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“You can just drop me off when we get there. I’ll call AAA and have someone come out and help me with the tire.”
I acknowledge with a smile and continue driving. The song switches to Roxette’s “Listen to Your Heart” and I softly hum the tune.
“A fan of the eighties?”
“It was the best era of music, in my opinion. Don’t you agree?”
“Some would argue that and say the nineties. Britney, JT, Backstreet Boys.”
“Some? You mean you?”
“Okay, you got me.”
As I keep my eyes focused on the road ahead, I find them drooping. I yawn and lean my head back so that it’s resting against the seat. Stretching out both hands, I rest them firmly on the steering wheel and try to stay awake.
“Are you all right?”
“I’m starting to feel a little tired. I’ve been driving for hours and haven’t had anything to eat except a few handfuls of Skittles.”
“Is there somewhere we can pull over and grab a bite to eat?”
“Not until we get to the hotel, and I doubt anything will be open this late.”
The rain shows no signs of easing, and it is getting rather late. I hadn’t planned to pick up a mysterious, handsome stranger in my travels, nor had I intended to continually make eye contact with the man.He’s just a lonely boy that I found in the rain. After everything that happened with Rusty, maybe this was supposed to happen. Perhaps it’s fate telling me that this is all right. You know, kind of love at first––second, sight.
Jesus, what the fuck am I talking about? He’s just a random stranger on the side of the road that I decided to pull over and help.
My eyelids continue to get heavy, and unless I pull over soon, I’m going to fall asleep while driving. We must be getting close to the hotel by now. I know it’s around here somewhere. No sooner had the thought crossed my mind, I notice some lights up ahead to my right, and as we get closer, I see the Heart Hotel I know only too well after spending many nights here whenever I’m too tired to keep driving to the cabin. I pull into the parking lot and find a spot, then turn off the engine and the radio. It’s still pouring rain outside as I glance out the window and look into the hotel lobby, where there’s a man standing behind the counter serving customers.
“Well, here we are,” I say.
“Yes, here we are,” he repeats.
He removes his seatbelt, leans forward and grabs his backpack from between his legs.
“I can’t tell you how much I appreciate this.”
“It was my pleasure. Can I give you a hand with your stuff?”
“It’s just the one bag. I think I can handle it.”
I yawn loudly and shake my head, trying to shake away the fatigue but I’m just so damn tired, I can barely keep my eyes open.
“You know, it is rather late, and you look exhausted. How much farther until you reach your cabin?”
“At least another two or three hours.”
“That’s still a long drive, and not one that you should be making on your own, at this hour of the night, in the rain. It could be dangerous.”
“Yes, I suppose it could. I guess I should get some shut-eye and hit the road again first thing in the morning.”
I grab my jacket from the backseat, pull the keys out of the ignition and push open the door. I pull my jacket over my head and wait for my passenger to get out of the car. Once he’s outside, the two of us hastily make our way inside the hotel. Once inside, I remove the jacket from my head and shake off the water, and walk over to the counter where the man greets us.
“Good evening, gentlemen.”
“Hi. We were wondering if we could have two rooms, just for the one night.”
The man types away at his computer and raises his head up at us.
