||Twenty-seven||

"You said we wouldn't have to stay at a motel."

Tom fidgeted. "I may have underestimated the distance."

I sighed, rubbing my temples. "You've got to be kidding me."

"I'll pay for it," said Jesse.

"You don't have to-"

"I don't mind."

"But-" Tom tried to continue, but Jesse only waved him off.

"Come on, we need to get our rooms."

With that, Jesse and Tom walked away from the van and made their way towards the motel's entrance.

I sighed. "Great. Next thing you know it, we'll have to share a room."

Ian laughed. "I don't think our luck could be that bad."

--

"I freakin' called it," I muttered angrily, throwing all my belongings down on the mattress.

Ian frowned. "How can a motel run out of rooms? It's a motel."

I shook my head. "Apparently all the other rooms are under maintenance."

Ian sighed and fell back against the bed, his arms spread out beside him. "Oh, well."

I glanced at him one last time before turning away. "I'll sleep on the floor."

Ian sat up suddenly. "No, I'll do it. I'm used to sleeping on the floor."

"Which is exactly why it should be me sleeping on the floor."

"Nate..."

"Ian..." I mimicked.

Ian sighed for the hundredth time. "I don't get why we can't just sleep in the van."

I gave him a look, then shook my head. "Maybe you do deserve to sleep on the floor."

"Case closed," he said, moving away from the bed. "I'll get someone to set up a mattress."

"Could you grab something for us to eat?"

He nodded. "Sure."

He left, shutting the door behind him gently.

I released a long sigh of relief before falling against the stiff bed. I stared up at the ceiling, my eyes fixated on a particular dark stain near the light bulb.

Perhaps it wouldn't be so bad. Perhaps we'll get along together quite well and become great friends. That was the main purpose of Ian coming along anyway. So we could both put what happened behind us.

I rolled to my side, and with a few hand stretches, I managed to grab the TV remote from the night stand.

Finally relaxing, I switched on the TV and began my brain frying session.

--

I woke up with a start.

The single window by the corner of our minuscule room had its curtain drawn shut. Someone had turned the television off while I was sleeping, taken my shoes off, and had thrown a blanket over my body while they were probably freezing their toes off.

I frowned, squinting against the darkness as I wrapped the blanket around me tightly. I rolled off the bed and almost stumbled over my own feet as I tried to navigate my way to the bathroom. I pressed my finger against the light switch and the bulb at the center of the ceiling flickered for a few seconds.

I left the lights on and the door open a few inches before walking into the room again. My eyes landed on the mattress set up on the floor and I sighed, running my fingers through my hair. I grabbed the blanket off the bed, gathering it all in my arms as I walked over to the mattress, and spread it over Ian's shivering body.

He turned to his side, giving me a clear view of his face which looked just as good as it did when he was awake. Yet his expression was softer than I was accustomed to. When a few strands of his hair fell over his closed eyes, I found myself reaching forward with a hesitant hand as my heart grew rather tight in my chest.

I felt his soft hair beneath my skin, releasing a nervous breath as I pushed his hair back, my fingers lingering over his skin for a moment before I pulled it away. I held the edge of the blanket in my hand and pulled it over him again, making sure he was well covered and his feet were tucked underneath.

He stopped shivering and curled around himself with a content sigh.

I smiled a little and turned, when I felt a hand wrap around my wrist.

My heart dropped and I turned around as I was pulled back to the mattress.

Ian sat up slowly, not even rubbing the sleep out of his eyes as he stared at me curiously.

With his other hand, Ian lifted the edge of the blanket and made room on the tiny mattress.

"Come here," he whispered.

I swallowed. "I can't."

"Why not?"

I looked away, and Ian let go of my wrist.

"I can't," I said again, weakly.

"Please," his voice strained as he begged. "I don't want you to freeze."

"It's okay. I'll just stay up."

"No," he said, suddenly fully awake. "I want you to."

My throat constricted and I felt all air escape my lungs. "Okay," I whispered.

Ian moved over and I found myself sliding in next to him as if I wasn't fully conscience.

I was instantly enveloped into warmth and I felt myself relax beneath the blanket, even if I was aware of Ian's close proximity.

"Nate."

I turned over and was met with Ian's green eyes. "Yeah?"

"I think Dev wants to break up with me."

My stomach twisted in a terribly painful knot. "No, he doesn't."

"He does," Ian said sadly.

"Ian-"

"No. That's not the worst bit."

I bit my lip. "What do you mean?"

He shifted so that his arm lay beneath his head as he held my gaze. "The worst part is that in this moment, I don't think I could care less."

My heart thumped. "You don't mean that."

"But I do," he whispered.

Then, with head leaning against the hander under his jaw, he inched closer and I felt my eyes widen.

"Ian, what are you doing?" I asked in a whisper.

"I'm trying to kiss you," he whispered back, and he leaned closer and closer to me until our lips brushed ever so lightly.

"We shouldn't."

I couldn't stop staring down at his lips.

His eyes fluttered shut and his lips met mine in a soft kiss that had me feeling lightheaded. I couldn't move, and I felt Ian slowly moving even closer to me. His lips moved, but it was long, sweet and lazy. It was so relaxing that I felt it was perfectly okay to be kissing him.

When he pulled away, I felt like I had just woken up from a dream.

