chapter ten

LUCI

Saint didn't know what he was talking about. ] wanted love, obsession and desire all in one. | wasn't desperate for it though. Or at least, I think so.

I groaned and followed him back to the car. He unlocked it and I lowered my head to get in.

Saint started the car and glanced at the dashboard screen that displayed the directions.

"We have to stop and rest somewhere," he said. 'If we continue on the road now we won't be able to stop. Plus it's dangerous to keep driving as it gets darker."

I just nodded and played with my phone in my lap. I didn't feel like talking to him after what he said.

"Can | get a verbal response?"

I shrugged and turned my body to the window. | stared at the diner and its LED lights and sighed.

"Someone's a brat," he mumbled.

I quickly turned around to face him and scoffed. "What did you call me?"

"So she speaks," he gasped. "I said you're a brat."

"I'm not a brat."

I took off the sunglasses and threw them into his lap. | knew my eyes had to have been glowing red at that point but I didn't care.

"Just drop the attitude," he warned. "I don't take too well to brats."

I slid back into my seat and watched the dark, dreary road as Saint drove off the lot. I didn't know where exactly we would be going but | assumed it was a motel of some sort.

We drove a couple of miles before coming to a stop. | looked out the window to see a small motel that was only ground level. A couple of men stood in front of it with cigarettes and lighters. It looked run down and shabby and the parking lot was full.

"This looks..." I trailed off.

"It's okay it's only for a night." Saint finished.

He parked the car and got out quickly. I did the same and followed him to the trunk of the car.

He pulled our bags out and handed me mine. He walked fast ahead of me and I jogged a bit to catch up with him.

The group of men at the entrance stared at me and a wave of anxiety washed over me.

Out of instinct | latched onto Saint's arm and looked up at him. He threw me a weird look but continued to walk with me against him.

We entered the motel which smelled of mildew and ashtrays. There was a plump lady at the front desk, filing her nails while answering the phone.

She looked up to see me and Saint standing in front of us, and gave us a toothy grin.

"Welcome to Sunrise Inn. How many hours are you looking for?"

I cleared my throat nervously but Saint spoke before me.

"We're not looking for hours. We just need somewhere to stay for tonight."

"We're all booked tonight," she replied. "We only got one room left but it has two beds and a small bathroom if you're interested."

He nodded and Saint began to reach into his wallet. | didn't want to share a room with him, but as long as there were two beds, | think | would be fine.

"Yes that's fine," Saint replied. He handed the woman a couple of bills and she stuffed them into her bra. She fished around her desk drawer before handing Saint a small golden key.

"Your room is straight down the hall to the left. Bring this back to me tomorrow morning when you check out. Also, try not to be too loud. Walls are thin."

Saint's eyes widened and he coughed nervously. "Trust me that will not be a problem."

He grabbed my arm and dragged me down the hall. We made a left and glanced at the only room down the end of the hall.

Pushing the key into the door we entered a small room with two beds smashed next to each other. The only thing separating it was a tiny wooden table in the middle.

The room was exceptionally cold and an old tv buzzed in the corner. The bathroom was to the left of us and I opened the door and grimaced.

It was tiny, and the shower was small. | knew it would only be for a night so shrugged off the dismay.

I sat down on one of the beds and felt the white sheets. It seemed clean enough but I didn't trust it.

It was getting late and I was starting to feel tired. I looked over at Saint who was mindlessly going through his phone. We sat in an uncomfortable silence; neither of us saying a word.

"Do you want to shower first?" he suddenly asked.

"Y-yeah sure."

I went to my bag and grabbed my towel, toothbrush and soap. Stepping into the bathroom, | watched my steps and locked the door behind me.

I removed my clothes and carefully placed them onto the tack and stepped into the shower.

The water was warm and! scrubbed my body softly. | traced the outline of my tattoo on my back while carefully avoiding the water from getting onto my hair.

Once! was done! carefully got out of the shower and wrapped the towel snuggly around my body.

I cursed myself for not bringing my clothes to change inside the bathroom and braced myself to walk out and face Saint.

The bathroom door creaked as | peeked my head through it to see Saint laying back on his bed. He was texting someone and his focus was glued to his phone.

I stepped out quietly, careful not to make any noise. Water dripped down from my body onto the floor and | stood awkwardly at the door.

I cleared my throat and Saint looked up from his phone and stared at me. He looked my body up and down.

The water kept dripping onto the floor as I stood. "Do you want to go shower so! can change?"

I phrased the question as a command. There was no way that I was going to change in front of him.

He smirked at me and got off the bed and headed to the bathroom. Before he passed me, he looked me up and down again before closing the door behind him.

A let out a breath that | did not know that | had been holding and went to go and change when | heard the water from the shower running.

I checked my phone to see messages from both Celia and Marcus.

Both ran along the lines of "I'm sorry we didn't tell you. Please call me back."

I rolled my eyes and dropped my phone onto the bed. | removed my towel and went to my bag to find something to wear.

I slipped into my bra and underwear first then pulled out my moisturizer. Lathering the cream onto my body, it quickly dried off.

The shower suddenly stopped and | knew it would be a short amount of time before Saint was done.

I pulled out a long sleeve t-shirt and some pyjama shorts from my bag when | heard a phone ring.

It wasn't my ringtone, instead, it was Saint's. The phone buzzed on his bed a total of seven times before stopping momentarily. It buzzed again and | got nervous since the call seemed to be important.

Without thinking | grabbed his phone and saw the caller ID. It seemed to be someone named Charlotte.

I didn't know if I should answer, but it seemed urgent. Impulsively, | answered the call.

"Hello?" | whispered. I turned around to see the bathroom door still closed.

"Hello?" the girl replied. "Who is this? Where's Saint?" I shuffled around the room and cleared my throat before whispering, "Oh I'm a friend of his. Saint is a little busy right now though... can | take a message?"

"Um sure. Tell him his sister Charlotte called and that mom has been trying to reach him all afternoon."

I heard the bathroom door creak open and my heart dropped. "O-oh okay I'll be sure to tell him," ] assured.

"Wait! At least tell me who you are. | don't recognize this voice. Are you Emma?"

"N-no I'm just-"

My sentence was cut short when | felt a wet body against my back. Saint was behind me and | couldn't see his expression but I knew he would be livid. He grabbed my neck from behind and titled it back to meet his eyes.

I ended the call and dropped the phone onto the bed while my breathing became laboured. His hair and upper body was wet. | could feel the cotton towel against my behind and his chest against my back.

"What do you think you're doing?" he asked slowly.

I gulped as I felt his breath on my nose. "Someone was calling you and it seemed important."

He let go of my chin and still stood behind me. He used his pointer finger and began to trace the outline of my tattoo. His touch was cold and | flinched when I remembered | was standing there with only my undergarments on.

Grabbing my towel, | used it to cover the rest of my body before yelling.

"Please leave so I can change!" | begged.

"You invade my privacy by answering my phone calls and expect me to respect yours?"

He scoffed and went over to his bed. He sat down and glanced at me with a smirk.

"Please Saint, I'm sorry just let me change." He rolled his eyes before getting up and walking over to the bathroom. | hung my eyes low and tried not to stare at the upper half of his body.

Before going in, he stopped at the door and turned to me. "Nice tattoo Luci,"

The door banged shut and I fell onto the bed.