Uncharted

by Nikki Thornton

  It looked as though she was getting tired. She went on her tip-toes to say something to him. He couldn’t hear her, so he leaned his ear to her mouth.

  “I think we should go soon.”

  “Ok. We forgot to eat though.” The thought just occurred to him as his stomach growled ferociously.

  “We can eat later.” When she said that, her lips brushed his ears. It was completely accidental; someone had bumped into his back and caused him to topple over a bit. It seemed to trigger something for her.

  When he recovered, she leaned in to say something again. This time, when he tilted his ear toward her mouth, she didn’t say anything. She kissed it. Nibbled it. Kissed his neck.

  What little blood was left in his head rushed south. Why does she have to be drunk? His hands were still on her waist; he pushed her back.

  She looked into his eyes.

  This is going to be hard, he thought. He kissed her forehead then bent to her ear. “Not while you’re drunk.”

  She could feel his hot breath on her skin. It sent shivers through her body. She was speechless.

  “Now let’s get some food,” he said. He paused a moment to smell her hair before leaning away.

  Before she could recover from his rejection, he had her by the hand and was taking her out into the fresh air. She took her keys out and he grabbed them from her. Sure, he wasn’t completely sober, but he was better off than she was. Besides, he’d had practice at this before.

  He drove to the diner where they had eaten earlier that day. They sat across from each other in a booth. She was silent. He ordered her water and a turkey sandwich with fries. Perfect for absorbing alcohol. He got himself the same.

  They waited for the food in silence. She drank her water quickly so he passed her his. She finished that too.

  They ate in silence. The waitress brought them a pitcher of water. Every time her glass was empty, he filled it. He hoped the water was doing its trick, but she had not gone to the bathroom yet. Isn’t water supposed to make you piss all the alcohol out?

  Her eating slowed down and she mostly just picked at her food. More people from the bar started coming in. He didn’t realize it was so late.

  She finally got up, without comment. He hoped she wasn’t sick but just packed full of liquids. The waitress brought the check while Kennedy was in the bathroom. He paid for it quickly so they could leave as soon as she wanted.

  She didn’t even come back to the table. She walked to the car and tried the door. He had locked it. She wasn’t used to it being locked. She leaned against the car with her arms folded over her chest. She seemed angry. He finished his food and his water then met her at the car.

  “Everything ok?” He was genuinely concerned. She only nodded in response.

  He unlocked the passenger door and opened it for her. She rolled her eyes but got in without fuss. When they got back to the hotel, he followed her into her room. She plopped down on the bed and closed her eyes. He debated if he should change her into her pajamas or wake her and make her do it. Instead, he decided to just help her out of her shoes. And her pants. I’ve already seen her in her underwear, so she can’t get too angry about that. Right?

  He pulled the covers out from under her with some difficulty. He didn’t want to wake her, if that was even possible. He turned her on her side and put the covers on her.

  He fished her room key out of her pants before going to his own room. He definitely needed a shower. A cold one. As cold as it would go. That was certain.

  When he finished, he pulled on his sweat pants, grabbed a pillow and blanket off his bed, and went back to her room. She stirred a little when the door slammed shut; he couldn’t grab it fast enough to stop it. He got the wastebasket from the bathroom and put it on the floor next to her, just in case.

  Will she notice if I moved the chair? So what if she does. He moved it so he could watch her sleep. He sat in it and pulled up his feet. With the pillow behind his head and covers over him, he eventually fell asleep while watching her sleep.

  * * *

  When Kennedy woke the next morning, she felt groggy and disoriented. The light shining in through the window hurt her eyes. Once they finally focused, she noticed a dark blob in front of the window. The previous night came rushing back to her: the bar, the drinks, the guy, Emmerick coming to her rescue, Emmerick rejecting her. She sat up and the room was spinning slightly. He hadn’t even slept in the bed with her. He had done it before. What is the big deal now?

  She looked at him. He was still sleeping, looking uncomfortable in the chair. She pushed her covers to the foot of the bed. What happened to my pants? She couldn’t remember getting undressed. When she got out of the bed she saw them on the floor, folded haphazardly. She definitely didn’t do that.

  She contemplated taking a shower first, but she was too hungry. After she threw her hair up and pulled on an old pair of jeans and a sweatshirt, she headed to the diner down the street. She walked there, unsure if she would get motion sickness; her stomach was so delicate at the moment. After finding a table, she ordered more food than usual. As she ate, her queasiness subsided. It was the best breakfast she had ever eaten, or at least it felt that way.

  During her walk back to the hotel, she replayed the prior night’s events over and over in her head. Did she misread him when he protected her like that? When he danced with her like that? Why did he turn her down? He said something about being drunk. He thought her judgment was compromised. It wasn’t; it was merely her inhibitions that had gone out the window, not her judgment.

  She opened the door to her room and saw him still in the chair but awake. “Where have you been?” His voice was hoarse. It sounded as though he just woke up and like maybe he smoked half a pack of cigarettes the night before.

  “Breakfast.”

