Chapter 7 - THE MIDNIGHT MOTEL
The fire roared in the hearth,
casting dancing shadows against the log walls.
Emily had changed into a pair of Jaxson’s oversized sweatpants and a thick hoodie,
her wedding dress draped over a chair like a fallen soldier.
She sat on a rug by the fire,
wrapped in a blanket,
clutching a mug of tea Jaxson had made.
The rain hammered on the tin roof,
a relentless,
soothing rhythm.
Jaxson was sitting at the small wooden table,
cleaning a tool by the light of the lamp.
"You're staring,"
he said,
not looking up.
"I’m wondering what happens tomorrow,"
she replied.
"Tomorrow,
the news will be all over Bellwood,"
Jaxson said.
"The Thorne family will have another reason to hate me."
"And you'll be the girl who vanished into the mountains."
Emily took a sip of the tea,
the heat warming her throat.
"Will you take me to the city?"
"The city?"
"Portland.
Seattle.
Anywhere with a bus station."
Jaxson finally looked up,
his eyes dark and unreadable.
"You don't want to go back?"
"Not even to tell them you're safe?"
"I left a note,"
Emily said.
Jaxson paused.
"A note?
Where?"
"In the bridal room."
"I tucked it under Molly’s bag."
"It just said 'Don't follow me. I'm choosing a different life'."
Jaxson leaned back,
the chair creaking.
"Ryan won't care about the note,
Em."
"To him,
a note is just a negotiation tactic."
"He’ll think someone coerced you."
"He’ll probably think I kidnapped you."
"Did you?"
she asked,
a small smile touching her lips.
Jaxson didn't smile back.
"I gave you a choice,"
he said.
"You're the one who jumped in."
He stood up and walked to the window,
looking out into the blackness.
"I didn't come to Bellwood to ruin his wedding,"
he said softly.
"I came to see if you looked happy."
"I figured if you were,"
"I could finally stop wondering."
"And?"
Jaxson turned his head slightly.
"You didn't look happy."
"You looked like you were walking toward a gallows."
"So I left the engine running."
"Just in case."
The admission hung in the air,
heavy and thick.
Emily felt a surge of something she couldn't name,
a mixture of gratitude and an old,
dormant longing.
"I should sleep,"
she said,
standing up,
the blanket trailing behind her.
"Take the loft,"
Jaxson said,
pointing to the ladder.
"It’s warmer up there."
Emily climbed the wooden rungs,
her muscles aching.
The loft was small,
with a thick mattress on the floor and a view of the stars through a skylight.
As she lay down,
she heard Jaxson stoke the fire one last time.
She thought about Ryan,
lying in their perfectly decorated apartment,
wondering where his stability had gone.
And then she thought about Jaxson,
sitting in the dark below her,
the man who had kept his engine running for a decade.
May you like
She fell asleep to the sound of the rain,
dreaming of water towers and open roads.
