Page 89 of Let It Be Me
Me: I am begging you to not say anything to her until we all talk.
Kam: Okay…well, I’ll do my best to ignore that you texted me at all.
Me: I’m sure Mason will have no problem getting you to forget.
Kam: He does do that thing with his tongue that I love.
Emily: EW!
Me: Party foul!
I exit our thread to check hotels in Charleston. Wanting a bit more of an escape, I find one with vacancies in Charleston Village and book it for five days. That should be enough time. Plus we’ll be close to all of the touristy spots that I’ve always found to be romantic.
“I booked our hotel!” I shout so he hears through the bathroom door.
Said door opens and steam billows out. My mouth dries at the sight of Riley with a towel wrapped around his waist and his chest still damp from the shower.
He snorts and my attention trails up to his smirking face. “That was fast.”
“If I didn’t do it now, I’d never do it. We just need to book our flight.”
“I’ll take care of that,” he tells me.
We settle into domestic bliss for the rest of the afternoon. With him I’ve never felt so at peace or at ease in the little things. Some moments I pinch myself or psych myself out and think that what he and I have is too good to be true. That I’m held hostage somewhere, drugged up, and at any moment whoever is holding me hostage will let up on the drugs and I’ll wake up in my life before Riley. So I don’t take any moment with him for granted.
32
RILEY
We touchdown in Charleston and immediately fight through the cluster of other passengers to grab our bags and to get a good rental car. The sliding doors open and humidity slaps us both in the face.
“Welcome to South Carolina, Riley,” Sarah presents the outside to me like she’s Vanna White.
“Is it always so wet?”
“Not all the time,” she says and holds her hand out, tipping it back and forth. “But we are coming up on the hotter months, which means the humidity will be at an all time high.”
“You’re lucky I love you. I wouldn’t brave this weather for anyone.”
“I’m honored,” she jokes as we get the key for our car.
The instructions for how to find our car is easy enough and we argue over who’s set to drive. But Sarah being the native, wins that she already knows where to go and that I should just enjoy the drive. While driving there, Sarah’s hand wraps around mine and I take in the view. Palmetto trees occupy almost every empty space and it’s just sobeautiful down here. Thirty minutes later, she pulls into the entrance of our hotel.
I turn to Sarah with my eyes wide.
“I don’t want to hear a thing about how expensive this might be.” She says and holds a finger to my lip to stop me from doing just that when she parks.
If I’m careful with where my money goes, Sarah is even more careful. We both obscenely track our expenses and save every receipt for our monthly purchases. Which aren’t a lot as we’re both homebodies. But when we do spend our money, we keep track of where it goes.
After we’re checked in and parked, we make our way to our room. It’s a simple one bed with an incredible view of downtown. I don’t expect us to spend much time here so I don’t pay too much attention to the details.
“Let’s go get some food. What are you in the mood for?” Sarah asks and puts her things in her small Chanel clutch.
“Something light. Seafood, maybe?”
She nods her head with a smile. “Now, that I can do. There’s one within walking distance.”
Hand in hand, we walk to the restaurant. Sarah plays tour guide on our walk and her joy while here is something I don’t even think she notices. But I won’t be the one to point it out to her.
