David pulled his bike into the parking lot of a small motel. He could feel
the sun pressing against the sky, waiting to rise. The Boys pulled in next
to him and Lily parked the car on the other side of the Boys.
"I'll get us a room." He said and went into the office.
Lily and Marko walked over to Dwayne and Paul. "He's cutting it kinda close, isn't he?" Lily asked, noticing the faintly lightening sky and the Boys' agitation.
"Yeah." Dwayne hunched over in his jacket, looking at the ground. The other Boys were silent.
David appeared a moment later. "Room 15, in the back." He told them, climbing onto his bike.
The others nodded and Lily got back into the car. She followed him around the back of the motel and parked. She grabbed a bag from the back seat and locked up before following the Boys into the room.
David locked the door while Paul and Dwayne covered the window with one of the heavy bedspreads. Marko tossed Lily a towel and she tucked at the base of the door.
"That was kinda close David." Paul remarked. David looked at him and shrugged.
"I lost track of time." He said. He tossed his coat on the chair by the door. Lily quickly retreated to the bathroom, unwilling to be a part of the brewing argument.
"Lost track of time? Are you trying to kill us?" Dwayne asked. Marko wisely followed Lily into the bathroom, shutting the door behind him.
"Dwayne's right. It's not like David to be so unaware of sunrise." Lily told him as she pulled on a T-shirt to sleep in.
Marko gave her a half smile. "He's been out of it since we came back. I think he's still adjusting to not being dead."
Something heavy slammed into the wall next to them and they both jumped. Lily looked at Marko sheepishly and they laughed.
"Well, someone's getting the crap beat out of him. Think its David?" Lily whispered.
Marko laughed. "Not likely."
A knock on the door made them jump again. Marko opened the door a crack. Dwayne was on the other side.
"Its safe to come out."
Marko opened the door all the way and looked around the corner. He smirked at what he saw and motioned for Lily to come out.
David was sitting on the bed next to the bathroom, rubbing his jaw. Paul was on the other side of the room massaging his knuckles.
"Oh, Paul, you didn't." Lily shook her head.
Paul shrugged. "He asked for it."
"Like hell I did." David growled and lunged for Paul. Lily stepped between them and pushed David back.
"Stop it. You deserved whatever you got. And it's all over now." She put her hand on his jaw. Reluctantly, he nodded. She looked over her shoulder at Paul. He glared at David but nodded. "Good. Now we can get some sleep." She crawled into one of the beds, exhaustion catching up with her.
David kicked off his boots and climbed in next to her, pulling her into his arms. Dwayne looked at the other two before taking his place on the other side of Lily.
Marko looked at Paul and shrugged. He flopped back on the other bed, curling up in a fetal position like he often did when he slept. Paul shook his head and crawled into the other side of the bed, pulling the covers over his head.
A knocking noise woke Lily. She opened her eyes confused for a moment about where she was. The knocking grew louder and she heard a Hispanic voice call out.
"Housekeeping!" There was a rattle of keys and the doorknob turned. Lily leapt out of bed, vaulting over Dwayne.
"NO!" She shouted.
The door began to open. "Housekeeping? Anyone here?"
Lily threw her body against the door, preventing it from opening any further. "We're okay. We don't need you today." She told the maid.
"I make up beds, bring clean towels." The maid told her, pushing against Lily. Lily watched as the line of sunlight moved closer to Paul and Marko.
"We just checked in a few hours ago. We're still sleeping." Lily explained.
The maid stopped pushing. "I come back? Few hours?"
Lily stuck her head into the opening. "No. Tomorrow, come back tomorrow. Mañana."
"Mañana?"
"Si. Mañana."
The maid shrugged. "Okay. I come back tomorrow. Good day miss." She moved onto the next room, pounding on the door with her fist. Lily let the door close with a sigh, throwing the locks and making sure the chain lock was in place before she slunk back over to the bed.
"What was all that?" David asked sleepily.
"Housekeeping almost fried us." She let him pull her into the circle of his arms, her head tucked against his shoulder.
"Oh, okay." He murmured and went back to sleep.
Dwayne moved closer to her, slipping his arm around her waist and laying his head against her back. Lily yawned and quickly fell back asleep.
***
David was the first one awake the next evening. He could still feel the press of sunlight from outside but a check of the clock on the nightstand told him it was almost sundown. Lily murmured something in her sleep and held him tighter. As much as he hated to wake her, they needed to get onto the road.
"Lily?" He brushed her hair back from her face. "Lily, time to get up." She pushed him away and rolled over to Dwayne. "Come on Lil." David rolled her back over. "I know you're awake."
"'S early David." She opened her eyes to glare at him.
He leaned down and kissed her slowly. "We've got a long drive ahead of us. Get dressed. I'll wake the others."
She nodded and bounced off the bed, drawing a groan from Dwayne. Lily grabbed her bag and went into the bathroom to wash up.
It was still cold so Lily pulled a wool sweater over her head. She twisted her hair up into a bun and tied her boots before leaving the bathroom.
The Boys were all awake and restless. The curtains were open and the moonlight was streaming into the dark room.
"Ready?" David's voice came from the shadows by the window.
"Yeah." She put on her coat, checking for her car keys. Paul held the door open for her with a smile. "Thank you Paul."
"Anything for you Princess."
Marko climbed into the passenger's seat. Lily tossed her bag in the back and climbed in.
"Anxious to get home?" He asked as she started the car.
