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My heart drops in my chest. It sinks all the way down to my ass. The highway is shutting down.What the hell are we going to do?
“What do you mean? You can’t just shut down the highway,” Everett barks.
“If it means protecting the lives of citizens, we can and we will. I apologize for the inconvenience, but the winter storm hit sooner than we expected.” The officer clicks his tongue, slicking a hand against the brim of his hat.
“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me,”Everett mutters to himself, hanging his head as his grip tightens around the steering wheel.
He’s thinking the exact same thing that I’m thinking. We aren’t making it to Denver tonight.We’re going to have to stay the night together.
“So what are we supposed to do,Officer?” Everett turns his furious gaze back towards the officer, his chest heaving up and down with labored breaths. “Sleep on the side of the road?”
“Of course not,” he shakes his head. “I’m telling you this now so you can have a few hours to find a place to stop for the night. Are you familiar with the area?”
“No,” Everett replies in a sharp tone. I almost place a hand on his shoulder because he looks so distressed right now. However, I have a feeling that breaking our no-touching rule would rile him up even more.
“Do you have any friends or family nearby that you could stay with for the night?”
“I don’t know, do you think I would be reacting this way if we did?” Everett fires back.
“Everett, calm down. He’s just trying to help,” I whisper through gritted teeth. Everett’s icy gaze snaps my way, softening a little when his eyes lock with mine. He takes a deep breath, briefly shutting his eyes and calming himself before he turns back to the officer.
“I know this is frustrating news, but your safety is our top priority,” the officer adds in a sentimental tone. “You’ll pass a few small towns that have motels within the next hundred miles. It won’t be a Hilton or anything fancy, but it'll give you a roof over your head and a bed to sleep in. You just need to make a decision soon, before it gets too late. I would honestly stop at the first motel that has an available room.”
“And what if they’re all booked up?” Everett anxiously taps his fingers against his thigh.
“Then you call 911 immediately. We’ll escort you somewhere safe.”
“Gee, how comforting,” Everett scoffs, shaking his head.
“Everett Thompson,” I scold, tired of his piss-poor attitude. “He’s just doing his job. There’s no need to be such an asshole.” His nostrils flare at my response.
“Not to be rude, sir. But I have to agree with your wife,” the officer chimes in. “I don’t want to be out here freezing my ass off, delivering this news to tired travelers any more than you don’t want to hear it.”
Everett narrows his eyes, shooting daggers at the officer with his stare. He speaks in a tone so low and deep that might terrify me if I didn’t actually know him.
“She isnotmy wife.” Those five words shouldn’t affect me the way they do. His disgusted tone shouldn't make my heart ache with disappointment.
“Oh… Uh… I’m sorry,” the officer fumbles his words. “I just thought…” He trails off, his eyes falling to the massive diamond ring weighing down my finger.
“It’s a nice ring, right?” Everett chuckles. “Too bad my brother is the one who put it on her finger.”
The officer’s eyes widen as he coughs, choking on his own breath.
“Now do you understand why I’m not too thrilled about this situation, Officer? About staying the night with my brother’s fiancé? Really fucking inconvenient.” Everett huffs, running a hand through his hair in frustration.
Shot to the heart.
I think the officer finally realizes that Everett isn’t frustrated withhim. Everett’s visceral reaction is from a source much deeper than that. A deep-seated reason that I’m sure even the officer can sense from the tension crackling between us.
“Well, I uh… I have to make my rounds.” The officer clears his throat, gesturing to the long line of cars behind us. “We hope to have the highway back open at noon tomorrow. We’ll have crews out here working on the roads all throughout the night. Whatever you do, don’t try to take an alternative route. The backroads will just be more dangerous.”
“Got it,” Everett clips, refusing to look at the officer.
“You two be safe.” The officer offers a small grin, before tipping his hat and walking off.
Everett rolls up the window, and we sit in uncomfortable silence for what feels like an eternity. I never knew the sound of nothing could be so suffocating. Unable to bear it any longer, I say the first thing that comes to mind.
“I’m sorry I’m such an inconvenience,” I mutter, my voice almost a whisper.
