She’d been on pins and needles since they left Watts Mountain. A bundle of nerves. Everything about Iris made Finn’s skin all tingly, other parts too. Thank goodness she was driving. Keeping her focus on driving gave her something to do with her head and her hands.
* * *
Lunch was a leisurely affair. Iris felt as if she’d consumed her weight in French fries, but battered and dipped in ketchup, they were hard to resist. They left Columbus and started across the bridge. She looked north as they crossed the Chattahoochee River that separated Georgia from Alabama. The water was brown and churned beneath them, making its way to the Gulf of Mexico.
The car had no air conditioning, but luckily, the day was overcast. Cloud cover and wind from the open windows saved them from the summer heat. They stopped for a break just outside Montgomery to use the restroom and stretch their legs. The car was fun but small, and as Finn had explained to her, it had a tight suspension. Iris soon realized that was “car talk” for a stiff ride. She could tell this was going to be a trip with frequent stops, which she was actually happy about. While they were parked at the convenience store, Finn decided to put the convertible top down for the rest of the afternoon.
It was nice to be in the open air, although Iris had to pull her hair back with a couple of hair ties to keep it from creating a driving hazard.
“Have you ever been to Montgomery?” Finn accelerated onto the highway.
“No, I haven’t.”
“We should take a little detour then.” Finn turned toward her and smiled. She was wearing old school Ray-Bans, and her dark hair fluffed in the breeze of the open-air roadster. “There’s a lot of history in Montgomery.”
Iris was intrigued. And besides, why not take some detours along the way. That was the whole point of a road trip, right? They drove for a few minutes before Finn began to point out landmarks.
“That’s the state capitol building, and right across the street is the first White House of the Confederacy. That’s where Jefferson Davis and his family lived before they moved from Montgomery to Richmond.” Finn slowed as they passed. They’d only driven one block when she pointed to another building. “And this is where Martin Luther King Jr. preached. The Dexter Avenue King Memorial Baptist Church.”
“Only a block from the house where Jefferson Davis lived?” The red brick church was right on the corner with white steps leading up to the front entrance from two sides.
“Crazy, huh? A single block isn’t much distance considering the huge gulf, historically, between whites and blacks in Alabama.” Finn slowed as they passed the church. Then made a turn to take them back to Highway 80. “Like I said, the South is complicated.”
Just around the corner from the church Finn slowed again.
“That’s the Civil Rights Memorial.” Finn pointed.
As they slowly rolled past, Iris got the chills. This had been a community that had endured much and come through the other side. Although, sadly, images in the news sometimes made it seem as if the country was right back where it had started.
Montgomery had been the largest city they’d driven through since leaving Columbus, and it felt like a sleepy small town. Route 80 cut through the rural midsection of Alabama. The road alternated between old-style two-lane and sections of newer, four-lane freeway. It was much more pleasant than driving on an interstate. Iris tried to picture Finn on the 405 in LA. She couldn’t quite see it. Los Angeles probably used to be a fun city to drive in. In modern LA the traffic was so bad every freeway just ended up resembling a parking lot.
They stopped for gas about an hour outside Montgomery, just after crossing the Tombigbee River. Another slow moving, wide, muddy waterway. Darker clouds in the distance signaled that maybe a summer storm had stirred up the water. The air smelled damp, like rain.
“We’ll be in Meridian soon.” Finn was checking her phone.
Iris was glad. The day of driving had been fun, but her back was stiff, and after riding for a few hours in the humid climate, she was ready for a shower. She was sure her hair was expanding by the minute from the humidity. They were parked in the shade, at the side of the gas station, standing near the car.
“Um, I was wondering…” Finn sounded unsure.
Iris removed the elastic ties and ran her fingers through her hair, swinging it from side to side to allow air to reach the back of her neck.
Finn froze. Iris was doing the sexiest thing with her hair and Finn couldn’t help but stare. She swallowed and tried to remember what she’d been about to say.
