It's almost ten at night when Dylan and I arrive in Pittsburgh. We decided it'd be the best place to spend the night so that we can recharge and get in a little more distance tomorrow. I'm not opposed to making stops either though. Truthfully, I wouldn't mind dragging this adventure out for as long as possible. I know that Dyl needs to get back to work though.
"We should go to the Andy Warhol museum tomorrow," I suggested as I set mom on the small desk in front of the hotel window. We'd called ahead and let the reception know that our check in would be late so they left the room unlocked for us. From our suite, we could see the iconic museum and the glow of lights from the windows. Hundreds of windows.
Dylan, who was sitting on the edge of our one double bed, toed off his shoes and nodded. "Yeah. We could. You don't want to get straight back on the road though?"
"We can if you'd prefer. I just thought that we could take advantage of our stops. But you're probably in a hurry to get home, right?"
He shook his head. "Nope. No rush. Cora is covering the position of head chef while I'm gone."
"She'll be loving that," I leaned against the desk and crossed my ankles. Cora loved her job. Loved it. And Dylan loved her passion. The two worked well together but he knew that when her time came, she'd snatch up a position as head chef if the right offer was made. Even if it did mean leaving The Hot Plate. And Dylan understood that.
"Yeah," he smiled. "She is. So like I said, there's no rush. We could go to the Zoo as well?"
"Ooh I could get some photos. That would be fun."
His grin was soft but his gaze was tired. Exhausted in fact. He'd been driving for almost seven hours so I wasn't surprised that he couldn't seem to find the strength to sit upright.
He pinched the back of his shirt and started pulling it over his head. "Yep. But for now, I need some sleep. I'm wiped."
I swallowed and averted my gaze from his smooth defined torso. He looked even more chiselled than he did when we went to New Zealand. Still lean. Slim. But muscular. I wondered if he'd been working out more since we hadn't been talking. He might have had more time now that I wasn't hounding him to hang out with me all the time.
"Yeah I'll snooze too I think."
I wasn't holding onto hope for a full night's rest, it had been over a month since I'd had more than four hours sleep. We chose a hotel with one bed. It wasn't the only option and there was nothing devious about it. Again, it was our norm. It was what we would have done before our lives unfolded and so Dylan didn't even ask, he just booked the room. Because he knew. Besides, I needed him close. He made me feel safe and secure. When his arms wound around me during the night, it was enough to keep my broken bits together so that I had a moment to rest.
After I had changed into a pair of flannel pants and a thin sleep sweater, I climbed in beside Dylan. He had his arm behind his head, staring at the roof with thought. Suddenly, strong and without warning, I was confronted with memories of our beach kiss. The one that had set a series of events in motion. A kiss that made me believe in love after being a skeptic for so long.
I remembered his weight on top of me, his hand holding my face, his hair sliding through my fingertips as he moved his mouth with mine. Soft and slow but with strength that served to express his passion. It was one of those kisses where his tongue would dip and meet mine and then he would soften so our lips grazed in the most sensual way and then he would pick up his speed and slam his mouth down again. I tingled all over just thinking about how our lips had danced together.
"You'll never guess who came into work last week," Dylan said from beside me. We weren't touching but I could still feel him. Feel his arm next to mine. I rolled over so that I was facing him and raised a brow, waiting for him to tell me. "The Lahey twins. Max and Lucas."
"No," I gasped. "What were they like?"
He shrugged, still staring at the ceiling. "They were nice. The one with all of the tattoos was kind of loud. We had two complaints about him from the other customers in like, the span of an hour."
"Lucas," I nodded and thought back on all of the Instagram stories I'd watched of him and his siblings. "Yeah I've heard that he's a bit out there."
Dylan's brows lifted and he nodded with amusement. "Yeah but they ordered a ton of food. So I can't complain. I tried to call and tell you. But it said that your phone number was out of service."
"Yeah I dropped my phone off Allie's balcony a few weeks ago."
"On purpose?"
I nodded and he peeped down at me. "Why?"
"Because I wanted to."
He laughed and ran his hands across his face, smothering a yawn. I probably should have let him go to sleep.
"Dyl," I said and he folded his arms across his chest and watched me, still on his back. "I like this stubble. You suit it."
I ran my finger across his jaw and chin, feeling the wiry, sharp hair beneath my tips. I was immensely grateful for the fact that he wasn't asking me questions or talking about our few weeks of absence or asking me about the kiss. He was giving me the satisfaction of pretending like all was normal. But it wasn't.
My heart was almost coming out of my chest as he stared down at where I lay on my side, one hand tucked under my pillow, the other running my finger, slow, across his bottom lip.
"Brecken said I look like a prepubescent knob with peach fuzz."
I snatched my hand back and laughed. "You look like a man. Your stubble isn't lacking. Believe me. Breck is just jealous."
Dylan rolled his eyes. "Right. Sure. Brecken has the facial hair of an angel."
"It is sort of perfect."
Dylan looked down at me with his mouth hanging open, like I'd offended him.
"But yours is gorgeous too. I promise."
He grinned and then without warning, he cupped the nape of my neck and held me in place as he rubbed his jaw on my cheek, scratching.
"Cut it out!" I squealed, breathless and giggling as I pushed on his chest and tried to get free. It was useless, he had me in an iron grip with both hands holding onto my face while he scratched me with his stubble. "Dilly, I'm going to end up with a rash! Quit it!"
He leaned back, laughing but he didn't let me go. His hands continued to cup my neck and he looked me over. "Nope. No rash."
"Whatever," I pouted and touched my face. "I bet it's all red and irritated now you beast."
"Nope," he continued to grin. "Just as beautiful as usual."
My stomach turned over itself and I inhaled a deep, embarrassingly loud, breath of air. I disguised it as a cough and snuggled further into the covers. As far as hotel beds went, this wasn't the worst one. The sheets were soft and smelled fresh. The mattress wasn't rock hard either.
"I should get some sleep," I told Dylan, knowing full well that I wouldn't be drifting off any time soon. "Thanks for coming with me. I don't know what I'd do without you."
He slipped his arm under me and pulled me in close until we were flush and I rested my head on his bare chest. His skin was warm against my cheek and the side of my mouth. I turned in a little closer and hoped that my lips on his chest wouldn't be obvious.
