Page 45 of A Love So Wrong
Gently prying the papers from his hand, Jade read through them herself and smiled. There were some for bowling, candy shops, one for the movie theater, a private tour of the hotel's botanical gardens and aquarium, and some for in-room movies and room service. "Maybe," she said thoughtfully, and she gave Gideon a big sheepish grin. "But I like them all much better. All we could do before was gamble, drink and go to the hotel's nightclub, all things we are underage for. I much prefer candy shops and bowling."
Gideon frowned and looked back down at her hand, holding the coupons. "Still," he gave a slight pouty grumble. "Even if these are admittedly better, I don’t appreciate the veiled insult."
By the time they made it back to their room, Jade was dead on her feet. After ten games of bowling, a thirty-minute walk of the gardens and aquarium, and two sessions of indoor skydiving, all she wanted to do now was eat and peacefully pass into the afterlife on the nice soft bed.
Kicking off her shoes, Jade pushed aside the stacks of decorative pillows on the couch and laid face down onto the thick, soft cushions, letting out an exhausted groan. She could feel the other end of the couch shift, and she looked up to see Gideon sprawled out against the sofa's back, letting his head hang back.
"I'm hungry," he announced.
For a moment, neither one of them moved. Only the light, almost inaudible sound of their breathing gave any sign of life to the room. Forcing herself to move, Jade reached into her back pocket and pulled out the folded wad of coupons and thrust them forward. Just as tiredly, Gideon grabbed the coupons and fumbled for the phone to his left, sitting on the mirrored table next to the couch. With little to no energy in his voice, he ordered them both some food.
"It's going to be about forty-five minutes," he informed her. "You can shower first, and then I'll go."
Sitting up now, she covered her mouth in a yawn and gestured to the other room. "Why not just use the other bathroom in the other room?" she offered.
"Because I'm not sleeping in that other room tonight, Jade," the savage finality of his words washed away any lingering fatigue replacing it with alarm.
Straightening in her seat, Jade began to nervously pick at the edge of a nearby pillow. "I know," she began in a near whisper. "I mean, I never expected you to," and that was the truth. Ever since they left home, they had been sleeping in such close quarters, she couldn't imagine sleeping apart from him now. "I was just saying you could use the other bathroom and be done at the same time."
She watched as his narrowed eyes and his jaw tightened. There was an unfamiliar rigidity to his lean frame as if the sheer power of his anger were an electrical charge to the air around them. Jade shuddered in fear and something else. It was back, that nameless feeling she had been trying to avoid since they first left the room was back, and she had no idea how to handle it.
Guiltily, Gideon looked away from her running a hand over the back of his neck as he leaned his elbows onto both knees. "No, if they are early," he began evenly. "I don't want to miss it, and we're both in the shower."
The urge to touch him ran like white-hot flames through her veins. Closing her eyes, Jade looked down at her fidgeting hands, anywhere not to look at him. She wanted to pull him to her again to whisper that she loved him, but the more she thought about the bold but honest admission, her heart rate increased, and she felt as if she would pass out.
"Ok," she said, standing up from the couch. "I'll go get cleaned up then."
Without pausing, she walked away.
She was still patting her hair dry with a towel dressed in a clean pair of jeans and a blue and white button-down cropped shirt when the knock came at the door. That was fast, she thought as she glanced at the clock. It had only been twenty or so minutes. Going to the door, she opened it and paused. Only a cart draped in black linen sat at the door. On top was a large gold dome.
Leaning forward, she frowned as she glanced down either side of the empty hall. Pulling the cart in, she eyed it quizzically. She was certain she heard Gideon order at least three or four plates of food, but there was only one dish on the tray. Pushing it to the center of the living room, she stopped and lifted the dome and froze.
Backing away, she stared at it, trying to understand what she was seeing as a slow panic filled her gut.
"Gideon!" she called out, trying not to let her sense of dread turn her voice into a scream as she stared at the note sitting prominently against the black linen.
The note read: "Payback. Installment one."
