Page 56 of Falling

“I can do that,” he says with a smile. I smile back. Yep, I can grow old with this man. “Are you getting hungry? I know I could use a break.”

“Famished. What are you thinking?”

“Nothing that takes too long if we’re going to get there before midnight.”

“Hey, look.” In the distance, I see a giant sign in the shape of a W. “One last burger before I revert back to the world of quinoa and kale?”

“What the lady wants, the lady gets.”

“I like the way you think, Winsloe. Keep it up and you might get a bonus for finishing this trip on time.”

“I like the wayyouthink, Randolph.” He pulls into the parking lot and shuts off the engine. “Now get the lead out. I need that bonus.”

“Tell you what, I’ll throw in some extra incentives if you get me extra pickles,” I tease. He hurries around the SUV to open my door.

“Let’s go.” He takes my hand. “I’ve got a restaurant worth of pickles to buy.”

He pulls the door open and ushers me inside. I find us a table while he places our order. That’s one of the perks of being in a relationship with your best friend that no one tells you about. He knows exactly how I like my burger.

twenty-one

PETER

Even with rushingGeneva through the Whataburger somewhere near Lubbock, we still don’t make it to Austin before midnight. She’s tucked against the window, sleeping soundly. I don’t know how she does that. I’ve never been able to fall asleep in a car. It took me years to finally learn how to sleep on an airplane.

I weave through the downtown streets, hunting for her apartment building. I think I was in it once. It was one of many we looked at. The building might look familiar, but I can’t for the life of me remember anything about the apartment itself.

Finally, I pull into the entrance of the parking garage. Punching in the code I have stored in my phone, I watch as the chain gate opens. It was one of the few things I insisted on. There’s no way I would take a chance on her getting jumped in a dark parking garage.

I weave up the ramp to her assigned space on the second level. Her car is already waiting for her, thanks to Rand.

Pulling into the guest slot next to it, I turn off the Rover. She doesn’t stir. As much as I would like to sit here so she can sleep, we both need to stretch out on a bed.

“Hey, sweetheart. We’re here.”

“Really?” She stretches and sits up. I love it when she’s still sleepy. It’s like watching a kitten wake up. She rubs her eyes and pops the door open. Slowly, she climbs out before stretching the rest of her body.

“I’ll grab the bags.” It’s becoming a daily mantra. We’ve packed and unpacked so many times now, I don’t know how I’ll handle being in one place again.

My arms are loaded down as I follow her through the doors to the elevator. Her apartment is crowded with boxes when we step inside. At least the furniture is in place. I’m sure we have Rand to thank for that too.

“I’ll see if the bed is made,” she says with a yawn. She takes her bag and disappears into the bedroom.

I need something to drink first. The refrigerator doesn’t have much, but there are a few bottles of unopened water. Cracking one open, I finish it in one try. I leave the bottle on the kitchen counter since I don’t see a trash can anywhere. Geneva hasn’t made a reappearance. I pull a bottle of water out of the refrigerator and head for the bedroom.

I guess the bed was made after all, as Geneva is curled up under her comforter. There is a pile of clothes next to the bed where she undressed. I walk into the bathroom to find her personal items spread across the counter. Quickly, I brush my teeth and add my clothes to the pile and crawl into bed next to her.

She moans when I pull her back against my chest. After wiggling around for a minute, she finally sighs before settling back to sleep. Looks like we’ve already solved the problem of sleeping arrangements in our new city. I don’t care where we lay our heads as long as we’re together.

“I love you,” I whisper. She doesn’t answer, but then she doesn’t have to. I already know what’s in her heart.

With a last kiss to her temple, I pull her even closer. I drift off in our new city, safe in the knowledge that we’ve finally arrived exactly where we need to be.

* * *

The next morning, I wake to the sound of gears grinding. Geneva has found her stationary bike. By the way it sounds, she’s got a demon on her tail.

I moan and roll out of bed. The pile of clothes has been tossed into a hamper in the bathroom. Fresh towels hang on the bars. There’s soap and shampoo in the shower. How long has she been up?

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