“Yes?” Iris pulled her hair up into a knot, away from the elegant curve of her neck, and stayed it with the ties again.
“Huh?” Finn realized she was still staring.
“You said you were wondering about something.” Iris was clueless about her effect on Finn. Or maybe not.
“Um…” Finn swallowed again and stowed her phone in her pocket. “I was just thinking that maybe we should talk about where we’re gonna stay tonight.”
“I thought we decided to stop at that place in Meridian?”
“Yeah.” Was she going to have to spell it out? “What I meant was, are we going to get one room or two?”
“Oh.” Iris’s expression was hard to decipher.
“I mean, obviously if we get one room we can get two beds…I was just thinking we’d stretch our money further if we shared the cost and only got one room.” Now that she’d seen Iris’s whole display with her hair, maybe Finn was asking for trouble by suggesting they share a room.
“I’m okay with it if you are?”
What did Iris mean by that? Was she saying that it wasn’t a complication for her to share a room? That there was no attraction she’d have to ignore if they slept in the same room? Well, if it was fine for Iris then it was fine for Finn.
“Yeah, I’m okay with it.” Finn replaced her sunglasses and opened the car door, a signal that she was ready to get back on the road.
They’d kissed once, but neither of them had mentioned it again. Maybe it was a fluke. Maybe it had been nothing more than a thank you, friendly kiss in return for Finn taking Iris out for her birthday. It hadn’t seemed like a thank you kiss. But Finn had been wrong before, and she was prepared to deal with being wrong again.
Iris’s indifference annoyed her. Maybe she was simply tired and it was time to call it a day. She’d been doing all the driving, and handling the roadster was almost like an all-day sporting event. Driving the MG required active driving. It wasn’t as if you could just engage cruise control and relax at the wheel.
Iris glanced at Finn who seemed extremely focused on the road. Every now and then the muscle along Finn’s jaw clenched, as if she were tense, or annoyed, or possibly fighting the urge to say something. Iris couldn’t help feeling she’d said something to upset Finn, but she couldn’t figure out exactly what. Was it about sharing the hotel room?
She reached over and put her hand on Finn’s thigh. Finn visibly flinched and Iris felt the muscle beneath her palm tighten. Finn looked over at her and then down at Iris’s hand on her leg. Iris held her position.
“Is something wrong?” She gave Finn’s thigh the slightest squeeze.
“Um, no, why?” Finn didn’t sound very convincing.
“You just seemed…I don’t know, you just seemed bothered by something.” Iris moved her hand back to her own lap.
“No, I’m fine.” Finn smiled thinly. “Really.”
Iris didn’t believe her. She was sure it had something to do with the shared room conversation, but she wasn’t sure what. She turned to watch the landscape sweep past. Her attention was redirected when Finn touched her hand. Finn had reached over and covered Iris’s hand with hers. Iris rotated her hand so that she could entwine her fingers with Finn’s. She sensed that whatever had disturbed Finn, it had passed.
She looked down at their joined hands. The connection sent a little jolt up her arm.
Finn was holding her hand. Iris couldn’t help smiling.
Chapter Ninete
en
The quality of the roadway, the smoothness of the pavement, seemed to shift when they crossed the state line into Mississippi. Much of old US 80 had been replaced by I-20, which was probably considered a freeway by the locals, but barely. The pavement was rough and the roadster registered every imperfection and pockmark on the surface. The blacktop wasn’t really black either, but rather a pebbled brown color, sometimes in sections as if it had been laid down one giant rectangle at a time.
It was late afternoon when they neared Meridian, their planned stop for the first night. As they drove through the leafy and clean downtown area, Iris was struck by the many Victorian and art deco buildings in varying stages of repair. She wasn’t sure what she’d expected, but the style of the architecture surprised her.
They’d checked prices, and while there were nicer hotels in the area, they decided on the America’s Best Value Inn. They were on a bit of a budget so saving whenever possible was the plan. The hotel looked clean and well kept. It reminded Iris of an old roadside motel from the 1970s and it had the color scheme to match. It was two-story with doors facing outward toward parking all along the front.
