“Yes, that is probably best, do you have any or do you need to call room service?” I asked, all the while trying to discover little bits of information. For I knew if it had a bar and room service then I could cross all motels and bed and breakfasts off my list.
“I have some in the fridge,” she told me, and I heard the sound of her getting up and opening a door. Then I heard the sound of a bottle cap twisting telling me she was doing as suggested.
“Is there anything else in there, like food to soak up the alcohol, as that will help also?” I asked at the same mentally wondering how many hotels could be crossed off a list due to the contents offered in a minibar.
“Oh, Gods, I couldn’t eat another bite! There is a lot of food here, like they are constantly feeding you!” she said laughing and taking another sip of her water, telling me that would most definitely help in narrowing my search as it was starting to sound as if she were at an all-inclusive resort of some kind, perhaps in Florida as Pip suggested.
“That’s good,” I commented trying not to let on where my thoughts were.
“It is? Why, because I think if I keep eating like this, then I will be the size of a house by the time I get there…I’ve been living on junk food, and I can’t decide which was my favorite,” she said rambling and not realising that she was giving me more and more information, so I decided to push a little.
“No, you won’t, maybe a cute little hippo, but not a house.” She giggled at that and Gods, how I had missed the sound.
“Unless, of course, you are planning on writing a book on the junk food of the States?” I said making her laugh, at the same time I was holding myself ridged, as if waiting any moment for a single place name.
“Umm, now why didn’t I think about that?”
“I will let you have the idea, at a price of course.” She made a huh, huh sound and after another little burp slipped out, she asked in a sceptical tone,
“And what would that price be exactly?” This told me that I needed to continue to be cautious here, so decided to change my answer,
“I will only ask for fifty percent of the cut and a place on the book tour.” She laughed again,
“Great, I will see you in Milwaukee then.” My heart started pounding and I asked in a feigned amused tone,
“Why, is that where you are?” However, the hope in my tone was easy to hear because she released a deep sigh and said,
“No, I am not in Milwaukee, Lucius.” I closed my eyes against the disappointment and forced myself to say,
“That’s a shame, I hear they have good beer there.”
“Really?” she sounded genuinely interested so I kept the conversation going and told her what I knew of the place,
“It’s known for its breweries, also your uncle would like it.”
“Yeah, how come?”
“It has the Harley Davidson museum there.” At this she laughed.
“Oooh, I wonder if they have a job going,” she teased, making me reply,
“Well, it is said to have Elvis Presley’s bike there, so how is your knowledge of the King of Rock and Roll?” I teased back.
“The King of Blood Rock, pretty good, the King of the famous hip roll…not so much.” This time I was the one to laugh and tried once again,
“Then may I be so bold as to suggest that be your next destination… better yet, let me meet you there and I can be your guide.”
“Nice try, as I think that would defeat what I am trying to achieve here.” I gritted my teeth at her reply.
“Which is?” I braved to ask, knowing that I was pushing this.
“I may be drunk, Lucius, but I am not stupid…you won’t find me, you know, she added in a sad tone and I swallowed hard, making a fist with my hand and pressing it against the top of a sideboard I was stood next to.
“Then why did you call me…why chance it?” I decided to come right out and ask.
“For two reasons, the first being I wanted to ask you a favour,” she said making me raise a brow intrigued, telling her,
“If it’s for me to stop looking for you, then I am sorry, but I can’t do that, sweetheart.”
“No, I don’t suppose you will, but can you at least let me sleep?” I hated that she was right to blame me in this, despite telling her,
“I am not stopping you from sleeping, in fact, I encourage it.”
“Yeah, so you can sneak into my mind and try and get me to show you…”
“Sleep, Amelia,” I interrupted her in a tender tone.
“Yeah, so you can…” I swiftly cut her off again and added my reasons why she should sleep,
“I won’t risk your health for the sake of finding you. If you are asking me to let you sleep, then I will honour your wishes and grant you a promise that after tonight I will leave your mind in peace.” She released a deep and weary sigh before she muttered a small and sweet,
“Thank you.” I nodded, despite her being too far from me to know, instead forcing out,
“You’re welcome, Amelia.”
“You know you don’t need to do this, you don’t owe them anything,” she said making me frown, hating what reasons her mind had warped reality to be. Which was precisely why I told her,
“Despite what you think, I am not searching for you for any other gain but my own.” I heard her swallowing down her emotions and I knew in that moment that she was crying, and my back hit the wall at the faint sound of her trying to hide it from me.
“I wish I could believe that, you have no idea how much I do,” she told me, and the wood crumbled in between my fingers.
“You are the only one who has the power to change that, my girl.” At this she cleared her throat and I could almost see her shaking her head, so before she had the chance to back track, I asked her,
“Tell me the second reason.”
“Second reason?” she asked as she’d obviously forgotten her own words.
“The reasons you called, you said there were two, so I am asking what was the other?”
“Oh that,” she said in a small voice that only made me want to hold her.
“It doesn’t really matter now, does it,” she told me, making me silently utter her name before I could speak again.
“It matters to me…it always will,” I told her making her sigh,
“And if I tell you, you swear to keep your promise, you won’t try and get in my head again…right?” I hated doing it, knowing what it could end up costing me, but I said it anyway,
“I am usually known to be a man of my word, yes,” I said unable to keep the strain from my voice.
“Then I will tell you.” She took a deep breath, muttered a whispered, ‘what am I doing?’ before she did it anyway and told me,
“I was watching a couple dancing tonight. They couldn’t stop smiling at each other. It was like the whole world didn’t exist, as if not a single person was there watching them… like they were the only two people in the room. It was so beautiful, like they had spent their entire lives dancing to that same song…you know?” At this I took a deep breath and closed my eyes, seeing it for myself and feeling the same pain that she had felt watching it.