Part 65 (2/2)

”I'm not talking about this right now,” I told him, trying to keep the edge out of my voice.

Dalton silenced himself, staring at me with a mixture of surprise and irritation. I could already sense the night slipping away from me, and it was all thanks to that absolute a.s.shole.

Why the f.u.c.k did he have to be here?

”You've lost your appet.i.te,” Dalton observed, watching how I wasn't touching my food. ”It's because of him, isn't it?”

”I said I'm not talking about it,” I replied angrily. ”But yeah. I'm not hungry anymore. Can we just go? I don't want to be here.”

Dalton looked hurt, and I realized that it wasn't Jeremy who was f.u.c.king up the night... it was me.

”Wait, no, I didn't mean”

Dalton was already getting the attention of our server, who had chosen that moment to pa.s.s by the table. ”The check, if you'd please.”

”Oh, of course,” she replied, glancing at our plates. ”Was everything alright? Do you two need boxes?”

”Everything's fine, we've just had a change of plans. And yes, boxes would be grand.”

”Very well then,” the waitress nodded, subtly checking him out again before scampering off towards the nearest terminal.

”We can stay here,” I tried to backtrack. ”I just... it was a knee-jerk reaction. Tonight doesn't have to end like this. I'm sorry that I overreacted, it's just that that guy”

”Don't worry about it,” he replied dispa.s.sionately. ”Anyway, the night's not over. So what if dinner didn't work out? We've still got the rest of the evening.”

”What's... the rest of the evening?”

Dalton chuckled. ”You'll see.”

He paid the waitress as I boxed up our food. After we were done, he pulled me close and whispered into my ear: ”Follow me.”

I did as I was told as he led me outside. Despite my best intentions, as we crossed towards the door, I couldn't help but glance towards the b.a.s.t.a.r.d who'd thrown a kink into my entire evening.

Jeremy was watching me over a gla.s.s of wine, sipping quietly with a slight, mischievous smile on his face. There were a couple of other people with him friends of his, who were all following me with their snarky, insidious gazes.

I swallowed the lump in my throat and tried my hardest to ignore the looming pit in my stomach.

”Alright, we're not going too far from here” Dalton indicated once we'd stepped outside. ”Like I said, just follow me. If a light cycle separates us, I'll just pull over. Fair enough?”

”Fair enough,” I confirmed.

”Good,” he smirked. ”Right this way...”

I climbed into my faithful old car as he mounted his motorcycle. Twisting the key in the ignition... nothing happened.

No. Not now. Don't you dare do this now.

I gave it a few more twists. Silently, I prayed to whatever ent.i.ties were listening, and vehemently cursed the car with each breath.

”Is everything alright?”

I looked up, and saw that Dalton was wandering back over. No, don't embarra.s.s me NOW, I rapidly thought to myself.

”Yeah, everything's good! Car's just giving me a little bit of trouble. I shouldn't be any more than a few more seconds...”

He didn't look convinced as he paused outside my door. Steeling myself, I put my energies into one final twist of the keys. Come on, you piece of s.h.i.+t car! Don't fail me now! Surprisingly, it kicked into gear just in time for me to spot Jeremy stepping outside to smoke a cigarette, his eyes somehow finding me with a glance.

G.o.ddammit all to h.e.l.l, I thought to myself.

”You're good?” Dalton asked.

”I am. Let's get out of here.”

He shook his head with amus.e.m.e.nt and wandered back over to his motorcycle. A few moments later, he was revving the engine, I pulled out of park, and we were on the road.

Of course, Jeremy appeared to watch me drive off, following Dalton's bike.

Dalton's mystery locale took us down the major roads, but I couldn't particularly tell where we were going. For a moment, I thought he was driving us towards the nearby mall but he made a crucial last turn before the road pointed us straight to the parking lot. Instead, it wrapped through a neighborhood nearby, redirecting us towards a nearby, major shopping avenue.

I was starting to get amused with this.

After all, I had no idea what he had in mind.

A few moments later, he made a turn down a small road. I followed him, realizing that it extended back behind all the stores and the local cinema, taking us towards the new, lavish hotel that had been built back there.

Oh, this is going to be interesting, I smirked.

We parked in the ma.s.sive parking garage, and he led me towards the elevator. We barely spoke a word to each other until the lift was moving downward towards the lobby.

”...A hotel,” I observed.

”What, is that a problem?” He raised an eyebrow. ”Not a fan of hotels?”

”It's a bit... forced, isn't it?”

”Just wait,” Dalton chuckled. ”I don't think you'll have a problem with the arrangements I have in mind, even if they were a bit last minute...”

I bit my tongue, sincerely interested to see where he was going with all of this.

We stepped off at the lobby, wandering over the front service desk. A young, cheery clerk with fluffy ginger hair and cute makeup greeted us.

”Checking in?”

”Yes. The reservation's under Dalton Carlyle,” he casually remarked to her, as if there was some special weight to this that I just didn't understand.

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