The Chase by Amber Riel (story reading txt) 📖

to a small pleasant little hotel.

          “I thought you said that we weren’t going to be stopping at any hotels,” I told him, remembering the conversation we had when we were on our way to Carmen’s.

          He sighed.  “I’m tired and need to rest…. And I’m only going to get one room this time…. I know I told you that I would get two rooms because I don’t agree with an unmarried couple sharing a room but after what happened at the last hotel I’d feel better if I’m in the room with you and Lainie for safety reasons…. Any other reason it’d be different but this is for both of your protection.”

          I nodded.  I understood his reasoning, who wouldn’t have?  It was to keep us safe and I didn’t blame him for after the incident.

 

          I stood with Louis as we waited for the hotel clerk to arrive.  Louis carried Lainie as he had before.  The room was large with a few couches and chairs filling the spaces along with small round brown coffee tables.

          A woman about in her mid-twenties walked out and over to the desk.  She had brown hair which was up in a ponytail and dark but tanned skin.  She looked at Louis with a flirtatious stare that kind of bothered me.  “Hello there, handsome,” she spoke as she completely ignored the fact that I was there, eyeing her.

          Louis obviously wasn’t paying her any mind which to my relief was a good thing.

          “Is that child yours?” she asked.

          “No she’s one of my friend’s children…. I’m more of an uncle to her,” Louis replied, clearly he wasn’t amused by the woman’s flirty behavior.

          “I like it when men are great with children…. It kind of turns me on.”

          “Look,” Louis replied, he gestured toward, “my girlfriend here probably isn’t comfortable with you flirting with me and just so you know if I wasn’t taken you wouldn’t be on my list of favorites…. I like women who are shy than someone who likes to just flirt with men just to tease ‘m or let ‘m take advantage of them…. Yea I don’t find you attractive…. And don’t expect me to flirt with you especially in front of my girlfriend…. How stupid do you think I am?  Now look I’m here for a room and that’s it.”

          I kind of smiled at Louis’s comment toward the girl.

          The clerk was in shock as if she had never heard those words before and in her case most likely hadn’t heard them.  She looked at me then back to Louis and kind of nodded with shame.  “I’m sorry,” she whispered.  She looked like she was about to burst into tears like it was the end of the world because Louis had told her how he had felt toward her flirtatious attitude.  She then looked at me with tears in her eyes.  “I’m sorry to be disrespectful.”

          I didn’t know how to respond to her words.  They had surprised me.

          She pulled out a keycard and handed it to Louis.  “That’ll be about sixty pounds.”

          Louis carefully took the card and reached into his pocket and pulled out his wallet.  He had done it so fast that he hadn’t even struggled to keep Lainie in his arms without dropping her.  He worked his wallet opened and pulled out some money and handed it to the girl.  “Keep the change I don’t need it and find a guy who is single instead of flirting with costumers who may or may not be taken.  Now what room are we in?”

          “Room 8b…. It’s upstairs and down at the end on the left,” the girl answered as she gestured behind her.

          Louis nodded.  “Thank you.”

 

          Louis laid Lainie on the bed which was closest toward the bathroom and sink.  He turned toward me and smiled.

          “What?” I asked.  His smile kind of worried me.

          “You’re still in trouble for calling me Lou…. Twice.”

          I thought about that and kind of laughed.  “What are you going to do about it?” I asked.

          He slowly worked his way toward me and I went to run toward the bathroom but he grabbed my wrist, playfully and pulled me back toward him.  “Let’s see,” he replied as he smiled.  “I would try to find where you’re ticklish but if you laugh to loudly you’ll wake up Lainie and believe me we don’t want that to happen,” he said as he shook his head.  “I have a good idea.”  He locked his arms around me, tapping me in his muscles.  “You have to give me at least two kisses and if you don’t then you’re going to be stuck here all night until you do.”

          “Two kisses?” I asked.

          “Yep two kisses and you can go free….”

          I kind of tilted my head, looking around, thinking.  “I don’t know,” I sighed.

          “I’ll keep my arms wrapped tightly around you if you don’t.”

          I sighed.  “Alright, two kisses.”

          We leant in and kissed for a moment then pulled away.  “Okay, one more, missy.”

          I smiled at his words and shook my head and we kissed again.

          “Aww…. Are you two going to get married?” Lainie’s little voice asked.

          We pulled away from each other and turned our attention toward the child.  “You’re supposed to be sleeping, young lady,” Louis told Lainie as he released me from his grip.

          “But I’m thirsty,” Lainie replied.  “And you didn’t answer my question, Uncle Louis.”

          Louis kind of laughed.  “As of right now no we’re not going to get married but there is a possibly that we will…. It’ll take some time though.”