Iris waited in the car while Finn got the room. They’d agreed to take turns each night and then refund any cost imbalance at the end of the trip. The whole arrangement was all business. Maybe too much so from Iris’s perspective. This road trip was supposed to be fun. It would be more fun if she got the chance to know Finn a little better. The glimpses she’d gotten so far only made her want to know a little more.
Finn flashed card keys as she walked from the office back to the car.
“We’re on the first floor.” Finn drove to the far end of the parking area.
They carried their bags inside. The room was clean but certainly nothing fancy. Two queen beds and a flat screen TV on a long cabinet along one wall. There was a round table and two chairs beside a large window facing the parking lot. Finn was happy that she could easily keep an eye on the car from the room.
The air in the room was a little stuffy. Iris adjusted the thermostat down a few degrees.
“Are you hungry?” Finn was leafing through some fliers on the nightstand between the beds. “It looks like we can order a pizza and have it delivered.”
“That sounds great to me.” Iris tossed her suitcase on the bed and unzipped it.
“How does pepperoni and mushroom sound?”
“Yummy.”
“Extra cheese?”
“Sure.”
“I’ll get a couple of sodas too.” Finn reached for the phone.
“Do you mind if I shower? I’ll be done by the time it arrives.”
“Go for it.” Finn was dialing and didn’t look up.
Iris let the hot water run for several minutes, long after the soap was gone. She toweled off and then realized she’d gotten a shirt and shorts from her bag but had forgotten underwear. She wrapped the towel around her body. She tucked the corner of it under her arm so that it covered her breasts and hung to about mid thigh. Her hair was damp. She swept it to one side. She peeked out of the bathroom. Finn was lounging on the bed nearer the window, channel surfing.
“The pizza will be here in about ten minutes.” Finn held the remote, punching channels, looking at the TV rather than Iris.
“Okay, I just need to dry my hair a little.” Iris riffled in her suitcase for undergarments.
Finn glanced over when Iris spoke. Good Lord Almighty. Finn almost tossed the remote across the room from surprise. Iris was half naked, wearing only a towel. What part of Finn being clearly gay had Iris not understood? Was she trying to get Finn’s attention? Well, she’d succeeded.
“Forgot underwear.” Iris smiled. She waggled a very tiny purple thong in the air with one hand and held her towel in place with the other.
“Yeah…um…” Finn didn’t know what to say and couldn’t help but enjoy the view.
There was a knock at the door. Saved by pizza.
That was either the shortest ten minutes, or she’d miscalculated. Or possibly seeing Iris fresh from the shower in only a towel had somehow managed to bend time, or speed it up, or both.
“My wallet is in my purse if you want to get some cash,” Iris yelled from the bathroom.
“I got this one.” Finn wasn’t about to go searching through Iris’s stuff. Who knows what she’d discover.
“D’you order a medium pepperoni and mushroom?” A skinny guy in a Pizza Hut shirt held a receipt up to the light trying to read the name.
“Yeah, that’s us.” Finn was about to hand him cash. “We ordered a couple of drinks, too.”
“Oh, sorry.” He left the pizza box with Finn and jogged back to his car for the sodas.
“Um, I’m a little short.” Finn was looking at the receipt when he came back with the drinks. “Hang on.”
She turned to get her credit card and almost bumped into Iris.
“How much do you need?” She was dressed now and was pulling cash from her wallet.
“Do you have a five?” Finn was standing in the open door, between Iris and the pizza dude.
“Doritos!” Pizza guy’s face lit up.
“What? We didn’t order Doritos.” What was he shouting about?
“No, not the chips, her…you look just like that girl from the Doritos commercial.” He was talking to Iris and was about a minute away from going total fanboy. He took a step closer.
“Yeah, but what would she be doing here, right?” Finn stepped forward, partially blocking his view. She and the guy shared a laugh as Finn handed him the additional money. “Keep the change.”
