Chapter 22

After my last class for the day, I headed back to the dorm room and started packing for the trip Arthur had planned for us. I had told Chani, who was helping me pack, that I had no idea where we were going, but I was excited. Other than the occasional trip to the nearest big city with Alice or my family, I rarely traveled outside of Trinidad.

"How many pairs of underwear do you need?" Chani rummaged through my drawer. I blushed slightly at the thought of her looking through all my panties.

"I-uh, I can grab it myself." I slipped in between her and the dresser.

She laughed and squeezed my shoulder, before moving to sit on my bed. "Do you really like him that much, Mali?"

"He's nice." I nodded, picking out the underwear and placing them in my duffle bag. "He's been nothing but nice to me."

"But anyone can be nice to you. Do you like him more than just that?"

"I don't know." I shrugged, walking over to check what I had packed so far. "He helps me buy stuff, and he's nice. Does a sugar daddy need to really be anything more? It's not like I'm per se looking for a romantic relationship with him."

"But aren't you having one with him?" She raised an eyebrow.

"I guess. I mean, we've done stuff, and I'm sure we'll do more in time, but that doesn't mean I love him, right?"

"Yeah. I guess not." She shrugged. "Sex doesn't equal love always."

"You just want to ask if I love you, Chani?" I cracked a smile, looking over at her.

She rolled her eyes. "No. I already know you do."

"Oh, so sure." I laughed. I looked over as my phone vibrated. "Arthur's here. I've got to go."

"Bye, bye, girly. Stay safe."

"Have fun seeing your family." I moved in to hug her goodbye, before grabbing my bag and heading out the door. I headed down the stairs and outside, where Arthur's Escalade was parked. I waved, ran around the side, and tossed my things into the back, before crawling in.

"Hey, Malia." He smiled at me, leaning over to kiss me.

I kissed him back, before buckling the seatbelt as he drove out of the parking lot. "So, you going to tell me where we're headed now?"

"Vail." He spoke with a smile, glancing in my direction.

I sat forward in excitement. "Like the ski resort?!"

"Exactly." Arthur chuckled. "Have you ever been?"

"Not at all, but Alice's family always went to a resort around Christmas time, so I've been there before."

"Where you guys go?"

"Taos. It's in New Mexico."

"Never heard of it." He shook his head.

"I…hope we're not going skiing while we're there. I'm not a very good skier." I rubbed my arm nervously.

"No worries. I'm not much of a skier either. I've only gone with my kids once and I nearly broke my back." He chuckled.

"I would've loved to have seen that." I smiled to myself.

"I'm sure you would have." He shook his head with a smile still on his face. "Anyways. I do have some things planned, but anything you don't want to do, we don't have to do."

"I'm really excited." I placed my hand on top of his that was resting on the console.

"I am too, Malia." He squeezed my hand gently, taking it in his.

We drove for around an hour and a half before arriving in Vail. Next part was trying to find our hotel in the busy city.

"We're at the Lion Square Lodge." I read the resort off of Arthur's reservation. "I'm plugging it into Google Maps now."

We followed the instructions toward our hotel, finally arriving there. I was more than ready to get out and stretch my legs, but it was cold up here, forcing me to quickly grab my jacket first.

"Come on." Arthur wrapped his arm around me, rubbing my arm to help me warm up. He was carrying his bag and had handed me mine. The hotel was beautiful, looking just like I expected from a ski resort.

We walked into the hotel and were given the key to our room. We rode the elevator up, and before I knew it, we were in the room, letting us set our things down.

"Are you hungry?" Arthur looked over at me after setting his suitcase down.

I nodded. "Very."

"Let's see what's around us then."

----

Arthur let out a groan as he crashed onto the bed. I sat down next to him, scooting under him, so he was resting his head on my lap. "This place is amazing, Arthur. Did you see the other bedroom? There are bunk beds. They're so cute."

Arthur smiled up at me, reaching up to gently touch my face. "Are you ready for bed, Malia?"

"I'm full and tired, so yes." I laughed.

"Alright. Get comfy, and I'll be back in a second." Arthur got up and walked into the bathroom.

