Page 27 of Ride By Your Side

With a light groan, I’m reminded once more of where I am as my back begins to ache. I may only be thirty-one, but the constant strain of working on cars and physical labor have certainly taken their toll, leaving it much stiffer and sorer than it should be.

Sitting up, my hand instinctively reaches for the sore spot on my lower back as I blink away the sleep, my eyes taking in the unfortunately now-familiar room. Glancing beside me, I expect to find a still-slumbering Veronica, but the spot is vacant.

Letting my feet hit the floor, I walk toward the sink. The least I can do is freshen up and brush my teeth before she comes outof the bathroom. Before I can even register the massive case of bed-head I have going on from sleeping with wet hair, I become all too aware of the fact that the bathroom door is wide open and the small room is dark, with no annoying little brunette in sight.

With creased brows, my eyes scan back toward the bed. Her phone is resting on the bedside table, still plugged in.

Fuck.Where the hell could she have gone? That woman has her phone attached to her at all times, only causing the panic to intensify. She wouldn’t leave without it, would she? Plus, where the hell could she have gone? We’re in the middle of fucking nowhere.

Spinning around, I spot my keys sitting exactly where I left them on the dresser. That means there is literally nowhere that she could have gone on her own. Panic claws at my throat, and my heart pounds against my chest. It seems nearly impossible that I could've slept through someone abducting her, but the fear still tightens its grip on me as I rush toward the door and yank it open.

I’m not sure if I should be relieved or annoyed when I see Veronica’s wide, earthy eyes staring back at me, door key in hand, having been just about to use it to let herself in.

“What are you doing?” she asks first, her brows shooting upward in confusion.

My frustration builds. “What am I doing? What the hell are you doing?!” I snap, not able to keep my voice from rising.

“I was getting breakfast,” she casually explains, inching past me with four packs of donuts in hand—two powdered and two chocolate.

“Fuck, Vee!” I curse, my voice sharper than intended as I exhale a ragged breath, huffing in sheer frustration. Slamming the door shut, I run a hand through my unruly hair. My heart is pounding so hard it’s almost painful as the adrenaline still courses through my veins. “I thought—” my voice cracks,the words sticking in my throat as anger and relief battle for dominance within me. “I thought something happened to you.”

“Like what?” she asks, a playful grin spreading across her face. She clearly has no idea what I just went through as the small haul she carries spills onto the bed and she casually settles down next to it, annoyingly clueless.

“I don’t know, but we’re in the middle of who the fuck knows where, and with you leaving your phone behind, I honestly thought someone had kidnapped you or something.”

“Are you serious?” she asks, a soft laugh escaping her lips as she picks up a small pack of white powdered donuts and rips it open. “You really think someone could kidnap me without you knowing? I mean, come on,” she continues, taking a donut out of the package. “You really think that low of me? You don’t think I’d put up a fight?”

“With you, who knows? They’d probably only have to show up with some candy or a puppy, and you’d willingly hop into a sketchy white van, no questions asked.”

She dips her head, clearly not impressed as she takes a bite, sending a dusting of white powder spilling over her lips. “I’m not that bad,” she argues, speaking through the mess with a playful smirk.

“I don’t know, you bought into what Pete West was selling, so I’m not exactly sure I trust your judgment,” I counter, my words sharp enough to finally cut through her playful facade. It’s clear I’ve crossed a line as an uncomfortable silence follows.

“Fine. I’m an idiot. Is that what you wanted to hear?” she asks, her voice barely a whisper, her frown deepening.

I let out a breath and move to sit beside her, gently placing a hand on her knee. “You’re not an idiot, Vee. I shouldn’t have said that. I don’t know what’s wrong with me. I guess I was just really freaked out and worried when I woke up this morning and saw that you weren’t here.”

While my words seem to placate her somewhat, there’s still a tension in her posture. “Sorry, I was...” she begins, hesitating for a moment. “I was hungry, and I guess I just didn’t want to wake you,” she finally adds, her gaze dropping to my resting hand, where my thumb unconsciously brushes small circles over the fabric of her pants.

As the realization sets in, I quickly pull my hand away and stand up. “Well, I wish you had. I’m not sure I like the idea of you wandering around this place without me.”

“You’ve made it incredibly clear that you don’t trust my judgment, but I am, in fact, a grown woman and know how to take care of myself. I promise I didn’t go around talking to strangers. And if it makes you feel any better, the only person I spoke to was Ralph.”

“Ralph?” I repeat, not sure how hearing some random guy’s name is supposed to make me feel any better. And a Ralph? Seriously? Who thefuckis named Ralph?

“Yes. Ralph. The front desk guy. And not only was he far from intimidating with his eighty-year-old frame, but he was also incredibly sweet, even helping me pick out what to eat for breakfast. Plus, I’m not sure anyone would want to approach me, given mysexyoutfit,” she adds, glancing down at her mismatched self.

I finally take a moment to really look at her. She’s still wearing the same pajama pants from the night before, but the matching button-up top is gone, replaced by an oversized band T-shirt that looks like it was probably stolen from Blair’s closet.

“Wait, you changed?” I blurt out, somewhat confused. Sure, I can understand wanting to change out of your pajamas before going out in public, but why only change the top?

“Kind of,” she says, a soft flush rising to her cheeks. “I got hot last night and ditched the top.”

Nodding, I step forward and snatch one of the chocolate packs of donuts. It’s not my typical choice for breakfast, but in a place like this—where there’s no hot meal and only a small gift shop—it’ll have to do.

“So, what exactly is the plan for the day?” she asks as she pulls another donut out for herself.

“Well, first things first, I need to figure out where the closest tire shop is. Then from there, we can figure out what we want to do. Were you still thinking we should hit up Vegas?”

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