Chapter 8
Somehow…during the interminable bus ride she had fallen asleep, he realized with a smile. Nameless cities whirred past. Their lights low. The whole world was sleeping. But for him. His mind was too busy. What had he done? What had they done? He couldn't close his eyes. Then reality would set in. For the first time in his life, he jumped without looking. What did the future hold? Would they ever be able to outrun their past? Was it possible?
"Luis?" Her blue eyes were puffy from sleep. Her blond curls tousled. He raised a hand and brushed his knuckles across her cheek. "You have a red spot. Right there," he teased. "From where you were leaning against the window." "And my neck hurts, too," she pouted. "Where are we?" she asked softly. Trailing a hand down the window. "What time is it?" He laughed, and she looked at him curiously. "So many questions. I'm not sure where we are," he answered. "But we're going south. We're hours away from them, Princess. What?" Luis asked curiously at the look on her face. "Nothing," she murmured with a coy smile. Princess.
"Luis…you never answered my other question," she yawned. "It's early," he smirked. "Too early. Go back to sleep, Sheridan." She shifted around in the seat for several minutes. "Luis…I can't get comfortable. Can I…" He held his arms open, and she snuggled close. Her head resting above his heart. "Thank you, Luis." The steady beat of his heart lulled her back to sleep. Luis buried his nose in her soft hair and breathed in deeply. "Holding you feels too good."
The bus lurched to a stop. Wheels screeching. "Wake up, Sleepyhead," he teased. "Luis," Sheridan whined as he slid an arm around her waist and tugged her up. She leaned against him heavily. "We're here." "Where's here?" she grumbled. Rubbing the sleep from her eyes. "Let's go find out," he grabbed her hand. She threw her backpack over her shoulder and followed.
"Luis! The sun's coming up!" she said excitedly. Dropping her backpack to the ground beside her. "Sher…Wait!" He grasped the key that dangled from the manager's pinkie and shoved it into his pocket. His feet sank deep into the sand as he trudged forward. His dark eyes searching. And finding her. Frolicking in the waves. "It's so beautiful," she whispered in awe. Dropping down beside him. Sea water dripping and trickling down her arms. Her blue eyes shining. "Sunset or sunrise?" "You first," he grinned. "Sunrise. The beginning of a new day," she explained. "But I love the sunset, too. Especially over the ocean. It's amazing. All the colors stretching for forever. What about you, Luis?" "Sunrise," he said. Staring into her eyes. Especially the glow it gave HER.
"Thank you, Luis," she whispered. "Thank you for…" "Thank me for what? You made the decision. It was all you." "Well…thank you anyway," she laughed. Swiping at the bothersome tears that escaped despite her best effort. "And it wasn't all me," she refuted stubbornly. Brown eyes stared into blue, and Luis felt something pulling him closer. Inch by inch. His eyes shifted to her lips, and his hand rose of its own volition to cup her jaw. He could almost taste her on his lips when…Sheridan's stomach growled. And she doubled over in a fit of laughter. "I'm hungry, Luis." He pulled her to her feet. "Come on."
"Forgetting something, Princess?" "What?" Sheridan shrugged her shoulders. "We can't go in anywhere looking like this," he said. Pointing at her with a smile. "Hey! You don't look so good yourself, Lo-Fitz!" she shot back. "I'm not dripping wet and covered with sand either," he retorted. "No sand, huh? How'd you manage that little magic trick, Luis? Sounds impossible to me." "Okay, Smartypants. So I do have a little sand on me, but you…you look like $#!^," he smirked. "UH! Take it back! Right now," she demanded. Advancing on him. "Okay…you look…I can't take it back," he grinned. "I'd be lying." "Luis," Sheridan's blue eyes flashed angrily. But Luis wasn't fooled. She wanted so hard to laugh.
"Fine. I look…awful," she conceded. "Just give me my room key so I can go get cleaned up. Please," she pleaded. Luis dangled the single key in front of her nose. "Where's mine?" she asked puzzledly. "We're not…Luis! Where will you sleep?" "If you think I'm giving up the bed for you…" "Well you're not sleeping WITH me," she grumbled. No, Luis thought. Definitely not that. Maybe he SHOULD get another room. This might prove to be a problem. He couldn't think straight when she was too close. Like she was right now. "No," he rolled his eyes. "Listen…we'll work this out later. I thought you said you were hungry." "I am," Sheridan whined. When he snatched the key back out of her reach. "Luis! Give me the key!"
"No way. You're not going in the room like THAT." "Ugh!" Sheridan groaned. Doing her best impersonation of a spoiled brat. Apparently hours and hours on a Greyhound bus didn't agree with her. "And how am I going to fix that?" she snapped. Luis picked up the hose at his feet. "Luis…Luis…NO!" she shrieked as he twisted the nozzle and icy water jetted out. Drenching her. "I am so going to get you for that," she chattered. Wrestling him for the hose. Luis trapped her between his arms and pushed her up against the wall. Directing the spray at her with an evil grin. "What's the matter, Princess?" he teased. As she tried desperately to escape. Her soft body wiggling against him. "Luis," she begged. "Please…please stop," she shivered. He turned the nozzle off and let it drop to the ground. That damn pull again. He was beginning to think it was useless to fight it. His hands framed her face. His lips barely grazed hers…"Get a room!" a grizzled faced old man barked. "We already…damn," he swore under his breath when he realized what she had done. "Little minx. Sheridan!" he yelled. Jogging to catch up with her. "Great," he muttered to himself. Girls always used up all the hot water. Didn't matter, though. A cold shower seemed more in order anyway.
