Page 3 of Ride By Your Side

“You sure?” she asks, the crease between her brow deepening.

“I promise,” I call over my shoulder as I head toward the entrance. It’s not like I picked some fancy-ass hotel, anyway. While the town we’ve landed in looks somewhat small, it’s bigger than Evergreen Grove, so that has to count for something.

Back home, there’s only one place to stay: a small bed-and-breakfast. Here, there at least seems to be a few familiar chains, along with some unknowns. Playing it extra safe, I opted for one of the bigger and more well-known brands.

Heading inside, check-in is easy and I get us each our own king-bed suites. I suppose we could have saved some money bysharing a two-queen-bed suite, but I’m pretty sure both of us have had enough of each other’s company for one day.

Plus, it’s clear she’s going through something, and if she’s teetering on the edge of a full-on breakdown, I’m not sure I want to be there for it. I have a sister. Pretty sure I’ve dealt with enough of those moments to last me a lifetime.

With the newly acquired keys in hand, I make my way back outside, where she’s leaning against the passenger side door, phone in hand as she seems to be typing.

“I got our rooms,” I say and she snaps to attention before shoving her phone into the pocket of her jean shorts.

“You know, I really could have gotten it myself,” she reminds me, walking around the front of the car before holding out her hand.

I pass her the key card and set it gently in her palm. “I know, and like I said, I’ve got it. If you really want to pay me back, you can fill up the first tank of gas tomorrow.”

“You’ve got yourself a deal.” She smiles, but it doesn’t quite reach her eyes, and I hate that I notice. Normally, I wouldn’t give Veronica’s moods a second thought—whatever trouble she’s gotten herself tangled in is usually her own doing and well-deserved—but today, I can’t help it. Maybe I should’ve let her bring Blair instead. She’d know the right things to say to make her feel better. Me? When it comes to Veronica, she’s as much of a mystery to me as why anyone would willingly order pineapple on a pizza.

“So, after we settle in, do you want to grab some dinner?” I ask. While we’d stopped for some McDonald’s a few hours ago, I noticed that she’d only picked at her fries, leaving her burger completely untouched. With it now being almost eight o’clock at night, I have to assume she’s starving. I know I am, and I actually ate my entire meal.

“I’m actually not feeling all that hungry,” she admits, reaching into the backseat to grab her packed duffle bag.

My brow furrows. “You sure?” I’m not usually one to care about others’ eating habits, and she’s probably telling the truth, but just because she isn’t hungry doesn’t mean she shouldn’t eat.

“Positive. I think I just want to lie down and sleep away the rest of this awful day,” she explains. I quickly reach for my bag and follow her inside, toward our rooms on the bottom floor.

“So, uh, I guess I’ll just see you tomorrow morning for breakfast?” I ask once we reach our rooms, which are side-by-side.

“Sounds good.” She nods, tapping her key on the keypad before disappearing inside.

I tell myself not to worry about it. She’s not my problem, but I know that’s not quite the truth. While Blair likes to say that she’s a grown woman and can take care of herself, as her older brother, I’ve made it my duty to be there for her. And I know her well enough to understand that making Blair happy means keeping her best friend happy, especially after such a crazy day.

Walking into my own room, I’m at least relieved to see I didn’t pick out a total dump. In fact, it’s kind of nice. Sure, it’s your standard hotel setup with a bathroom immediately to the right, a bed dressed in a loud, overly patterned comforter, and cheap artwork adorning the walls. But it’s clean, and right now, that’s about all I really care about.

I set my bag on the dresser across from the bed before collapsing onto the comforter with a loud ‘oof.’ Okay, so the bed could use some work. Maybe I’m just spoiled since my bed back home is much softer and way more comfortable, but this should work for one night.

I reach for the remote on the nightstand and turn on the television, casually flipping through the channels. While I want nothing more than to relax and shut my brain off for theremainder of the night, my mind betrays me as my thoughts once again drift toward Veronica.

Settling on a random baseball game I hit mute before reaching into my pocket to pull out my phone and begin typing out a message to my sister.

Miles: We found a hotel for the night in some small town in Utah. Just wanted to let you know we got here safe.

Almost instantly, my phone lights up, the familiar three little dots appearing on the screen letting me know she’s already typing a reply.

Blair: Good. How is Ronnie doing?

Miles: Not sure. She hasn’t said much and went straight to her hotel room. She’s also barely eaten anything.

Blair: That’s not like Ronnie. That girl loves to eat. I’ll send her a text, but I think you should make her go out tonight whether she wants to or not.

Miles: I’ll take her wherever, but I’m not forcing her to do anything. It’s already weird enough. Just text her and keep me updated. I’m sure she’d much rather talk to you than me anyway.

I assume she takes my advice as my phone goes silent for a few minutes, until my phone buzzes once more.

Blair: She told me she’s too tired and doesn’t want to go anywhere. She wants to spend a night in, so just gograb her some dinner and bring it to her. I’ll Venmo you the money for it.

Miles: Don’t even think about Venmo’ing me. I’ve got it.

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