          Lainie sighed.  “Okay.”

          I shook my head.  I walked over to the sink and picked up on of the paper cups which was left sitting on it.  I turned on the facet and filled the cup with a little bit of water then turned toward Lainie after I turned the facet off.  “Here you go.”

          Lainie climbed off of the bed and walked over to me.  She took the cup and drank.  When she was finished, she placed the cup back on the bed and looked up at me.  “Thank you, Auntie Samantha.”

          “You welcome…. Now, go back to bed.”

          “Okay but I have to go to the bathroom first.”

          Louis sat on the bed which was closest toward the window and removed his shoes.  “I figured that it would be better if you and Lainie got that bed just in case someone broke in or something.”

          I nodded as I walked over to the other bed and sat down in front of Louis and removed my shoes as well.

          Louis sighed.  “This has been an interesting week for you huh?”

          I nodded.  “It sure has but I like how it’s turning out.”  I couldn’t help but smile.

          Louis nodded, returning the smile.  “I’m glad to hear that.”  He leant forward and grabbed my hands, rubbing them with his thumbs.  “I’m sorry your vacation is ruined.”

          I smiled.  “I don’t think it’s ruined.  I mean I get to tell my friends and family back in America that my sister’s house was broken into…. I almost had a bad night because of that taxicab driver…. My sister’s house was burnt down…. But out of all the bad that’s happened, I get to spend time with Lainie who I only get to see so often…. And I got to know you…. I know that things happen for a reason and I think that the one match maker we weren’t counting on was using all of this bad stuff to bring us closer, and I thank Him for that,” I told Louis as tears filled my eyes.  “This was God’s way of bringing us together.”

          Louis took a hand and brushed back hair that was falling in front of my face.  We kissed.  When he pulled away from me, he smiled.  “Eight.”

          “I’ll see you in the morning, Louis.”

          “I’ll see you in the morning too, Sam.  Good night.”

          “Good night.”

          Lainie walked back into the room and climbed on the bed with me and lied down.  “Good night, Auntie Samantha and Uncle Louis.”

          “Good night, Lainie,” I replied as I curled up next to the child.

          “Good night, kiddo,” Louis said as he moved the covers from his bed and lay down, pulling the blankets over himself.  “See you two ladies in the morning.”

          I drifted off to sleep.  I felt safe, knowing that Louis was in the room with Lainie and me.  It probably would have bothered me but under the circumstances it was better that he was there.  There was a calm which had fell in the room and I liked knowing that if for any reason I needed Louis all I had to do was to go to his bed and wake him up instead of having to go out and knock on another door.

 

          The next morning I sat up and looked around.  I noticed that Louis was missing.  Lainie was still asleep next to me on the bed.  I figured he probably went out to the car to grab us each a new pair of clothes to change into.  I stood up and walked around the room for a bit to walk up mentally.  The room, like most hotel rooms, was small with two beds a long dress and a good size TV sitting on the top.  The morning sunlight had fought its way into the room with the long wide dark blue curtain hanging down on the floor blocking its rays.

          The door opened and Louis walked in with a couple of bags.  One had some clothes and the other was smaller which from the smell had been food.  Freshly baked food.  He also carried a tray with three cups on it.  Two were long and slim while the third one was small and round.  “Good morning, Sam.”

          “Good morning, Louis.”

          Louis looked at Lainie and kind of smiled.  “Still sleeping I see.”

          “Yep,” I replied with a nod.

          “Here,” he said as he placed the bag with the clothes on his bed and the bag of food on the table along with the tray which held the cups.  “I decided to go ahead and get some breakfast.  I didn’t want to wake you and Lainie up because Lainie looks adorable when she sleeps….”

          I nodded in agreement as I looked over at her and smiled.

          “And you’re cute when you sleep…. I thought that it’d be rude of me just to wake the both of you up.”  He sat down at the table and opened up the bag of food.  “I just got doughnuts.  I’m not all that hungry and I figured that if we eat a small breakfast now then maybe for dinner we could stop somewhere and have a feast.  That is if we have a small lunch as well.”

          I sat down across from him and smiled.  “I like that idea.”

          “Good.”  He handed me a round glazed doughnut and one of the two tall cups.  “I got us coffee and Lainie some orange juice.”

          “That’s cool.”

 

          We sat in the car and Louis drove a while.  It was another long drive.  “How long till we get to where we’re supposed to be?” I asked.

          Louis kind of pursed his lips as he thought.  “About another day or so…. Not tonight but maybe by tomorrow night or the next morning we should be there.  We’re really not that far from where we need to be but I don’t know any shortcuts because where we’re headed I’ve only been there a few times and that was by taking this road…. The interstate.”

          “Oh.”

          “But we’ll be there soon though.”