Page 67 of Endless Love

I don’t relax until we get back up to the room. Ivan closes the door firmly behind us, glancing over at me. “I’m going to make the call,” he says, stepping into the bathroom and closing that door, too, cutting me off from hearing what he says.

I sink onto the edge of the bed, suddenly feeling exhausted all over again. I can hear the low murmur of Ivan’s voice from the bathroom, but I can’t make out any of the words, and I tap my feet nervously against the carpet, trying not to think about what’s being said. That contact is who we’ve been trying to get to, the difference between starting over and getting caught, and my chest tightens. I don’t want to leave my old life behind, but I also don’t want to end up in Bradley’s hands or Lev’s. That contact is the only person who can ensure that doesn’t happen.

I try to distract myself by unpacking the clothes I just bought, but my thoughts are racing wildly. What if the contact can't help us? What if Bradley or Lev have already found us? What if they’re just biding their time, waiting to strike? The room, which felt so huge just a little while ago, suddenly feels small and claustrophobic, and I can feel myself wanting to pace, wanting to look out of the window to see if anyone is watching us from outside.

It feels like an eternity before Ivan finally emerges from the bathroom. His expression is unreadable, and my stomach twists with anxiety.

“What did they say?” I bite my lip, trying to keep my voice from trembling.

Ivan must see how anxious I am, because his face softens. He crosses the room quickly, coming to stand in front of me, one hand resting on the dresser where I just put my clothes, as if I’m moving in. “We have a meeting set,” he says reassuringly. “But they can’t meet us for a few days.”

I let out a sharp breath. “A few days? What are we supposed to do until then?”

A small smile tugs at the corners of Ivan’s mouth. “Well, I think we should stay in tonight. But I think, at the very least, we can explore this resort. I don’t know if we should go out on the town, but there’s plenty to do just in this one hotel. And if I do see someone suspicious, we can get up to our room quickly.”

“Are you sure this isn’t the diner all over again?” I raise an eyebrow. “We try to do something ‘normal’ again, and it ends up almost getting us caught?”

Ivan huffs out a breath. “I don’t think so. I hope not.” He runs a hand through his hair. “Do you really want to stay cooped up in here until the meeting?”

I shake my head. “No. I’m just—”Scared, I almost say, but I don’t want to admit it.

I feel like I’m close to losing it, honestly. And truthfully, I think a few days staying in this room and not going out might just drive me over the edge. Luxurious as it is, it’s going to give me way too much time to think.

“We’ll order room service tonight,” Ivan says. “Tomorrow, we’ll get out and explore a little. And pretty soon, we’ll get what we need, and get out of here.”

Exceptwewon’t be getting out of here. He knows that as well as I do. We’ll be going our separate ways.

Ivan picks up the room service menu and hands it to me, and I see his mouth tighten, his eyes suddenly shadowed as if he realized what he said, too. And the heaviness in my chest makes me wonder, once again, if I’ve made this decision because it’s what I really want.

Or if it’s just because it’s what I think I’m supposed to do.

29

CHARLOTTE

When I wake up the next morning, despite the danger still hanging over us, I feel like I’ve had the first real night’s sleep that I’ve gotten in weeks.

Ivan insisted on sleeping on the couch in the other room, so I had the king-sized bed all to myself. After we ordered room service—mushroom truffle burgers and the crispiest fries I’ve ever eaten—I couldn’t stay awake much longer. I passed out in the middle of the bed, and when I wake, I smell waffles.

There’s a breakfast tray next to the bed, waiting for me. When I sit up, blinking sleepily and pushing my hair out of my face, I see Ivan in the living room, a plate in his lap as he eats his own breakfast. I lean back for just a moment, stretching luxuriously as I savor the feeling of waking up on soft sheets and a plush mattress. For one brief second, I let myself pretend that I actually am on vacation, and not in a strange limbo between lives, wondering if the people who want me dead will show up any minute.

Ivan looks up as he hears me stirring, and I see the small smile at the corners of his mouth. “Sleep well?” he asks from across the room, and I nod.

“What about you?”

He shrugs. “Better than anywhere I’ve slept recently. This couch is more comfortable than my bed at home, I think.” He says it casually, but I catch the slight twitch in his jaw when he sayshome. He hides it well, probably because he doesn’t want me to realize it, but it hurt him to leave his home behind, too. That house meant a lot to him; I know that after what he told me the night we camped out.

What does it matter if it hurt him to leave it? It’s his fault.

I push the thought away. After everything he’s done to keep me safe, it feels unnecessarily mean and cruel. But at the same time, isn’t it true?

I squeeze my eyes shut for a moment before reopening them and reaching for the tray of food. I’m too overwhelmed to sort through that right now. And I’m also starving, smelling the food.

The breakfast that Ivan ordered is poached eggs with Hollandaise, a waffle that’s perfectly soft and crunchy in all the right spots, crisp bacon, and a glass of what is definitely fresh-squeezed orange juice. I let out a small sigh as I take a sip, letting the deliciousness of the food take a little of my tension away. It’s been a long several days, and even if I can’t relax all the way, I deserve a little bit.

“I was thinking we could go down to the pool this afternoon,” Ivan says casually. “There’s an outdoor one, but also one inside that’s absolutely gorgeous. The outdoor pool isn’t anythingthatdifferent from ones you’ve probably seen before, just bigger, but the indoor is something special.”

I immediately debate the wisdom of letting him see me in the bikini I purchased. I don’t know if it’s wise formeto seehimin just swim trunks. The sexual tension between us has been simmering ever since that night in the tent, and Ivan is the one who stopped us last time.Will he stop me again, if it goes that far? And should he?

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