Page 43 of Out of the Dark

"Look." He points to my other side, out the window, and keeps his arm wrapped around me.

I take a deep breath and look out the window, and my breath is stolen from me again, but not out of fear. The city is disappearing in the distance, the massive skyscrapers looking like nothing more than toys on the ground from this angle.

I turn to Mark. "Thank you."

"Anytime," he replies with a soft smile. His finger traces slow, soothing circles on my arm. I’m not even sure if he knows if he’s doing it.

I turn to look back out the window, but before I do, I catch sight of Shane smirking from the other side of the plane and Dani sitting next to him with an excited smile. To them, it probably looks like Mark and I have started dating or something.

Fat chance.

But even despite my brushing off that possibility, there’s a part of me that wishes it could be true. I won’t push him, mostly because I know he won’t budge on it, but my feelings for him are growing stronger by the day. I’ll just have to do my best to hide them and hope that things work out until I inevitably find my own place to live.

Two months ago, that thought would have excited me beyond all reason—being able to afford my own apartment, having friends in the city—but now the idea of moving out of Mark’s leaves a hollow feeling in my chest.

After thirty minutes or so of staring out the window, Ilean my head back against the cushion of the seat and close my eyes. The adrenaline rush I just had combined with my lack of sleep last night have left my body weighed down with exhaustion.

I don’t even realize I’ve fallen asleep until I wake to Mark’s hand gently shaking my shoulder.

"Sorry to wake you, but we’ll be descending soon, and I didn’t want you to wake up scared that we were falling or anything." There’s a tiny, playful smirk on his lips, but I can’t find myself to be annoyed with him. He’s been so gentle with me today in a way that makes me feel closer to him. Maybe too much closer to him.

"Thank you," I manage to say through a yawn.

He was right—the descent isn’t quite as terrifying as the ascent was, but the way my stomach drops as we go lower is still nerve-wracking.

But we’re slowly getting closer to the ground, and I can now fully see the blue waters, sandy beaches, and vivid green palm trees. I don’t even realize I’m smiling until I turn to Mark to find him already watching me with something like affection in his eyes, and suddenly my heart is beating faster for an entirely different reason.

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

CLAIRE

There’s a driver already waiting for us when we exit the plane, and as we step onto the asphalt, I couldn’t be more grateful for steady ground. I don’t even want to think about the fact that I’ll have to do that all over again a few days from now.

Shane whispers something to Dani then smacks her ass as she climbs into the sleek black SUV, and she giggles and feigns protest. Mark rolls his eyes at them, but his lips quirk up at the corners. We follow suit, slipping into the car, and I spend the entire ride marveling at the scenery as we head to the hotel.

I knew places could look like this, if only from photographs or illustrations, but experiencing it is entirely different than what I expected. It’s not just the scenery—itfeelsdifferent, too. The climate is obviously warmer, but the air is filled with a calm energy that’s opposite the hustle and bustle of Chicago. It could just be all in my head, but from thecontent smiles on the faces of people we pass on the street, it seems I’m not alone.

Since it’s still mid-afternoon, we all grab lunch at a small local restaurant while the driver brings our luggage to the hotel Shane booked. Afterward, Dani declares that she’s taking me shopping with her while the men "do their own thing." It’s clear that neither of the guys expected that, but Shane simply shrugs and says something to Mark about grabbing a drink.

After lunch, Dani and I head to a cute downtown area to do some shopping. She seems like she’s up to something, but I can’t exactly straight-out ask.

So instead, I ask, "What are we shopping for?"

"Well, I need a new swimsuit and maybe a couple sundresses, and I figured I’d treat you to a shopping trip for being nice enough to join us on this trip."

"Oh, you don’t have to do that," I say. "I brought a swimsuit and enough clothes. You guys already paid for everything else, which was already way too generous."

She frowns. "Please? I haven’t been shopping with a girl friend in soooo long, and it’s no fun if I’m the only one getting things."

"Fine," I concede. "But only one or two things."

"Yay!" She grabs my hand and leads me into the first shop that catches her interest. After perusing the racks for a few minutes, she asks me, "What does your swimsuit look like?"

"It’s a one-piece but with shorts that go over it. It’s light purple." I shrug. It was something I had bought not long after Mark had told me we were taking this trip. It’s cute but a little boring, especially compared to the wide range of options here. But swimsuit shopping in Chicago in early March isn’t exactly the easiest feat, and I’ve never worn anything so exposing, so I played it safe.

Dani makes a disapproving sound before saying, "Well, that won’t do."

"What do you mean?"

---