Somehow…during the interminable bus ride she had fallen asleep, he realized with a smile. Nameless cities whirred past. Their lights low. The whole world was sleeping. But for him. His mind was too busy. What had he done? What had they done? He couldn't close his eyes. Then reality would set in. For the first time in his life, he jumped without looking. What did the future hold? Would they ever be able to outrun their past? Was it possible?
"Luis?" Her blue eyes were puffy from sleep. Her blond curls tousled. He raised a hand and brushed his knuckles across her cheek. "You have a red spot. Right there," he teased. "From where you were leaning against the window." "And my neck hurts, too," she pouted. "Where are we?" she asked softly. Trailing a hand down the window. "What time is it?" He laughed, and she looked at him curiously. "So many questions. I'm not sure where we are," he answered. "But we're going south. We're hours away from them, Princess. What?" Luis asked curiously at the look on her face. "Nothing," she murmured with a coy smile. Princess.
"Luis…you never answered my other question," she yawned. "It's early," he smirked. "Too early. Go back to sleep, Sheridan." She shifted around in the seat for several minutes. "Luis…I can't get comfortable. Can I…" He held his arms open, and she snuggled close. Her head resting above his heart. "Thank you, Luis." The steady beat of his heart lulled her back to sleep. Luis buried his nose in her soft hair and breathed in deeply. "Holding you feels too good."
The bus lurched to a stop. Wheels screeching. "Wake up, Sleepyhead," he teased. "Luis," Sheridan whined as he slid an arm around her waist and tugged her up. She leaned against him heavily. "We're here." "Where's here?" she grumbled. Rubbing the sleep from her eyes. "Let's go find out," he grabbed her hand. She threw her backpack over her shoulder and followed.
"Luis! The sun's coming up!" she said excitedly. Dropping her backpack to the ground beside her. "Sher…Wait!" He grasped the key that dangled from the manager's pinkie and shoved it into his pocket. His feet sank deep into the sand as he trudged forward. His dark eyes searching. And finding her. Frolicking in the waves. "It's so beautiful," she whispered in awe. Dropping down beside him. Sea water dripping and trickling down her arms. Her blue eyes shining. "Sunset or sunrise?" "You first," he grinned. "Sunrise. The beginning of a new day," she explained. "But I love the sunset, too. Especially over the ocean. It's amazing. All the colors stretching for forever. What about you, Luis?" "Sunrise," he said. Staring into her eyes. Especially the glow it gave HER.
"Thank you, Luis," she whispered. "Thank you for…" "Thank me for what? You made the decision. It was all you." "Well…thank you anyway," she laughed. Swiping at the bothersome tears that escaped despite her best effort. "And it wasn't all me," she refuted stubbornly. Brown eyes stared into blue, and Luis felt something pulling him closer. Inch by inch. His eyes shifted to her lips, and his hand rose of its own volition to cup her jaw. He could almost taste her on his lips when…Sheridan's stomach growled. And she doubled over in a fit of laughter. "I'm hungry, Luis." He pulled her to her feet. "Come on."
"Forgetting something, Princess?" "What?" Sheridan shrugged her shoulders. "We can't go in anywhere looking like this," he said. Pointing at her with a smile. "Hey! You don't look so good yourself, Lo-Fitz!" she shot back. "I'm not dripping wet and covered with sand either," he retorted. "No sand, huh? How'd you manage that little magic trick, Luis? Sounds impossible to me." "Okay, Smartypants. So I do have a little sand on me, but you…you look like $#!^," he smirked. "UH! Take it back! Right now," she demanded. Advancing on him. "Okay…you look…I can't take it back," he grinned. "I'd be lying." "Luis," Sheridan's blue eyes flashed angrily. But Luis wasn't fooled. She wanted so hard to laugh.
"Fine. I look…awful," she conceded. "Just give me my room key so I can go get cleaned up. Please," she pleaded. Luis dangled the single key in front of her nose. "Where's mine?" she asked puzzledly. "We're not…Luis! Where will you sleep?" "If you think I'm giving up the bed for you…" "Well you're not sleeping WITH me," she grumbled. No, Luis thought. Definitely not that. Maybe he SHOULD get another room. This might prove to be a problem. He couldn't think straight when she was too close. Like she was right now. "No," he rolled his eyes. "Listen…we'll work this out later. I thought you said you were hungry." "I am," Sheridan whined. When he snatched the key back out of her reach. "Luis! Give me the key!"
"No way. You're not going in the room like THAT." "Ugh!" Sheridan groaned. Doing her best impersonation of a spoiled brat. Apparently hours and hours on a Greyhound bus didn't agree with her. "And how am I going to fix that?" she snapped. Luis picked up the hose at his feet. "Luis…Luis…NO!" she shrieked as he twisted the nozzle and icy water jetted out. Drenching her. "I am so going to get you for that," she chattered. Wrestling him for the hose. Luis trapped her between his arms and pushed her up against the wall. Directing the spray at her with an evil grin. "What's the matter, Princess?" he teased. As she tried desperately to escape. Her soft body wiggling against him. "Luis," she begged. "Please…please stop," she shivered. He turned the nozzle off and let it drop to the ground. That damn pull again. He was beginning to think it was useless to fight it. His hands framed her face. His lips barely grazed hers…"Get a room!" a grizzled faced old man barked. "We already…damn," he swore under his breath when he realized what she had done. "Little minx. Sheridan!" he yelled. Jogging to catch up with her. "Great," he muttered to himself. Girls always used up all the hot water. Didn't matter, though. A cold shower seemed more in order anyway.