Crazy for You
Madonna
Natalie
Zipping my suitcase shut, I roll it to the edge of the bed before stepping out onto the balcony of my hotel, which overlooks the water. The sun hovers brightly above as a cluster of seagulls flock together and swoop in my direction, flying eye level with me a few feet from where I stand.
Nervous laughter escapes at the way they’re stalking me, no doubt trained by previous guests to wait for breakfast leftovers. As I take in the view, I realize Seattle has truly taken a back seat, playing more of a backdrop to Easton during my time here. Only now, as I prepare to leave, do I find myself appreciating the view I’ve had access to the entirety of my trip, yet, I have no regrets about why. I also can’t bring myself to regret coming, but hate the way we parted last night. The second I closed the door to his truck and entered the lobby, I felt the loss of him strike. The idea of missing him is insane, but it still rings just as true now as it did last night. Just as I switch my camera to capture a panoramic view against the invading glare of the sun, a knock sounds on my door. Ears perking up, I step inside, unsure if housekeeping announced themselves.
“I’m still here!” I call out. “I asked for late check-out,” I explain, nearing the door.
“I was hoping you were,” rings out in reply as I open the door to find a grinning Joel on the other side. The instant burn in my chest leaves my hopes of seeing Easton before I left dashed.
I manage to muster a smile. “Hey, you. What brings you here?”
“Thought you might want a lift to the airport.”
“Thank you, but my flight doesn’t leave for another four hours.”
“I’ve got time to kill,” he brushes past me to grab my waiting suitcase. “We’ll take the scenic route.”
“Joel, that’s really not necessary. I don’t want to take up your day.”
“You aren’t. It’s either chill with you or be bored in a parking lot,” he says, glancing around the room.
A dozen questions surface, mainly consisting of which parking lot it would be. If Easton occupies the building he’d been waiting outside of and where it’s located.
“Joel, seriously, thank him for me, but—”
“I’m not taking no for an answer, so give it up. Besides, I can think of a lot worse ways to spend a day.” His warm smile puts me at ease.
“Okay,” I agree.
He looks around again. “Got everything?”
“Let me do one last walk through, and I’ll meet you at the elevator.”
“Sounds good.”
Unable to help myself, I grab the remaining two pieces of toast from my breakfast tray and toss them onto my balcony before quickly sealing my door shut, narrowly avoiding the explosion of fluttering wings that follows.
After checking the drawers and bathrooms, I place a bill on the desk to tip housekeeping and glance around the room, knowing my time is up, but the source of my melancholy rests somewhere outside this hotel room. Even so, I find myself grabbing the forty-dollar teddy bear dressed in a red sweater brandishing the hotel logo before I exit, a souvenir of my time here, of the memories I’ll be hard-pressed to forget anytime soon. Especially the minutes in which Easton sang for me, and for the first time publicly.
Joining Joel, who’s already inside a waiting elevator, he ushers me in, eyeing the bear and flashing me a grin. I lift a shoulder in reply.
Once outside, I follow him to the SUV parked at the pass-through. Taking Easton’s jacket draped on the top of my suitcase, I slide it on, unwilling to part with it just yet. Joel barely conceals his smirk as he opens the back door for me, and I give him a “pshh” before circling him and hopping into the front passenger seat. He chuckles as I close the door, and once in the driver’s seat, he turns to me.
“I know of a place that serves the absolute best seafood in the Pacific Northwest. You up for it?”
“Sounds perfect,” I lie.
“It’s a little bit of a drive.”
“Well, we have time,” I remind him.
“All right then, it’s a plan.”
I use the drive to get acquainted with the person who’s probably closest to the man I haven’t been able to chase from my thoughts since the day we met. Long minutes into our drive, our polite chatter turns more personal in nature. So far, I’ve discovered Joel’s ex-Army and served four years before getting hired as Easton’s private driver and bodyguard.
“No wife or kids?”
“Not by choice. I’m ready for it, but I’m being patient. I haven’t found her yet. It will happen when it happens.”