  “Oh. I guess I’ll order myself some room service then.” He looked a little put off that she didn’t wait for him. Or wake him. “Why didn’t you wake me up?”

  “You seemed content in your sleeping.” Her answers were short, as was her tone.

  “So, do you remember what happened last night?” He grinned his stupid cute grin at her.

  “No.” Yes, of course I do. She had not been as far gone as he had thought.

  “Well, that’s probably best.” He smiled as he picked up her phone and ordered himself room service, being sure to tell them to charge it to his room, not hers.

  By the time he got off the phone, she had already disappeared. He heard the shower start and his mind drifted to the events from last night, to everything that led to his late-night, freezing cold shower.

  He remembered the anger he felt when that guy was dancing with her, taking advantage of her like that. He remembered how good it had felt when his fist made contact with the guy’s face, and how good it had felt to have Kennedy’s body up against his.

  His thoughts were distracted by a knock on the door. Food. Finally. He shoveled it down so quickly that he was setting the tray outside the door by the time Kennedy emerged from the shower.

  “So what’s the plan today?” she asked.

  Good. She still wants me here. She was even willing to keep her promise that he would still be the leader today. “I was thinking we would head northwest. Try to get to the coast by nightfall.”

  “Then I guess we better get going.” She threw her toiletries into her bag and zipped it up.

  “Ok, let me go get dressed and gather my things. I’ll meet you outside in five?”

  “Sure.”

  After he left the room, she did a quick check to make sure she had packed everything and then headed to her car. He wasn’t out there yet, so she took the opportunity to clean it out. There were countless water bottles and food wrappers littered about. It severely limited her ability to keep the windows all the way down. When she picked up one of the wrappers, she found a roll of film from earlier in her trip under it.

  “What’s that?” She hadn’t even heard Emmerick approach.

 
“Film.”

  “Oh, wow! Really? Is that what it looks like?” His sarcasm was thick. “You should get it developed.”

  “Except that we’re about to leave.” Is he that retarded? “It’s not like digital where you can drop it off, submit it, whatever, and then pick which store location you want to develop it,” she explained.

  He just kept watching her. He was amused. It was cute how animated she got while explaining the workings of film developing procedures. “Then the moment we get to a town we’re staying in, you should take it to a one hour place.”

  She rolled her eyes. “Fine,” she said.

  “Good.” He put his helmet on. “You ready?”

  “Sure.” She got in her car and pulled out of the parking lot behind him.

  They headed north out of Utah hugging the east side of Salt Lake. It was hours before Emmerick decided to stop in Boise, almost halfway to the coast from where they started. He pulled off the highway just outside of town to look for a place to stop for food. They were almost to Oregon, and with any luck they would hit Washington before nightfall.

  The Phone

  They ate in a slightly awkward silence. Every time Emmerick tried to start a conversation, Kennedy ruined the attempt with one word answers.

  Emmerick had hoped the car ride would have given her a chance to cool down and get over whatever was making her angry. No such luck. The waiter seemed to notice the tension and gave them their bill without trying to sell them dessert.

  Once they were done eating, they continued on their way with Kennedy following Emmerick.

  After about an hour of checking his mirrors, she was finally beginning to be goofy in her car. It wasn’t full out craziness, but it was a start. She bobbed her head and mumbled with the music.

  Kennedy was surprisingly happy to be following Emmerick. She really didn’t want to think about where she was going, and if he wasn’t there to guide her, she would probably get lost on some back roads.

  She felt bad about how breakfast had gone. It seemed as though his feelings were hurt. She didn’t mean to be short with him. She was just still irritated with his reaction to her at the bar. Really it was his fault for sending her mixed signals. He seemed to be into her. In fact, hadn’t he admitted it last night, before they went to the bar?

  It doesn’t matter. Boys are stupid. She resolved not to let Emmerick’s confusing behavior ruin her trip or her fun and she decided to act as though last night had never happened. She would have to; otherwise he might start to wonder. She told him she didn’t remember anything. If she didn’t return to normal, he would figure out that she lied.

  Her thoughts started drifting to the events at the bar. How it felt to have him that close to her. To have his hands on her waist, in her pockets. When her lips brushed his ear.

  She shuddered. She couldn’t think about those things. He had made himself pretty clear. He obviously didn’t like her enough to consider her in that way, despite what he said when she asked him.

  Kennedy turned her radio up. It was an angry song. Just what she needed. She rocked it out.

  Emmerick checked his mirror again. Is she head banging? She was, slightly. She was singing too. Angry looking. Adorable looking.

  He continued leading her northwest and wishing they would get where they were going faster. He wanted to talk to her more and to hear her voice. If only she would give me her cell phone number, we could be talking while we’re driving. She’s incredibly irritating that way.

  The miles seemed to take forever to travel. Eventually the minutes rolled into hours, and they had almost traveled the maximum Kennedy’s tank would allow.

  They pulled off the highway in Kennewick, Washington. It was a rather large town built around a lake. Emmerick pulled into the first gas station he came across.

