Page 11 of Linebacker
“I’m the same age as you, arsehole,” I grumble back at him.
“Sure, but I fooled your dad into thinking I was a teacher.” He has a point. “Besides, do you have a credit card, because chances are they won’t let us secure a room without one?”
“Okay, but I’ll give you the money,” I bark back at him.
“Jesus, let’s just see if we can get one first then we can discuss the finances later,” he chides back, “Wait here and I’ll be back in a bit.”
Luckily for us they have availability and we manage to sneak past the reception area, down the corridor and into the room undetected. The last thing we need is for people to become suspicious of the very young couple, turning up at a cheap hotel late at night with no luggage. God knows only too well what assumption they will come to.
When you consider the cheapness of a night’s stay the room isn’t that bad. It consists of a double bed, open wardrobe, desk area with a TV and a couple of chairs. The bathroom houses a walk-in shower, toilet and sink. The main thing is that it’s clean, although the towels have seen better days.
After I dump my backpack on to the bed both Mars and I stand in the centre of the room shrouded in uncomfortable silence.
“Can you ditch the wig?” he asks when he eventually speaks. “It’s a little off-putting.”
“Don’t you like it?” I play with the tips of the platinum hair, raising an eyebrow at him in question.
“It’s not you, that’s for sure. But I must admit, it pretty much fooled them all.”
“But not you?” I slide the wig off of my head along with the net cap that was holding my natural locks flat to my head. I fling it on top of my bag before running my fingers through my hair and giving my itchy, warm scalp a good scratch. How the hell Windy wears these things I’ll never know.
“Maybe at first, but I had this weird feeling that I knew you from somewhere, something was familiar.”
“So, what was it that gave me away?”
“The way you stand with your left shoulder slightly forward and the tilt of your head,” he explains like it’s blatantly obvious. “The main giveaway is when your start nibbling on your little fingernail like Doctor Evil.”
“Who the hell is Doctor Evil?” I scoff, as I drop and sit at the bottom of the bed.
“Don’t tell me you’ve never watched the Austin Powers’ movie?” he puffs out a laugh as he takes a seat beside me. His firm muscled arm brushes against mine, and I’m zapped by static electricity. We both intake a sharp breath, making it clear that I’m not the only one who felt it. “It’s a classic and one of my favourites,” Mars adds, his voice unusually higher than the norm.
“Well, I don’t watch a lot of TV,” I retort. Truth is we don’t have one but I’m not about to admit to that.
Suddenly, something occurs to me. Mars had recognised me in my slightly slutty getup simply by my body language, even though I was trying to act like someone else. No one else had picked up on it, even though they notice me well enough when they want to torment me. Mars had actually seen me. What does that mean? I sure as hell don’t know but I can’t ignore the warmth that blooms on my cheeks or the flutter in my stomach. I should say something, but I’m lost for words.
“Don’t know about you, but I’m hungry,” he says jumping up suddenly and moving towards the door, which makes me wonder if he’s noticed my embarrassment. “Do you want something?”
“What I really want is to get this stuff off my face.” I swipe the back of my hand over my mouth and when I look down it’s stained with red from my lips. “And this stupid dress.”
“I wouldn’t call it stupid,” he mumbles under his breath but not quietly enough that I don’t catch it. I think he realises that too by the way he shifts awkwardly on his feet. “Tell you what, I’ll go grab what I can from the vending machine I saw when we came in. While I’m gone, do what you need to do. I have some spare clothes in the boot of the car. I can grab them but they’ll drown you.”
“No need, I have some stuff in my backpack,” I smile shyly at him. “In fact, I’m going to take a quick shower, so I’ll take it in with me.”
“Okay, well I’ll take the key card with me so I can let myself in, in case you’re not done when I get back.”
“Great. Oh, and I wouldn’t mind a coke if they have any. I’ve got money.” I pull my backpack towards me and go to the front zip pocket to grab my purse.
“We can sort it out later, don’t worry.” He flashes me a smile before slipping out of the door and closing it behind him.
With a pair of black leggings, a Bad Wolves t-shirt and fresh underwear, I lock myself in the bathroom and start shedding my temporary persona so I can get back to being me.
CHAPTER10
When I come back out of the bathroom dressed, face free of make-up, and a towel wrapped around my wet hair, I’m more comfortable in myself.
Mars has returned and is sitting on the bed with his back propped against the headboard, his legs stretched out in front of him. Although he’s positioned at one side of the mattress, he takes up most of the width, and with the generous pile of various snacks at his side, there’s not a lot of room, to say the least. No longer is he dressed in a suit but in grey sweatpants and a Capa Cobra’s fitted t-shirt. His feet are bare, a pair of Nike trainers and sports socks discarded on the floor. The TV is on, the distinctive noise and sports talk filter into the room. I glance at the screen to see who’s playing. While I’m sure that he had been watching the game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Cleveland Browns, his eyes are firmly fixed on me.
“What’s the score?” I ask in hope that it’s enough to direct his attention back to the game and therefore make me feel less conspicuous.