"Yeah." She laughed as the Boys revved their bikes. She threw the car into gear and pulled out of the gravel driveway in a cloud of dust and squealing tires.
"I'll get us a room." He said and went into the office.
Lily and Marko walked over to Dwayne and Paul. "He's cutting it kinda close, isn't he?" Lily asked, noticing the faintly lightening sky and the Boys' agitation.
"Yeah." Dwayne hunched over in his jacket, looking at the ground. The other Boys were silent.
David appeared a moment later. "Room 15, in the back." He told them, climbing onto his bike.
The others nodded and Lily got back into the car. She followed him around the back of the motel and parked. She grabbed a bag from the back seat and locked up before following the Boys into the room.
David locked the door while Paul and Dwayne covered the window with one of the heavy bedspreads. Marko tossed Lily a towel and she tucked at the base of the door.
"That was kinda close David." Paul remarked. David looked at him and shrugged.
"I lost track of time." He said. He tossed his coat on the chair by the door. Lily quickly retreated to the bathroom, unwilling to be a part of the brewing argument.
"Lost track of time? Are you trying to kill us?" Dwayne asked. Marko wisely followed Lily into the bathroom, shutting the door behind him.
"Dwayne's right. It's not like David to be so unaware of sunrise." Lily told him as she pulled on a T-shirt to sleep in.
Marko gave her a half smile. "He's been out of it since we came back. I think he's still adjusting to not being dead."
Something heavy slammed into the wall next to them and they both jumped. Lily looked at Marko sheepishly and they laughed.
"Well, someone's getting the crap beat out of him. Think its David?" Lily whispered.
Marko laughed. "Not likely."
A knock on the door made them jump again. Marko opened the door a crack. Dwayne was on the other side.
"Its safe to come out."
Marko opened the door all the way and looked around the corner. He smirked at what he saw and motioned for Lily to come out.
David was sitting on the bed next to the bathroom, rubbing his jaw. Paul was on the other side of the room massaging his knuckles.
"Oh, Paul, you didn't." Lily shook her head.
Paul shrugged. "He asked for it."
"Like hell I did." David growled and lunged for Paul. Lily stepped between them and pushed David back.
"Stop it. You deserved whatever you got. And it's all over now." She put her hand on his jaw. Reluctantly, he nodded. She looked over her shoulder at Paul. He glared at David but nodded. "Good. Now we can get some sleep." She crawled into one of the beds, exhaustion catching up with her.
David kicked off his boots and climbed in next to her, pulling her into his arms. Dwayne looked at the other two before taking his place on the other side of Lily.
Marko looked at Paul and shrugged. He flopped back on the other bed, curling up in a fetal position like he often did when he slept. Paul shook his head and crawled into the other side of the bed, pulling the covers over his head.
A knocking noise woke Lily. She opened her eyes confused for a moment about where she was. The knocking grew louder and she heard a Hispanic voice call out.
"Housekeeping!" There was a rattle of keys and the doorknob turned. Lily leapt out of bed, vaulting over Dwayne.
"NO!" She shouted.
The door began to open. "Housekeeping? Anyone here?"
Lily threw her body against the door, preventing it from opening any further. "We're okay. We don't need you today." She told the maid.
"I make up beds, bring clean towels." The maid told her, pushing against Lily. Lily watched as the line of sunlight moved closer to Paul and Marko.
"We just checked in a few hours ago. We're still sleeping." Lily explained.
The maid stopped pushing. "I come back? Few hours?"
Lily stuck her head into the opening. "No. Tomorrow, come back tomorrow. Mañana."
"Mañana?"
"Si. Mañana."
The maid shrugged. "Okay. I come back tomorrow. Good day miss." She moved onto the next room, pounding on the door with her fist. Lily let the door close with a sigh, throwing the locks and making sure the chain lock was in place before she slunk back over to the bed.
"What was all that?" David asked sleepily.
"Housekeeping almost fried us." She let him pull her into the circle of his arms, her head tucked against his shoulder.
"Oh, okay." He murmured and went back to sleep.
Dwayne moved closer to her, slipping his arm around her waist and laying his head against her back. Lily yawned and quickly fell back asleep.
***
David was the first one awake the next evening. He could still feel the press of sunlight from outside but a check of the clock on the nightstand told him it was almost sundown. Lily murmured something in her sleep and held him tighter. As much as he hated to wake her, they needed to get onto the road.
"Lily?" He brushed her hair back from her face. "Lily, time to get up." She pushed him away and rolled over to Dwayne. "Come on Lil." David rolled her back over. "I know you're awake."
"'S early David." She opened her eyes to glare at him.
He leaned down and kissed her slowly. "We've got a long drive ahead of us. Get dressed. I'll wake the others."
She nodded and bounced off the bed, drawing a groan from Dwayne. Lily grabbed her bag and went into the bathroom to wash up.
It was still cold so Lily pulled a wool sweater over her head. She twisted her hair up into a bun and tied her boots before leaving the bathroom.
The Boys were all awake and restless. The curtains were open and the moonlight was streaming into the dark room.
"Ready?" David's voice came from the shadows by the window.
"Yeah." She put on her coat, checking for her car keys. Paul held the door open for her with a smile. "Thank you Paul."
"Anything for you Princess."
Marko climbed into the passenger's seat. Lily tossed her bag in the back and climbed in.
"Anxious to get home?" He asked as she started the car.
"Yeah." She laughed as the Boys revved their bikes. She threw the car into gear and pulled out of the gravel driveway in a cloud of dust and squealing tires.