Chapter 16

His eyes fluttered and opened as the room slowly appeared around him. Kurtis yawned and the images and emotions of the previous night suddenly flashed throughout his mind. He smiled as the thought of Lara appeared. Her long hair and full lips, the softness of her skin and of her legs wrapped around him. He rolled himself across the bed, ready to caress her, but was surprised instead. In front of him he found no beautiful woman, but cold, empty bed sheets and a vacant pillow. He quickly sat up out of surprise, and anxiously searched the room around him.

"She wouldn't have lef-" his thoughts were cut off as his eyes spotted her in the corner of the room.

She was faced away from him, half done dressing in front of a mirror on the opposite side of the room. He intently watched her pull the small black shirt, which he had come to love, over her head and down around her waist. He watched her next take the leather holsters from a nearby table and quickly strap them to the inside of her thighs. She slid on her black fingerless gloves and equipped her small backpack over her shoulders, slightly wiggling them as she did so. As she went to put her dark sunglasses on, Kurtis began.

"So," he loudly said. Lara shot up and quickly spun around, startled. "I guess you're a bed raider too."

Her mouth curved into a large, crooked grin at the words. "Yeah, I guess so."

"You are so beautiful when you smile." Kurtis told her, then wished he hadn't.

Lara tucked her head down as if embarrassed. Her plan to get out of the place before Mr. Trent woke up had failed. She figured it would be easier to leave without having to see or speak to him again.

Kurtis broke the awkwardness. "Where you headed?"

"Home." Lara quickly answered, "Naturally."

"For what?" he asked, desperate for her to stay.

"I don't know," she began, her mind searching for an excuse. "To start on my book."

A smile covered Kurtis's face. "Hmm" he muttered "Is this going to be in it?"

Lara returned a smile and walked up to him. "I don't know." she playfully answered. "Do you think it should be?"

"Well," he began, with an amused look "It's been the most exciting part of my trip. Hasn't it been yours?"

Lara leaned forward and met him face to face. She stared directly into his deep, never-ending eyes.

"I don't know," she answered with a smirk, "Fighting those wraiths was pretty exciting. I'll have to compare the two again sometime."

Kurtis smiled as Lara leaned in further to kiss him, but was disappointed as she teasingly backed away.

"Maybe later." Lara spoke, grinning. She then began to back away from him, and headed toward the main door. She opened it.

"If you don't mind," she started again, rummaging through her luggage bag. "I think I'll take your bike."

Kurtis was surprised when she threw a wad of cash at him. He instinctively caught it.

"That," she continued, referring to the money she had given him "should get you something a little nicer."

Kurtis simply nodded and he knew that she really was leaving. Silence fell over them.

The stare was agonizing, full of unsureness and lost expectations. Those expectations of the future, and of the times they would never spend together, never spend because one of them was afraid.

Lara looked lovingly at him and smiled right before she stepped outside, and walked out of his life forever.

Kurtis banged his head into his pillow. He thought that after all that had happened between the two of them, that Lara would have stayed. He hated how stubborn she was.

Kurtis suddenly sat up. He couldn't just let her leave, not a woman like her. She was perfect for him, everything about her was perfect. He jumped out of bed, slipped his pants on, and quickly ran outside.

Miss. Croft had mounted his bike and turned the throttle, when Kurtis raised his hand.

Lara didn't understand. The bike was cranked, and it had plenty of gas. Why wouldn't it move? "Unless the throttle is broken." she thought. "Wouldn't be surprised."

She tossed her leg back over the side, and started back for the motel room. She was stunned to see Kurtis standing at the door, hand raised, preventing her from leaving with his mind. She slowly walked back to the sidewalk and looked up into his eyes. She seemed angry and confused.

"You're not leaving," Kurtis started, then paused, desperately searching for love inducing words, "until you kiss me goodbye." He hoped that the action would remind her of them, and that she would actually want to stay.

Lara had a smirk on her face as she pushed herself up to meet him face to face. She slowly moved herself toward him, tilted her head, and playfully kissed him on the cheek.

Kurtis smiled and bit his lip, her playfulness tempting him even more as she started to back away. He instantly grabbed the back of her head, thrust her into his arms, and passionately kissed her for what seemed a lifetime, their lust induced once again. He saw, that when Lara finally backed away, her eyes where sealed tight, and she was deeply breathing. He could tell she was thinking, thinking about him, thinking about her decision to leave.

To her, and his surprise, she didn't yell, or try to hurt him in any way for his action. She simply smiled, bigger than ever before, and again bit her lower lip.

"Just so you know," he told her, "I'll be here for a while." He hoped that if she still left that maybe she would change her mind down the road.

She didn't say anything, and Kurtis blew in disappointment as Lara turned away from him and continued back toward the bike.

He gave up on sincerity and decided to let his emotions out.

"I thought," he called out to her, "that after last night, you might've changed your mind, and decided to stay."

Lara was silent.

"No?" Kurtis answered himself.

She put her head down as to avoid him. Kurtis nodded his head and looked at her with a fake smile.

"Just wanted to give me a little taste of what I'd be missing first, huh?" He spoke with hate and sarcasm.

At this, Lara became angry. "This is exactly why I wanted to leave before you got up!"

"Why?" he spoke with humored seriousness. "Were you afraid that if you saw me again before you left that you wouldn't be able to say goodbye!"

"No," she loudly stated. She stared at his eyes one last time "because I'm saying it now!"

She started to back away.

"Goodbye Kurtis Trent" she told him, with triumph and hidden disappointment in her words as she smiled. "I hope you find what you're looking for."

She climbed back on the bike, and kicked up the stand.

"I thought I had!" he called out to her as she drove out of the motel parking lot and onto the main highway.

Kurtis kicked the metal column that lay beside the motel door, leaving a huge dent in its side. He cursed aloud, and quickly slammed the door behind him as he returned inside.