Page 47 of Infinity Chronicles 1
“I was just telling Mr. Harris that your mother was lying down, since she hasn’t been feeling well.”
I nod my head a little too vigorously, turning my eyes to Mike. “I think she has a touch of the flu.” I’m so grateful Ares didn’t tell the truth. “I’m going to check to make sure she’s still sleeping and put this stuff away.” I lift my full arms up. “Did you need something Mike? I can leave a note for when she wakes up.”
His lips twist and Mike shakes his head. “Naw, just haven’t really seen her since ya’ll came in.” Mike makes his way back over to the golf cart, giving me one more long look before pushing the button and driving away. He doesn’t head to the bathhouse like I expected, but back toward the front of the camp. Did he see Ares come in and was checking on me?
Shuffling my bundle, I sort through my caddy for my keys. Tucked half under my conditioner, I pull them free. Ares steps up behind me holding the screen door open, I don’t have any real reason to let him in, but I don’t want to. I peek over my shoulder, wondering what he’ll think.
“I guess you’re coming in,” I mutter under my breath. Ares doesn’t reply as I swing the door open, my keys still dangling from it. I step up and the camper shifts, his weight on the stair enough to make it bounce. He couldn’t get any closer unless he was carrying me. Thankfully, the air unit is churning along and the temperature has dropped several degrees since I left for my shower. I walk over to the long cabinet that holds our hamper and drop my towel in before closing it back up tight. I haven’t looked at him. I don’t want to see his face just yet. I’ll just let it sink in for a few seconds how very different we are.
Next, I place my caddy under the sink in the tiny bathroom, as I start to close the accordion style door, I stop. I still need to put my clean underwear on. The bathroom would offer more privacy, but it’s so damn small in there I get closterphobic just thinking about it.
Over my shoulder I call, “I’ll be out in just a second.” I don’t want him coming to look for me, not like I could go anywhere, but I want to warn him anyway.
Fully dressed, I slide the curtain to my room back to find Ares sitting in the middle of my tiny threadbare couch, which is as hard as a rock. Most of the cushions are flat and the steel frame of the pullout bed underneath pokes out in all the wrong places. We haven’t even used the bed in years because mom always preferred the couch.
His arms are spread out wide, reaching from end to end. He looks completely at ease. Most people would stay standing, or if they did sit, they’d be perched on the edge. Ares is acting like it’s a luxury sofa. Like he doesn’t even notice the difference.
I jerk my head down, avoiding eye contact. I don’t want him to see the relief on my face. “You’re working tonight?” His soft question breaks the silence.
I pull out one of the rickety chairs from the small wooden dinette. “Yes.” I squint to see the clock on the microwave. “I need to be there in twenty minutes.”
Ares takes a deep breath and runs his hand over his hair. “Any chance you could call in?” His nose and brow have a slight wrinkle, he knows the answer. It was like he didn’t even want to ask. I pinch my lips together and shake my head no.
“I can’t, I need the money,” I say looking at the floor. “Plus, I wouldn’t do that to her. Not when she’s expecting me to be there.”
“Okay, you should grab whatever you’ll need. One of us will pick you up and we can go home. There’s still a lot of stuff we need to figure out.” Home, home where? Does he mean to take me to his house again?
“I don’t get off until nine, and I have school tomorrow.” I shrug my shoulders, uncertain of what his plans are.
“That’s fine, I don’t think any of us expected to crash the way we did last night. We’ll talk and get things sorted out. You’ll be in bed before eleven.”
I tap my fingers on the table, doubtful a few more hours of talking are going to resolve all the issues we have. “We still can’t come here. Mike would notice if I had a bunch of guys coming into my camper, and… my mom, she might come back.” I bite my lip looking away.
“We’ll go back to our house, that’s why I said grab some stuff.”
“But, there was—”
“We should get you to Maggie’s before you’re late,” Ares interrupts me before I can mention the woman that was looking for him this morning. He stands, looking at a watch on his wrist. Noticing the clock on the microwave, I curse under my breath before scrambling back to my bedroom to sort through the basket of clothes that are still piled on the bed from last weekend.
I grab a t-shirt and the first pair of jeans my hands land on, but have to dig through the small mound to find my last clean pair of panties. I only have two bras, so I grab my extra, shoving it into my backpack with my other things. The red lacy panties I found on Dante’s floor come to mind, as does the argument we had when he said they were mine.
The screech of the curtain sliding across the bar that separates the rooms is loud. Ares is standing in the kitchen now, his arms crossed over his chest and feet spread wide. My eyes dart to the freezer and my instincts tell me he’s been snooping through my things. With my backpack slung over one shoulder I shuffle my feet. “We should go.” I don’t like him being here.
Ares doesn’t say a word as he takes two short steps to the door. As he steps down, the camper tilts to the left as he exits. He holds the door open as I follow behind him, waiting while I lock the door.
Ares strides toward the bathhouse. I have brief moment to wonder what Maggie will think when we pull up together, maybe I’ll get lucky and she’ll be in the back when he drops me off. I hustle to keep up with him as he treads to the passenger side of the vehicle, opening the door. I lower my head to avoid his gaze but round the door. I’ve never had anyone open a car door for me the way he does. It’s different than when one of the guys opened the door, they were getting in too, whereas this is more deliberate.
I take a moment to examine his car. I didn’t really have the opportunity earlier, I was just in a hurry to get my things. The interior is black leather with a beautiful camel brown down the center and it’s buttery soft. The door closes with a soft click as I pile my backpack into my lap. I feel way out of my element. This is fancy, there’s a wide screen where a radio would typically be. The center console is a thickly grained wood. It’s super shiny, not a speck of dust mars any of the surfaces. Ares opens the driver’s side door, folding gracefully into the seat. A moment later he pushes a button on the dash, bringing the car to life.
“Seat belt,” he mutters, not bothering with his own as he turns a dial and pulls onto the dirt path that serves as a road. Reaching over my shoulder I snap in, repositioning my bag.
Completely opposite to Dante’s muscle car, I can barely feel or hear the engine as the vehicle glides smoothly toward the entrance. Movement at Mike’s trailer catches my eye. He is standing on his small front porch, watching us leave. I know he can’t see into the car, the windows are tinted too dark, but he’s clear as day. I see him give a slight shake of his head when we hit the blacktop road.
I tighten my arms over my backpack. I want to run my fingers over the screen and touch all the little buttons to see what they do, but I refrain. I do, however, bush my knuckles over the supple leather of my seat.
Ares is relaxed, his left hand at the top of the steering wheel and right elbow cradled on the divider between us, fingers grazing the wood beneath. He glances at me a few times, his eyes trailing over me briefly.
As the sign for the diner comes into view my stomach hollows. It seems like it’s been ages since I was here, while in truth it’s only been two days. But so much has happened in those two days. The car dies seconds after Ares turns the dial to the P, the doors unlocking automatically. “Thank you for the ride,” I rush out, reaching for the handle at the same time. Ares stops me with his palm cupping my shoulder; I freeze, one leg already dangling outside, my body angled away from him.
