The following days were hell as I kept waiting for Leo. I had everything I would possibly need packed up and hidden in my closet.
"You'll know", he had said. Did that mean he would send a message? Just show up?
It had been three days as I sat in the living room, pretending to be studying.
I jumped when my phone began ringing. The screen didn't flash "Leo". Instead, it read "Unknown".
"Hello?" I answered quickly.
"Are you ready?" I'd missed hearing his voice so much.
"Yes!" I said excitedly. "Now's perfect. Just Grams and Paige are here."
"Good," he said. "I'll be there in a few minutes. Be ready." I stuffed my phone back in my pocket and hurried to my room. Paige and Grams were in the attic. I hoped they would stay up there for just a little longer.
I felt so horrible about leaving my family, even if I resented them sometimes. They forced me to do this, I kept reminding myself. I pulled a suitcase and two bags out of my closet. I crept down the hallway. Just as I reached the stairs, Leo entered the front door.
I held a finger to my lips, then handed him the suitcase. Careful to make no noise, we exited the house. He took everything to the car, tossing it in the back. He looked at me, motioning for me to follow him. I held up a finger telling him to wait a second. I walked silently back into the house. I pulled the note out of my pocket and tossed it on the counter. As I was leaving, I grabbed the coffee can from the top of the fridge. It was "emergency cash" my mother kept. Prue and I were the only ones who knew about it. It usually had at least a few hundred bucks in it.
Just as my hand touched the handle of the front door to leave, I heard somebody walk in.
"Piper?" said Paige. "Where are you going?"
I simply put my finger to my mouth.
"Quiet, Paige," I ordered.
"Where are you going?" she repeated in a whisper.
"Um, just out for a little bit. Keep it a secret, okay?" I winked at her. I knew she loved our secrets.
"Okay!" she said excitedly. "Bye Piper! Love you!"
"Bye, Paige," I whispered. "I love you, too."
I closed the front door behind me and ran to Leo's car. I stuffed the coffee can into one of my bags. We sped up as we took off toward the highway.
Tears came to my eyes when I thought of my sisters being told I was gone. Leo placed a hand on my leg.
"Second thoughts?" he asked.
"No," I said firmly, convincing myself. "This is what we have to do."
We were a good 20 miles away before I calmed down.
"Okay. Where to?" he asked with a smile.
I laughed. "This is...so weird."
He gave my hand a squeeze.
"We're free."
I smiled at him. This was a new kind of happiness.
"We always said we'd make it to LA," I whispered.
"LA it is," he returned, laughing. "Although we're driving an old car with not much money. We won't be able to make it there in one drive."
We made it almost 200 miles to Lovelock, Nevada. I'd heard of it, but it always sounded way too lame to want to visit.
"Hello!" greeted the woman at the hotel's front desk. "Visitors to Lovelock?" she asked cheerfully.
"Yes, ma'am," Leo answered with a charming grin and a fake country accent. "Me and my lady are visiting."
I stifled a giggle.
"Well, good! It's a great place!" she said happily. "A lot of young couples visit all year long!"
"Hear that, honey?" Leo said, turning to me. His goofy smile and faux accent was making it so hard not to laugh.
"I heard, sugar," I replied smiling, putting on my best southern accent. I turned to the woman. "Well we're real tired from our trip. We'd sure love a room."
"Alrighty! We have just two rooms available, both seventy dollars a night," she told us.
"Sounds perfect," I answered with a smile.
We stumbled up to our room, exhausted. We had carelessly tossed our bags in the corner and headed straight for the bed. I didn't both changing out of my clothes. Leo stripped down to his boxers and laid beside me.
"Wow," I breathed.
He laughed. I'd seen him in swim trunks before...but this was different.
"Making you uncomfortable?" he chuckled.
"No," I laughed. I scooted closer to him. "Pretty sexy, if you ask me."
"Are you hitting on me?" he asked, pretending to look shocked.
"Always," I giggled, then started kissing him.
After a minute or two, he started to pull away.
"Piper...It's too hard to stop once we start," he laughed. "Unless...you don't wanna stop."
"You really want our first time to be in a cheap hotel the night we ran away?" I laughed.
"Okay, okay. Let's just go to sleep," he said. I stood up and turned the light off, leaving only the bedside lamp to light up the room.
I walked back over to the bed. Leo watched as I slipped off my t-shirt and jeans. I laid down on the bed and looked at him.
He eyed my body up and down. "This is not fair!" he laughed.
I laughed. "Night, sugar," I teased in a country accent.
He began laughing harder.
"I love you," he whispered after our laughter subsided.
"I love you, too," I whispered back. He kissed me and then put his arm around me. I sunk my head into his chest and fell asleep...
The next morning, I woke up suddenly. I looked around at the strange surroundings. It hit me like a punch in the stomache when I realized what I'd done.
"Oh god," I whispered. I ran to bathroom, bent over the toilet, and puked. I stood up, feeling dizzy. Looking in the mirror, I noticed I was sweating badly. I took a folded washcloth and ran it under cold water, then pressed it to my forehead.
I sat down for a few minutes, letting it all sink in before I stood up, wiped my mouth with the washcloth and exited the bathroom.
Leo was still asleep, clearly undisturbed by any of it.
After I took a shower, I walked back into the room to find Leo now awake.
"Good morning," he said, sitting up.
"Morning," I responded blankly.
"You hungry?" he asked after I returned from brushing my teeth.
"Starving," I said with a smile.
I waited on the bed while he got ready. I couldn't stop thinking what it was like back at home. Were they looking? Would they expect me to come home and just go on with life as usual? Would they forget all about me?
"Hun," I called. "I'll be right back!"
"K," he yelled back from the bathroom.
I walked outside, down the stairs, and across the street to a pay phone. I didn't want to risk the name of the hotel appearing on the caller ID. I tossed in a couple quarters and dialed.
Riiiiing.
Riiiiing.
Riiii- "Hello?"
"Phoebe?" I asked to make sure.
"Piper!" she said. "Where are you?"
"Is anybody around?" I asked.
"No. They're all out looking for you. Just me and Paige here."
I took in a deep breath.
"Phoebe, just tell them I'm okay."
"Are you with Leo?" she asked.
"Phoebe, I gotta go. Just let Prue know I'm okay," I said. I sighed. "And I'm sorry."
I slammed the phone back on the reciever and paused for a moment before crossing the road back to the hotel. Leo was standing beside the car.
"You okay?" he asked.
I felt so much better now. Leo had already put the bags in the car.
"Yeah," I said with a smile. "Let's go."
We continued on our way to LA. Together, nothing could stop us.
