he wanted to send me to the hotel alone.
“I’m going to watch you from here, and then I’ll meet you up there.”
I chewed my lip and looked up at him.
“What’s the matter?” His eyes flashed with concern.
“Uh, nothing.” I tried to steady my breath. Why was I being such a big baby about this? He was just asking me to walk across the street by myself. But I didn’t know exactly where I was going. What if I went in the wrong building and what if we couldn’t find each other?
He encouraged me, “I’ll see you up there.”
“Ok.” I took one of the bags Mason handed to me, and he kept the other.
I quickly made my way across the street where Mason could still see me and walked down the road to the building he had pointed at. I glanced back, and I didn’t see him anymore. I felt my stomach tighten. I took a deep breath and made my way up the steps to the open air hallway on the second floor. I quickly found the room halfway down the hallway, and I steadied my hand as I pushed the key into the lock and the door swung open. I stumbled in with my bag and quickly shut the door behind me.
Before I even had a chance to look around the room, there was a sharp knock at the door. I peered through the peephole and quickly opened the door.
“You didn’t lock the door?” Mason quirked a brow as he came in and shut the door behind him.
I threw my arms around him and hugged him. I didn’t care. He had dragged me to the other side of the world, and he could be as grouchy as he wanted. I just needed a hug. I needed to regulate my nervous system. “I mean, I just got in here.” I said quietly, realizing I definitely should have locked the door.
“Always lock the door, Emma. Always.” I was surprised when Mason smiled and wrapped his arms around me, squeezing me tightly. “You did good.”
His praise and his touch made me slick between my legs, and I licked my lips. “I’m really thirsty.” I realized I hadn’t had much water since yesterday. I didn’t want to have to pee on the plane, or on the way over, and now in the heat of this room I was suddenly feeling overheated and thirsty.
Mason let go of me and pulled a bottle of water off the shelf. “You’re going to want to stay hydrated.” He grabbed a packet and emptied the power into the bottle before shaking it up and handing it to me. “Electrolytes.” He responded to my questioning eyes.
“What was that all about?” I waved my hand around.
“Coming up separately?” He asked, and I nodded. “Let’s just say we shouldn’t be seen together, and I don’t want anyone figuring out we’re staying together. It wouldn’t be good.”
That made me anxious. What exactly did he mean by that?
I took the bottle from him and quickly downed half of it, suddenly feeling a little lightheaded.
“You don’t look so hot.” Mason felt my forehead. I was suddenly feeling clammy. He guided me over to the bed. “Here, lie down for a little bit. Your circadian rhythm is all messed up from the time change. Sleep for a little bit and you'll feel better.” The edge of the bed dipped as he sat on it, and I closed my eyes.
I awoke groggily, and could see through the window that the sun was starting to set. I’d slept the entire afternoon. So much for adjusting to a new time zone. I doubted I’d be able to sleep tonight now.
It was extremely hot in the room, even with the ceiling fan running. I sat up, and my clothes stuck to my body. I realized my throat was so dry, and I quickly found the second water bottle Mason had placed on the nightstand for me and I smiled and downed it. There was a note from Mason.
Stay inside. I’ll be back tonight. If you get hungry, I set out an MRE for you. Use the bottled water and the teakettle to rehydrate it. I left my dessert for you. :)
I quirked my brow.I could smell the food wafting up from the street, and Mason wanted me to hide inside and eat freeze-dried cardboard. Maybe it wasn’t so bad, I decided. I’d never tried one, but I didn’t have high hopes.
I grabbed a bottle of water and boiled it using the electric tea kettle Mason had left out for me. I poured the hot water into the spaghetti and meatballs MRE and sealed it shut like the instructions stated, and waited. After five minutes, I squished the bag up to mix it and opened it up. Woof, it was spaghetti, but not what I was used to.
I took a small bite. It wasn’t bad, but it certainly wasn’t good. No wonder Mason was used to eating the chicken, broccoli, and rice he’d meal prepped in quantities large enough to feed an army. What he had made was far better than this crap.