  When Kennedy got out of her car, she still looked angry. He didn’t understand. It seemed like she had gotten past her grumpiness. She started pumping the gas into her tank then approached him purposefully.

  “I thought you were going to let me run out of gas for a minute there.” She tried to hold her face in a glower, but she couldn’t keep it. She started smiling.

  “Yeah, well, it crossed my mind. That way you would have to ride on my bike again.” He couldn’t help but grin at her. She was still smiling. It made him happy. Is this really only our fourth day together? he asked himself.

  “Well, if you can find room for my duffle…” Her voice trailed off a little.

  He didn’t understand where she was going with it, so she continued, “I mean, this is probably the biggest town we’ve been to, and it just so happens there is a car rental place across the street where I could turn that in…” She pointed at the car.

  Comprehension dawned on his face before her eyes. It was pretty funny to watch. He stumbled with his response, “Uh, yeah, I...I should be able to…um…you know, fit it on there.”

  “Oh my God. You’re blushing. You’re actually blushing.” She laughed.

  “Nice, laugh at me. You know how many times you’ve blushed? I’ve been nice enough not to point it out, let alone laugh at you.”

  “Sorry, I couldn’t help it. But if you’re mad at me, I can just keep driving mys—”

  He cut her off, “No, no…you can ride with me.” He looked down. He hated sounding eager, but he didn’t want her to find any reason to change her mind.

  “Well ok then. I’ll meet you at the diner over there.”

  “Ok. Don’t forget to drop off your film.”

  She snapped a quick picture of him.

  “What was that for?”

  “I only had one picture left. Might as well drop off two rolls instead of one. Right?”

  “Yeah I guess. Well, I’ll get us some rooms while you’re turning your car in.”

  “Ok, but maybe get just one. It’s cheaper that way. As long as there are two beds.”

  He was in shock. “Are you sure?”

  “I figure if you were going to take advantage of me, you would have done it by now.” It sounded like there was some annoyance behind her statement.

  She walked away before her mood could turn sour with the thoughts of the bar.

  Emmerick got a room for them to share and put their bags inside. Figuring it would take her a while to finish her errands, he decided to jump in the shower, his first hot shower in a long time. It felt incredibly refreshing. He had almost forgotten what it was like.

  He got out of the shower and checked his phone. Two missed calls. His mom and Claire. Of course they’re calling. He hadn’t checked in with them in over a week. They’ll have to wait. He had taken longer than planned in the shower, and Kennedy was surely already at the restaurant.

  His assumption was correct. When he got to the diner, she was already seated with a drink in front of her and another one across from her. This is oddly familiar, and backwards, he thought.

  “Hope you don’t mind. I ordered for you,” she said.

  “Did you go—”

  “Yes. It will be ready in an hour.”

  “What makes you think I was going to ask that?”

  “You seem to be obsessed with those photos. I don’t even know what’s on that roll.” She pondered that for a moment, trying to remember what she’d taken pictures of before her trip.

  “Isn’t it from your trip? Pre-Emmerick?”

  “Some of it, but that roll was already in my camera and partially used when I started my trip.”

  “Interesting.” He had a smug smile. “Perhaps some naughty photos?” He winked at her.

  She laughed a little. His wink was pretty cute. It was obvious he didn’t do it often. “Yeah. You know me. Always taking nude photos. It’s what I do.”

  “In that case, you’ll have to take some of me. Tonight maybe?” He raised an eyebrow.

  She burst out laughing. “Highly doubtful. In fact, definitely not going to happen.”

  She’s so confusing.

  The food came to the table. Happy to hav
e a distraction, Emmerick dug in. He looked up when he heard her giggle. “What?” His mouth was half full.

  “You’re eating like an animal. Hungry much?”

  “I guess.” He swallowed his monstrous bite. “Sorry.”

  “What are we going to do tonight?”

  “I thought we’d just hang out. We could probably rent a movie if you want.”

  “Yeah, maybe.”

  Emmerick’s phone vibrated on the table. He didn’t answer. Instead, he sent the caller straight to voicemail.

  “You can answer that if you want.”

  “Yeah, but I don’t want to. It’s just Rachel. I’ll call her later.” He knew they must be worried, but until Emma started trying to get ahold of him, he knew they weren’t freaking out.

  “So, I was thinking. How about we stay in this town for a few days?” She paused to gauge his reaction.

  He gave her nothing. His expression was completely blank. Indifferent.

  “It’s just…I feel like it’s been a while since I’ve been anywhere near civilization. I’d like to immerse myself for a bit,” she explained.

  “Hey, it’s your trip.” He looked into her eyes. “Whatever you want.”

  She blushed a little and looked down. “Thanks.”

  “Let’s go pick up those photos. They’re probably done by now.” He was anxious to see her photos. He wanted to know what she thought to be worthy of capturing.

  “Sheesh. Ok. I’ll go pay then we’ll head over.”

  “Don’t worry about it. I’ll get it.”

  “Emmerick—”

  “Kennedy.” He knew she would argue this, but he wasn’t going to have it. “Just let me pay and let’s get out of here.”