Page 76 of Into the Dark, We Go
Ahead of me was the option of going back to Ohio, staying with my mother, taking that job, maybe even returning to college. Doing what she always wanted for me. But it all felt distant, like someone else’s life. A future that didn’t belong to me. I’d spent years following someone else’s lead, swinging between doing what others thought was best and doing theopposite, just to spite my mother. I joined the track team because my PE teacher said I should. I was good enough, but I never ran for myself. I chose the University of Minnesota over a closer school mostly to prove I could leave, even if that meant letting go of everything familiar. My life had been shaped by the expectations of others, either trying to meet them or push away from them.
But now, after everything that had happened to us in Black Water, something had shifted. I couldn’t go back. Not because it would disappoint my mother, but because I no longer needed her approval to make this choice.
"I’m staying." Everyone’s eyes shifted to me. "I’ll go into the woods and find that place."
June looked at her brother. "I want to stay too. Even if you’re leaving."
Mitch uncrossed his arms, and in that instant, I thought he might push back. But then he stood a little straighter.
"Alright," he said. "That’s settled, then."
The plan was to find a safe place to stay for a few days before the full moon and try to locate that strange spot in the woods. But first, we needed to retrieve our belongings from the hotel. I was better off than everyone else, with a few things stashed in the back of my car: some clothes in a box and Lucas’s gym bag, untouched since I left Minneapolis. Still, all my essentials were in the Ikea bag back at the resort.
Mitchell and June took my car to pick up everything. He hesitated, debating whether to leave her with me and take Nick instead, but in the end, watching over his sister himself won out.
"We oughta get a rental," Mitchell said. "They’ve already marked the Dodge, so a different ride might help us keep under the radar."
"Get full coverage, too," I added. "Might need it."
We were stuckin the grimy room for hours, waiting for the siblings to return. The place was cramped and drab. Stained walls, faded curtains, and a queen-sized bed taking up most of the space. A small coffee table and a sofa sat awkwardly in front of it. The air felt stale, and the only sound was the hum of the old refrigerator in the corner.
"You want one?" Nick offered me a ginger beer from the fridge as I paced the short length of the room. I hadn’t even noticed him grabbing them at the gas station. I took the bottle automatically and tried to twist the cap off with the hem of my shirt, but it wouldn’t budge. I set it on the coffee table and continued my lengths.
"Quite a day, huh?" Nick lolled on the sofa, mouth hitched in a half-smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes.
"That’s one way to put it."
"How are you feeling?" He watched me tentatively as he opened my bottle with his keys. The lid fell onto the stained carpet with a sad ping.
I held out my hand, still trembling. "I’m fine."
"Really?" he challenged. He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his thighs. From this angle, the dull overheads flooded his cheekbones in shadows. "You keep pacing."
"Really," I repeated. "It’s just my first car chase, you know."
Nick laughed, but there was no amusement in it. "Being so close to death makes you feel alive, huh?"
I took a sip of the ginger beer.
"I thought stuff like this only happened in movies." I rubbed my forehead, still pacing.
"Okay, enough," he said, rising from the couch. In a few strides, he was in front of me. Too close for friendly. His nearness stole the breath from my lungs. I looked up, and for a second, the room narrowed to just us.
"I just can’t think about anything else."
"Me neither," he said, voice low. "But I don’t think we’re thinking about the same thing."
His hand found the side of my neck, gently pulling me closer. His kiss caught me off guard, but the feeling of his lips on mine made me instantly forget the chaos. He pulled back slightly, giving me space to process what was happening. I shifted awkwardly, fisting his shirt. How did that just happen?
Nick’s dark brown eyes held a quiet intensity, exploring the contours of my face with a soft, unhurried curiosity. I stood there, still holding onto him, my fingers gently unfastening his buttons.
He kissed me again, deeper and more insistent. The adrenaline still coursing through my veins, I let go of my reservations, ignoring the nagging thoughts of consequences and implications, and Lucas. All that mattered was that Nick was holding me tight, already pulling my shirt off, his touch a slow burn that ignited as his hands made contact with my bare skin. That quiet pull I’d been trying to ignore. I finally recognized it for what it was. I wanted him.
And for once, I didn’t care what happened next.
22
Chapter Twenty-Two