Unlike the last time we kissed, Ian did not try pushing me away. Instead, he stared at me with deep contemplation drawn across the features of his face.

I swallowed hard, not knowing what to expect next.

"I'm sorry," he murmured.

I shivered. Not because it was cold but because he was still close to me. So close that I just...I couldn't do it.

No matter how much I wanted to pull him against him, I couldn't. I was unable to move an inch of my body.

"For what?" I chocked, voice cracking.

"Kissing you."

My heart clenched but I nodded understandingly and turned around so I no longer faced him. It was too much.

"You're not going to say anything?"

I felt his breath on the back of my neck, and felt the little hairs on my skin stand on edge.

"I don't know what to say."

Then I felt his hand on my hip and he was suddenly pulling himself closer to me, throwing an arm over my waist so we were practically spooning.

I stiffened, but it felt so good at the same time that I made no move to push him away.

I closed my eyes and somehow, even with my heart beating wildly and my mind racing, I fell asleep.

--

"What do you guys feel like having for breakfast?" Tom asked as we all fastened our seat belts and settled in Jesse's van once again.

This time, I climbed in first and sat by the window, and much to my surprise, Ian sat right next to me.

Ian leaned closer to me.

"I have an idea or two," he whispered, his breath warm and minty against my skin.

I felt my face grow several shades of red.

Ian noticed my expression and sent me a smirk before leaning away.

"Pancakes," I blurted, in answer to Tom's question.

Tom hummed thoughtfully. "I think the diner might have everything we all want."

"Yeah," Jesse agreed.

Jesse drove us to the diner where we each had our choice of breakfast.

Somehow, through it all, I still had this feeling of denial. It felt as if I hadn't done what I had last night. As if I hadn't felt what I felt.

Yet I couldn't stop thinking about it either.

It made my heart race and my cheeks all warm and my stomach fuzzy.

I also felt disgust, like a bitter aftertaste that I could not get rid of no matter how many times I tried scrubbing it off with a toothbrush.

"Are you all right?" Tom asked.

I felt everybody's eyes on me, which made me feel even worse. I did not want to ruin this trip for anyone.

"I'm okay," I said, "just sleepy."

I even tried to fake a smile, which seemed to convince both Jesse and Tom, but not Ian.

He held my gaze a bit longer, and I noticed his smirk was no longer in sight.

"I need to use the bathroom," he said, standing from his seat.

Jesse and Tom were too busy discussing the menu to notice. Using that to my advantage, I slid out of my seat as quietly as I could and followed Ian to the bathroom.

He opened the door for us both and checked under the stalls.

Then he turned to me and I licked my lips nervous as I tried to act normal.

"Look, I know you don't like what I did last night."

"Then why'd you do it?" I asked.

He stepped closer to me. "It felt like the right thing to do."

"It wasn't."

"You didn't exactly push me away," he pointed out.

I shook my head. "I can't do this."

I turned to leave for the door but he stopped me when he said, "I want you."

I froze.

"Nate, did you hear me?"

"You don't," I said.

My voice was low, I was surprised he could hear me.

"I do. I don't know what happened after I kissed you. It's...addicting, as cheesy as that sounds."

I turned against my will, so that I could see him standing closer to me than I thought.

"That doesn't make sense. You're with Dev."

"I know."

"He's my best friend."

"Is he?"

I felt a flare of anger go off somewhere in the back of my mind. "What are you talking about?"

He held his hands up. "It just doesn't seem like it."

I frowned.

If Devin wasn't my best friend...I had nobody.

"You don't know what you're saying," I said.

He genuinely looked sorry for me. "You keep secretes from him all the time, Nate. If he's really your best friend, you wouldn't do that."

"How would you know anyway?"

"I had a best friend too."

"Had?"

Ian nodded. "Yeah, life happened, and now I don't."

"It doesn't matter," I said. "Even if we're not best friends I still wouldn't hurt him like this."

"I get it."

I blinked. "What?"

Ian shrugged. "I get it. I'll stop."

"Really?"

"If you say you want me to. I want to hear it coming from you."

"Ian..."

He moved closer to me, and I took a few steps back until I was pressed against the bathroom door.

"Say it."

"I..."

His hand cupped my chin and I felt his thumb trace my jaw line ever so lightly. "Come on, Nate."

I closed my eyes, trying to control my thoughts before they got too wild.

"I don't want this," I forced the words out.

He retracted and I released a deep breath.

"I'll stay away," he said.

I nodded, tongue tied.

"We should go back," he said.

I nodded again, then felt like an idiot when I realized I was the one stopping us from rejoining Jesse and Tom.

I moved aside.

Ian gave me one last look before pulling the door open.

"Where were you guys?" Tom asked.

"Bathroom," Ian answered.

Tom frowned. "What? Together?"

Ian laughed and I felt my heart squeeze over the fact that he could do something so casual as laugh while I felt anything but relaxed.

"We were just talking," Ian explained.

Tom nodded in understanding and hurriedly changed the subject before anyone could say anything else.

I glanced back at Ian and wondered what had made him such a great liar.

I winced. I wanted to know more about him. Things he hadn't told anyone.

It scared me how much I wanted to know more.

It hurt even more how much I just couldn't.

Hiii!

Question: do you have any creepy ghost stories? Like real life encounters?

Thanks again for reading! I really appreciate everyone's support and I feel like I never express that enough <3