Cresswell: The Lunar Chronicles

Chapter Sixty-One

"So any liquids you want to take on the plane can't be more than 3oz and they have to fit inside this," Carswell said, waving a quart-size bag in the air.

Cress, sitting on the ground with her backpack beside her, glanced up as he walked in from the bathroom. She lightly frowned. "What about the bigger things?" she asked, picking up her favorite rose-scented lotion.

"We'll check our suitcases, so just put them in there."

"Ohhh so just the stuff we keep with us has to be small."

"Yeah."

Cress glanced back towards her suitcase. "I should organize everything and decide what I want to take with me on the plane," she added with an excited grin, squealing as she pushed herself up and darted past him into the bathroom. She gathered her toiletries and dumped them out on the bed.

Carswell sank down beside her pile.

"Wait, where's my purse?"

"Here." He reached across to the other nightstand and handed her her yellow purse.

"I'll pack this and just put everything in here, in my backpack," she said to herself, dumping her purse's contents onto the ground and tossing the abandoned bag towards the suitcase.

"Don't you want to pack your suitcase first and make sure you have room? Winter and Jacin are leaving in an hour, so anything you don't want to or can't take you can put back."

"Oh that's a good idea. Should I wear dresses to Disneyland, or pants?"

"You can wear whatever you want."

"No, I mean like... for the rides, is it better to wear pants or shorts?"

Carswell shrugged one shoulder, considering. "It doesn't matter."

"Okay, then I'll bring all dresses and maybe one pair of pants in case it gets cold." Cress murmured, pulling her new dresses and skirts from the closet and laying them out on the bed.

Carswell had finished gathering his things a half hour ago, clearly unimpressed with the idea of packing. "I'm gonna take these back to the Rampion. Is there anything you want me to take, or grab?" He stood up, nodding to a few clothes in his hands.

"These... I'm not taking," Cress murmured, picking up a neatly folded pile of clothes. "And then will you grab my blue dress with the buttons and my black sneakers?"

"Yep." Carswell paused to kiss her.

Cress rested her fingers against the side of his face. "I love you."

"Love you too, Damsel." He quickly kissed the end of her nose before disappearing down the corridor.

Cress grinned to herself, quickly getting the rest of her things together and glad when she had some extra room in her suitcase.

"I finished packing," she proudly declared when Carswell walked back in.

He laughed.

"My backpack shouldn't take that long," she added with a shrug, standing up and deciding to take a break. She'd spent almost the entire morning packing (after waving Cinder, Kai, Iko, Scarlet, and Wolf off). "Lunch?"

"Sign downstairs said it'd be served in a half hour."

"Oh." Cress glanced down at the floor with her spreading of carry on items. She started to crouch back down when Carswell snuck an arm around her waist.

He kissed her neck, moving her hair away and kissing the space behind her ear. "What could we do for a half hour?" he asked thoughtfully.

Cress faintly giggled, tingles shooting from her spine down to her toes. "I just made the bed, though," she added in what she hoped was a playful tone.

"If only we knew how to re-make it," he whispered back, sweeping an arm beneath her legs and collapsing onto the bed.

Nervous laughter bubbled out of her mouth and she smiled, sliding her hands around his waist. She could feel him work her dress up and over her head and she involuntarily shivered, though the air was warm. Trying to steady the trembling in her hands, Cress slid her fingers beneath his shirt.

"I really do love your abs," she murmured, laughing despite herself.

Carswell smiled, pushing off her just enough to take his shirt off before kissing her again. "Glad to know my efforts are being appreciated."

She giggled, her eyes sliding closed as her hands moved to the waist of his jeans.

* * *

Cress ran her hands beneath her head, scooping her hair off her neck and then settling back on the pillow. The temperature had risen and despite the fan swirling above them, the air was still pretty warm. She was almost sad to be leaving the hotel. Though it had only been a day and a half they'd been here, it felt like longer and she liked the simplicity of this city. She glanced sideways at Carswell, who was staring up at the ceiling.

"What are you thinking?" She asked, inching closing and leaning against him.

"How lucky I am." He turned to smile at her, sliding an arm beneath her back and holding her shoulder.

"You should write a book."

"A book?"

"On being lucky."

Carswell scoffed. "Being lucky isn't something that can be taught. You either are or you aren't. And I, my love, most certainly am."

Cress's grin intensified and she stretched up to kiss him, tears springing to her eyes. She loved him so much it almost physically hurt.

"I have something for you," he murmured, brushing her face off when a tear spilled over.

Cress blinked. "More presents?"

Carswell grinned, reaching around her for a velvet pouch. "This wasn't planned; I saw it in one of the shops here and thought of you," he added, tilting the bag over in his hands.

A delicate silver chain fell into his palm and nestled in the middle was some kind of blueish-white stone. He held it up, revealing the stone to be in the shape of a crescent moon.

"It's beautiful!" Cress smiled, her eyes widening. "It looks like my bracelet, is it the same mermaid glass?"

"No, the guy said it was moonstone. Which, I don't know, I thought that was kinda cool."

Cress nodded her agreement, picking it up. The stone was cool in her fingers and her grin deepened when he unclasped it and hung it around her neck. The crescent moon hung just above her chest.

Carswell kissed her forehead. "Come on, let's go eat—I'm starving."