The door swooshed closed when Finn stopped holding it open with her foot.
“Thank you.” Iris gave her a sideways glance as she retrieved plastic wrapped cups from near the coffee maker.
“I figured you’d rather not be stalked by your fans, when all you wanted was a little pizza for dinner.”
“You know, I’ve done a lot of work I’m proud of, and it seems I’m only going to be remembered for that stupid commercial.”
Finn was kicking herself for not looking it up already on YouTube. It seemed to be a fanboy favorite. First her brother and now this guy.
They ate slices right out of the box. Finn sprinkled some hot peppers on her half; Iris only added a packet of parmesan cheese to hers. Finn inhaled the first slice, barely taking a breath. She was hungrier than she’d realized. A shower was next on her agenda, but she needed food first. Halfway through the second slice, Iris was giving her a look. Not an intense look, more of an I’m trying to puzzle you out sort of look.
“What?” Finn took another bite and chewed, waiting for a response.
“Nothing.”
“You’re giving me a look?”
“Am I? I didn’t mean to.”
“If you want to ask me something just ask.” Maybe the hot peppers were going to her head. Finn was feeling brave. “Go ahead.”
“Do you think I’m pretty?”
Finn coughed. Maybe almost choked was more like it. She blamed the peppers. She took a swig of her soda.
“Yes.” Her response came out raspy. Was that a trick question?
“But I’m not your type, am I?”
“Why would you assume that?” Iris was definitely her type.
“Because you haven’t once tried anything.” Iris nursed her soda, keeping the cup close to her lips. “And when we kissed…that one time we kissed, I kissed you.”
“And I kissed you back.” Finn set her half-eaten third slice in the box. She wanted Iris to have her full attention.
“Yes, but would you have kissed me if I hadn’t kissed you first?”
“I thought about it.” How honest should she be right now? “But you had talked about your ex-boyfriend and I wasn’t sure if you were into…”
“Women?”
“Yeah.”
“So, even though I said I’d dated a woman before, you assumed I was straight? You’ve never made out with a straight woman?”
“I have.” There were a few curious straight girls in her dating history. Those were enjoyable, but mostly short-lived. “But you’re not straight.”
“I guess I consider myself bi, although labels really annoy me. I wish people could just be people and love who they love without having to be put into some category.” Iris took a bite and chewed, letting her declaration hang in the air. “Does it make you uncomfortable that I’ve dated men and women?”
“No, why would it?” There were reasons to find Iris intimidating, but the fact that she had an ex-boyfriend wasn’t at the top of Finn’s list.
“I don’t know…because we’re sharing a room…and because we kissed.”
“I can control myself if that’s what you’re asking.” Finn took a wild guess.
“What if I don’t want you to?”
Whoa, she did not see that coming. Finn expected there to be tons of subtle flirtation, just like now with the towel scene, and possibly another kiss or two. She thought maybe something would happen between them on this road trip; she’d hoped it might. But Iris was just full-on putting it out there. Performance anxiety set in with a vengeance. She adjusted her position. Her chair was suddenly uncomfortable.
“If…if you wanted me to, I mean if you didn’t want me to, just say so.” Finn’s voice cracked. She wasn’t making sense. She cleared her throat and took a sip of her soda. She rubbed her palm on her thigh. Why was she so nervous? They’d spent all day together in a small, confined space. And now they were going to sleep in the same room. No big deal. They’d slept in the same room before.
“I know you’re probably tired tonight and you just want to take a shower, I was simply curious…you know, about how you feel.” Iris held a piece of crust in her fingers and nibbled at the end of it.
“I feel fine.” Was Iris trying to be confusing or alluring? Or was she more tired than she realized, because she’d sort of lost her way along the path of this conversation. Did Iris want Finn to make a pass or not?
“Okay, well, I’m glad we talked.”
“Me too.” But for the life of her, Finn had no idea what they’d decided, if anything.
Chasing Sunset Page 13