I got under the sheets, moving my arms and legs to try to heat it up. Arthur came back out and crawled in with me, pulling me against him, face to face.

"Thank you for bringing me with you, Arthur." I whispered.

"There's no one else I'd rather have here with me." He reached over and rubbed my cheek gently.

I smiled, leaning in to kiss him. "Thank you nonetheless."

----

Arthur and I were walking around the town, when I slipped my cold hand in his. He jumped slightly, likely from my chilly hands, but then took my hand in his. We had a handful of bags already from our shopping, as he had insisted that I have a shopping spree. I was tentative, but excited nonetheless since I do, in fact, love shopping.

"Malia." He looked down at me.

"You can call me Mali or Mal. My friends always do."

"Mal." He smiled.

"Hm?"

"Do you miss home at all? This is your first time being away for long, right?"

"Not really." I shook my head. "I like being away from my family and having this kind of independence. They occasionally call to chat, but they would kill me if they found out I have a sugar daddy and an almost girlfriend."

He laughed. "You think you'll ever tell them?"

"My sister's kinda crazy; she probably wouldn't judge me, but my parents: never."

"What are you gonna do if you ever wanna settle down one day?"

"Probably just not talk to them anymore." I looked down as we walked into the next store. I hadn't thought on it much, but I guess they would likely disown me if they knew I was bi, so I wouldn't really have a choice. "If you and I settled down, they'd probably be okay with it, but not with Chani."

"That's fucked up." He looked over at me, before continuing softly. "I'm really sorry that your parents are like that, Mal."

I looked up at him and smiled slightly, tilting my head to the side. "I'm just happy to have good people in my life. Parents you don't choose, but friends you do."

Arthur pulled me into a hug. "How very wise of you." He laughed.

"I can be pretty smart when I put my mind to it." I inhaled his scent while we hugged. He always smelled so warm and inviting. "More than my family, I actually miss my animals. I especially want to have rats again."

"Well, once you strike out on your own, you can start your own home zoo if that's what you want to do. At least the animals won't judge you for being bi." He paused. "Probably."

I laughed. "I surely hope not! I'd like to have a room for animals someday, so the rats won't keep me up at night anymore. And so I can have a safe space to let them run around in."

"How much room do you think you'd need for all the animals you want?"

"Well, I want dogs and cats and rats and to bring my reptiles back over with me. And Chani wants spiders and probably other things, but we'd realistically only need like three bedrooms in a place, but I don't know how expensive something like that is in Denver."

"In the city, that's pretty expensive; you'd have to go further out or get a fixer-upper to find something more affordable. I could always help you guys get a place, though."

"That's way too much, Arthur. I mean…" I looked up at him. "Maybe. If you're sure, 'cause I don't know how else I'd afford a place."

"I'd love to help you, Mal. Besides, I have the funds."

I smiled and got up on my toes to kiss him. "Thank you again, Arthur."

"Anyways, why don't you put that brain of yours to what we're gonna buy."

----

After a long and fun day, we were finally back in the hotel room. After shopping and dropping things back off, we went snowmobiling. It was my first time, but it ended up being really fun. I was somewhat nervous about driving, but nothing bad happened, so we just had a good time. After, we grabbed some dinner and headed back to the hotel room. Currently, we were cuddling in bed, watching some TV.

I moved slightly, cuddling up closer to him. "I don't wanna go home yet." I pouted.

"I know." He ran his fingers through my hair. "But you have homework to do, don't you?"

"Yeah…" I sighed deeply. "I wish I didn't go to college. I hate it."

"You'll be happy you did once you finish."

"But once I finish, I have to go to medical school. And I'm not looking forward to that at all."

"You'll make it through." He rubbed my head lovingly. "I know you will."

"I don't know how I'm going to pay for everything, though." I shook my head, looking at him sadly. "I'm going to be in so much debt."

"Don't worry about it too much, Mal. You'll figure it out, and I'll be here to help."

"Thanks, Arthur." I smiled at him, squeezing him in a hug. He let out an 'ump' but laughed afterward.