I Hope You Find Me by Trish Marie Dawson

looking
at Matt.
    “So Riley and I were thinking of heading out
to get a few supplies, we should be back in a few hours. Will you
guys be okay in the hotel by yourselves?” Connor was standing
behind me, with Zoey at his feet.
    “Oh.” Mariah said, sounding disappointed.
“Oh, no, that’s fine, we’ll be fine.” She tried to sound more
upbeat but had a confused look on her face. “Is everything
alright?”
    “Yes.” Connor and I spoke at the same
time.
    “Of course.”
    Matt slid off his stool and raised his arms
in a stretch above his head. I felt the move was an act to show off
his defined abdomen. He flexed his arms outward and locked his
fingers together, cracking the knuckles. I looked away from
him.
    “Ah, its okay, Mariah. I think these two want
some alone time.” He winked at me, and I glared at him. I felt
Connor place a hand on my lower back, and lean in closer and I
stiffened, not sure if it was an act to piss off Matt, or an
innocent gesture of affection.
    Mariah seemed momentarily deflated. Then she
brightened and asked if we could all eat dinner together. Connor,
Zoey and I followed them out into the corridor and we agreed to
meet again by sunset. We watched them open the door to their room
and hurried down the hallway…I couldn’t get out of the hotel fast
enough.
    We didn’t speak a word on the elevator, or
when we walked out of the lobby. We stood outside and let the
spotty sunshine warm our faces before Connor directed me to a
pathway lined with palm trees and neatly trimmed Birds Of Paradise
bunched tightly with other tropical plants I didn’t know the names
of. The brown cobblestone walkway curved around the side of the
building and opened up into a cabana style pool area. I gasped in
surprise. From the street, none of what I saw was visible. I didn’t
even know there was a pool tucked away behind the building. I
followed Connor to a covered lounge area and we sat down on rattan
chairs covered with brightly colored canvas fabric. Deep reds,
ocean blues, fresh greens, and lemony yellows danced on the pillows
and seat cushions. A lightly floral and citronella waxy scent
wafted through the air from the open candles that sat neatly on the
table tops nearby.
    Zoey dashed happily into the perfectly
planted landscape that surrounded our little private cabana. After
a series of patrols she found the perfect spot to dig and I watched
as clods of soil flew into the air around her. I laughed as she
came up for air, dirt piled neatly in a tiny pyramid on top of her
snout.
    “Thanks for bringing me down here.” I sighed,
breathing the air in deeply.
    “It’s nice, isn’t it? Relaxing.” His chair
squeaked as he shifted around to get comfortable. He plopped his
feet onto a matching rattan footstool the length of a small dining
table.
    I leaned into the cushions, sitting sideways
with my feet underneath me. I stretched my sleeves up to my palms
and then tucked my hands under my chin, making myself as small as
possible in an attempt to ignore the coolness in the air. I felt
Connor’s eyes on me.
    “Are you cold?” He asked.
    “No, I’m good.” I lied, as a chill worked its
way up my legs and arms and tickled along my spine. I smiled at
him, as if that would hide my shiver.
    He rose from his seat and crossed the small
distance between us. He tapped my knees with one hand and gestured
for me to move my legs. “Scoot over.” He said to me with a
smile.
    I turned my legs and pushed myself over to
the side of the chair as he edged in beside me, and after he put
one arm around my shoulders, he gently pulled me close to him. My
face was just below his so I didn’t dare look up at him.
    “Better?” He murmured.
    “Mm-hmm.” I didn’t trust myself to speak.
    We sat together, watching Zoey dig up the
garden until she found an ideal place to doze in the sun. I had
started to think Connor was asleep too until his hand moved from my
shoulder, down my arm and back up again, slowly rubbing along