I pull open the back doors of the van and motion inside. “Come sleep with me.”
Chapter 10
Karli
Trent’swideeyesandgaping mouth are the first hints I said the wrong thing.
“That wasnotwhat I meant.” Clearly, I need that shut-eye more than I thought. “I mean I have a bed in here that I occasionally use for sleeping.Justsleeping. You canjust sleepbeside me.”
He doesn’t move. I’m not even sure he’s breathing.
Should I start looking for a refresh button or something?
“You carry a bed in your car?” he says slowly.
That’s not the question I predicted coming out of his mouth.
“It’s actually a very convenient way to travel.” I jut out my chin. “It’s a van, after all. People live in their vans all the time, they travel the world, and make social media accounts about it… it’s like a whole thing.”
His eyebrows furrow. “Doyoulive in your vehicle?”
“Uh, no?” Why did I say it like a question? I clearly have a place of residence.
I can sense another question forming between his scrunched brows, but I don’t wait around for it.
“I’m not crazy.” I hop into the van, then pick up the small travel pillow and fluff it a few times, but it’s memory foam, so it only condenses more. Stupid pillow. I throw it on the bed. “I like knowing I always have a place to sleep, okay?” I clamp my lips shut as if I can pretend I didn’t admit my worst fear to him.
Being homeless. Again.
He hops in behind me and pulls the door closed, shutting us in darkness. “Okay,” he says, thankfully not pressing the issue.
I pull out my phone and turn on the flashlight.
I shimmy around him to kick my shoes into the corner. He follows suit and the van rocks with our combined weight. It’s eerily quiet, and much darker than I’d prefer in our current circumstance. Nothing screams “I promise I won’t seduce you” quite like being alone in a dark van about to share a twin mattress.
This is my sanctuary. So why am I letting him in? This was a horrible idea. I seem to have a plethora of those lying around in my brain, waiting for the right time to be an inconvenience.
“Do you need a snack?” I ask, opening the tiny singular cupboard along the right wall. I peek at the picture hidden there and absently rub my thumb over the gold bracelet on my wrist.
“I’m good,” Trent says.
I shut the cupboard. I’m too tired to consume sugar right now, anyway. How tragic.
“Okay, well, let’s just do it then.”
Trent coughs.
My cheeks burn and suddenly I’m grateful for the dark.
“I’m tired, okay. Please ignore me and sleep for a bit. Then I can take you home to your precious family.”
Did that sound bitter? That absolutely sounded bitter.
I pinch the bridge of my nose. “I’m sorry. I… you know what, the front seat isn’t too bad. I can sleep up there.”
I try to step around him but miscalculate the distance between us and ram right into him instead. Trent grabs my waist, trying to keep us upright, but I have gravity on my side. And we both take Trent down.
Trent falls backwards and we both crash to the bed.
