Page 11 of Head Over Wheels

This reminds me of my luggage. I hope that my bag is in my room when I get back upstairs—I really want to attend. Before we split up, we all follow each other on Instagram and then make plans to rendezvous back at the studio at 7:15p.m.

As I’m leaving the hall, a hand lightly touches my shoulder. I turn around to see Jace, beckoning me to stay behind. Before I can help it, I look behind me to make sure he’s talking to me.

He sees me and gives his head a little shake, waving me over again. Not wanting to embarrass myself any further, I turn to face him. The room has mostly cleared out now, and he pulls me into a little alcove away from prying eyes.

“Hey, I just wanted to make sure you’re feeling okay and see if you need anything else.” He’s looking at me with those clear blue eyes, and I’m trying really hard to stay focussed on his words. That thought leads me to look at his mouth, and those lips. Wow. Not helping the focussing.

“Ella?”

“Yep, hi.” Now he’s looking at me like I’ve lost my mind. Come on girl, get it together. Good thing I only drank ginger ale. “Thanks for checking on me. I’m okay, still going to steer clear of the elevators, but good otherwise. I hope my bag is in my room when I get back.”

“Right, yeah. I hope so too. Why don’t I give you my number so that if it isn’t there, you can text me and I’ll find some gear for you?” He pulls out his phone before I have a chance to keel over in shock. I’m about to put my number into Jace Altman’s phone! I tap the numbers in and send myself a text. I am seriously swooning inside.

“Don’t worry, I promise not to use it unless there’s an emergency,” I rush to reassure him, not wanting him to think I’ll go all fangirl stalker on him.

He lifts an eyebrow. “You don’t have to wait for an emergency, just text me if you need anything. It’s no worry at all.”

I gulp down the lump of emotion that has suddenly risen in my throat. “Wow, that’s really kind of you. Thanks.”

“Okay, I don’t want to hold you up any longer. Go check on your room and just text if anything comes up, okay? I’ll see you at yoga?”

“Yes, for sure. Thanks again.” I’m nodding and smiling and hoping I look like a normal person, not someone who’s doing cartwheels in her head because she’s swapping numbers with Jace. He gestures to the door, and we walk outside and cross the street together. A moment later, we’re laughing as we both, of course, head straight to the hotel stairwell.

CHAPTER 8

As I walk into my room, my shoulders slump in relief when I see my bag on the luggage rack. Not only that, but they’ve also dropped something more on the table by the window. I walk over to get a closer look. There’s a platter of six cookies, looks like a mix of chocolate chip and oatmeal raisin. Yum, that will definitely come in handy later. There’s also a bottle of sparkling water with a card propped against it. It’s addressed to me, and the contents are essentially an apology for the inconvenience earlier with both the elevator and my lack of bag. It also says they’re comping my room for the whole stay, which is amazing news. It was a bit of a splurge coming down for the weekend, and not having to pay for my room almost makes up for the fact that I spent two hours stuck in an elevator. With Jace Altman. That’s never going to get old. My stomach flutters just thinking about it.

I open my bag and do a little organizing and unpacking, and I pull out my outfit for the yoga class. Deciding on my teal tank with black capri leggings, I quickly change out of Deb’s outfit. It feels good to put my own clothing back on, and I fold her things up, wondering when I’ll get a chance to return them. Maybe I can just give them to Jace next time I see him? Looking at the time on the hotel room clock radio, I see that I still have plenty of time before I’m meeting the group. I throw a hoodie over top of my outfit and grab my room key. It’s time to find a bite to eat before class.

As I wander through Gare Centrale, I’m thankful that the train station is attached to the hotel. Makes it the perfect spot to get something quickly without having to brave the elements. I’m deciding between sushi and a gyro when I hear someone say my name. I lift my head and am surprised to see Jeff standing beside me.

“Hey! I guess we both had the same idea about grabbing some food before class.” I nod to his hand which is clutching a Subway sandwich.

“Seemed like the perfect spot to go hunting for food between events.” He gestured with his sandwich.

“I’m just going to grab some sushi, I think.”

“Cool, I’ll wait here, and we can walk back together. If that’s okay?”

“Of course, sure. I’ll just be a sec.”

I hurry over to the sushi counter, and there’s one person ahead of me in line. What a crazy coincidence that we bumped into each other here. It’s such a big place. Oh well, life is weird like that sometimes. I place my order, pay, and then step aside to wait for my food. When I get my container, I turn around to find Jeff watching me.

“Sorry to keep you waiting, I hope that didn’t take too long.”

“No problem at all, I’m happy to wait. Should we walk back?” He nods towards the entrance to the hotel.

“Definitely. We should have just enough time to eat and then meet everyone for yoga.” I’m eyeing my sushi and already thinking about how good it’s going to taste.

Jeff holds up his sandwich. “I was thinking I could eat half now and half later on, after class.”

“Look at you, planning ahead! Very smart. The hotel actually delivered some cookies to my room to make up for the elevator incident, so that will be my post-workout snack.” We’re back in the hotel lobby now, walking towards the elevator bank.

“Cookies are always a great snack. Lucky you.”

“I’m going to stick to the stairs, so I’ll see you at class.” I gesture past the elevators to the stairwell.

“It was nice to run into you Ella, bon appétit.” Jeff hits the button and watches as I head out.

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