Page 78 of Lies and Lullabies
“No problem. Come on, princess. Say goodbye to your…” He stopped short of finishing that sentence. I wasn’t the only one who found the transition strange.
“Bye, Daddy!” Vivi said, as if it was the simplest thing in the world.
Jonas jogged across the stupidly large suite and scooped her up. “Bye, Vivi. I’ll see you soon.”
“When?” she asked.
“Well, your mom and I have to figure that out.” He set her down, pulling the itinerary out of his back pocket. “Looks like the first opportunity is in just five days. What are you all doing on Monday?”
I glanced at Adam, who was standing by the door. His surgery wasn’t scheduled yet, and wouldn’t be until later today or tomorrow. “Can we talk tomorrow?” I asked Jonas.
“Sure.” He put a hand on Vivi’s head and sifted through her curls one more time. Then he bent over and kissed her head. “Bye, baby girl,” he said, his voice thick.
“Bye, my daddy.”
Vivi followed Adam out of the room, leaving Jonas in a crouch on the floor. When the door clicked shut, Jonas hung his head. “Shit.”
“What’s the matter?”
“How do people do this?”
“Do what?” I zipped my duffel closed.
“Leave.” He got to his feet and disappeared into the other room.
He seemed to need a moment to himself, so I just let him go. A minute later, I heard him arguing with someone on the phone. “Ben, I said we’d talk about thislater. I’m going to call you from the bus in an hour, okay?” He paused. “No. No more dates in Europeat all, and nothing in Asia. I’m taking time off after the North American tour. I’ve got a family crisis, okay? We’ll talk later.” Then Jonas laughed. “That’s where you’rewrong, Ben. I actuallydohave a family. Got to go! Ethan’s waiting for me downstairs.”
Jonas stuck his head around the door frame. “This is it, Kira. Can you walk me out?”
“Of course.” I grabbed my bag and tried to look calmer than I felt. Because itwasweird. I didn’t know where I stood with this man, and I didn’t know when that might become more clear.
Jonas took my hand in his as the elevator descended, but neither of us seemed to know what to say. The elevator doors parted at the lobby, and I stepped out, but in the ten minutes since we’d gone upstairs, the lobby had transformed into a madhouse.
“Fuck,” Jonas whispered under his breath, his hand tightening on mine. Instead of stepping forward, he pulled me back into the elevator. He slapped at a button on the control panel, and the doors began to ease closed again, even as people began to run in our direction.
It took me a second to figure out that the surging crowd was aimed at Jonas.
A shriek rose up, and I had a moment of true fear that I couldn’t really explain. Mercifully, the doors closed before any of the people charging our elevator reached it.
“Fuck!” he repeated. “I’m so sorry.”
The car descended again. “Where are we going?”
“There’s always a way out to the back from the basement of a hotel. Always.” The doors opened again into a cement hallway lit by fluorescent lighting. We stepped out, and he looked left and right. “This way.”
“How do you know?” The only signs readLaundryandMaintenance.
“The loading dock has to be near the laundry.” He squeezed my hand once. “Stick with me, babe. I know things.” His smile was sad.
Sure enough, after we walked twenty yards or so, the laundry appeared, and beyond it yawned the open doors of a loading dock. Jonas stopped, pulling me into his arms. “Kira,” he whispered. “I hate leaving you right now.”
I pulled back far enough to look him in the eye. “You have no choice.”
He kissed me quickly. “I know. But it feels too much like the last time. One night together and…” He broke off, pinching the skin at the top of his nose. “I need to know when I’m going to see you again. Both of you.”
“Soon,” I whispered. I reached up to run my fingers along his jaw. “We’ll figure out a date.” He felt so good under my hand. But I understood his emotions. No matter how beautiful our night together had been, walking away made everything feel strange.
Jonas’s phone began to vibrate in his pocket. He yanked it out and answered it. “Yeah. I’m in the basement, just inside the loading dock. Can you swing by for me? When I see the bus, I’ll come out there.”
