The sky was dark when they pulled out. Ester was full of food and sank back in a contented swoon. The forecast said the storm wouldn't arrive until long after they were home. The drive was smooth. A light rain fell but there were few cars and the road stayed clear. Ester didn't mind the lack of conversation. Theo put the radio on a classic country-western station and the strumming guitars and crooning voices made a perfect soundtrack for the day. Ester wished it didn't have to end. She closed her eyes and dozed off.
She awoke when the car came to a stop. Her heart twisted at the thought of saying good bye, but when she opened her eyes, they were in the bright lights of a gas station.
"I need coffee," Theo said. "You want something?"
"No thanks. How far are we?"
"Over halfway. Sorry, I know we're close but I'm feeling sleepy, too. I have a long night."
Ester sat up and rubbed her eyes. "I should have stayed awake with you."
"You're fine. I'm going to get the tank topped off while we're here."
Ester waited in the car while Theo got out and talked to the attendant. She couldn't hear the conversation but their tones changed. Theo opened the car door and got out his phone and headed into the mini-mart. She thought about following him but the car was warm and outside the wind gusted. A banner at the gas station had come loose and flapped back and forth.
Theo returned to the car. "There's a problem before we get back into town. There's ice on the road. A semi jackknifed, and the road is blocked. No info about how long it will take to clear."
"Is there a back road?"
"I asked. The guy said he wouldn't advise it. He said it's not a great road in ideal driving circumstances. He's lived here for years and he wouldn't do it at night in this weather if he didn't have to."
"What about Frenzy's?"
"I called. They can deal without me if I can't get there. I've worked there long enough, they know I'll show up if I can. I have many shortcomings but flaking out about work is not one of them."
"What should we do?" Ester said. She tried to picture them showing up at Mike's again. They could sleep on the couch or even curl up on the floor. At least they'd be warm. A electric thrill shot through her at the thought of sleeping under the same roof as Theo.
"He said there's a little motel about fifteen minutes down the road. I was thinking we drive that far and see if we can get more news. The other option is going back to your friends. We could be back there in a little over an hour."
"I don't know them that well," Ester said, even though she'd been thinking the same thing.
"Yeah," Theo agreed. "Plus we could get back there and then find out people are getting through and have to come all the way back, or depending on how the storm goes we could get stuck there."
"Let's keep going," Ester said.
Theo got back on the highway. The rain had turned to snow, but nothing stuck. They headed for the motel. Ester tried not to think about what it meant if they had to stay there. Would they get separate rooms? They were both broke. She did a mental check of her finances. She had an emergency stash, it wasn't like she was on the verge of crisis but she hated to throw away money on a motel room. She stared into the dark highway in front of them and willed the road to be fine. Meanwhile, her heart beat a little faster, not certain whether it was about getting home or not getting home. By the time they found the motel, Ester's stomach was a hard knot.
"You okay with it, if we have to stay here?" Theo said. She waited for him to waggle an eyebrow or try to turn it into a joke but his face was completely serious.
"If we don't have a choice—" She shrugged as if were no big deal.
While Theo went inside, she checked the traffic using her phone. Like he said, the only thing she could find was that the road was closed ahead and with the storm coming people were being advised to stay home. She wasn't surprised when Theo came out with a room key.
Tension flared in her belly. This could be a moment although she already knew it wouldn't be. Launching into a physical fling wasn't in her nature. What would Rayanne say about this? She wouldn't tell her. She liked having secrets like that.
When he got in the car, she said, "Let me guess, only one room left."
"You got it," Theo said with a smile. "And only one bed."
Ester cleared her throat. "I can pay for half."
"Since I made zero money today, I'll let you, but give it to me later, I don't want the desk clerk to get any ideas."
Ester laughed.
Theo parked the car and they took their backpacks to the room. He opened the door and flicked on the light to reveal a typical roadside motel room. One bed covered with a dingy bedspread dotted with blue flowers and... That was all Ester noticed. The bed took up most of the room. Of course, that's what people did at motels. They slept. In a bed. There was no other reason to be there.
"Your fine accommodation awaits," he said, letting Ester go in first.
She dropped her backpack on the bed. The room was chilly. "It's not that bad," Ester said, rubbing her arms.
The first thing Theo did was open the controls of the heating unit.
"Fifty-five degrees," he muttered. He hit the buttons until the machine buzzed to life. The room had one chair that he moved in front of the heater. "For you."
"I'm not an invalid. I can handle a little cold," Ester said.
"Good," Theo said with humor. "You'll need to."
There was a framed picture above the bed and he went closer to study it. It was a stylized painting of a bright sandy beach lined with neon-colored buildings. A pair of pink-tinted rabbits were perched at the foamy edge of a bright blue ocean.
"How does something like this even exist, much less end up here?" he asked.
"Probably a giant motel stocking warehouse. Their slogan is, If it isn't weird, we won't carry it."
Theo opened his backpack and got out his laptop. He sat on the bed. "There's nothing else to do. Do you mind if I work on my homework?"
There was something else to do, but Ester wasn't going to suggest it. "Why would I mind?"
"Last I checked I only needed nine more articles for Professor Stone to be caught up."
"That sounds like a lot," Ester said.
"It is." Theo flicked on the TV and flipped through the channels until he found the news. He handed the control to Ester and then went into the bathroom. She'd never seen him so fidgety, like he couldn't stop moving. She tried not to listen but in that tiny room all she could think about was Theo taking care of his personal business on the other side of one slim wall.
The toilet flushed. The water went on and off. Theo came out. "What's the news?"
Ester muted the TV. "Road still closed. Storm still coming. We made the best choice."
"At least the company's good," Theo said. He sat on the bed and picked up his laptop. "I'm writing the adoption one and then the Arnie one. He seems like a decent guy."
"He is. What did he say about leadership?"
"He says you need a plan. He's very ambitious. But I guess if you're a politician, you have to have a strategy." He winked at her before he bent over his computer and got to work. Ester liked how serious his face was when he typed.
She got her laptop and wrote notes from what she learned from Professor Stone. She outlined ideas she had about organizing the center's documentary and footage she thought she had versus what they needed. Professor Stone's syllabus had interview tips, so she brainstormed interview questions. After a couple of hours, the room warmed up and she could take off her coat.
Theo slapped his laptop closed. "Two articles written and several chapters read. That's enough. I'm going to grab something from the car."
While Theo was gone, Ester hurried to use to the bathroom. She was in for a long night if she was too embarrassed to use the bathroom with him in the room.
When she came out, Theo was spreading an extra blanket on the bed. "It's getting icy out there. I almost fell in the parking lot. I forgot Fran gave me some cookies for the trip. At least we won't starve." He set a plastic bag in the middle of the bed. "How about a movie?"
He sat down on the bed and flicked through the channels. Ester wasn't sure if she was supposed to sit next to him or not. She decided not. Instead, she pulled the chair around so she could see the TV better.
"The selection is awful," Theo said.
"Back Country Sleepy Inn doesn't have the latest and greatest movie channels. One star."
Theo laughed. "Die Hard?"
"I like that one," Ester said, as if she could pay attention to a movie while in the same room with Theo and a giant bed and a whole night ahead of them. The only thing she was aware of was Theo's warm body and the blood rushing in her ears. She couldn't wait for the movie to end so she would find out what would happen next.
At last the bad guys were defeated and John McClane and his wife went off together.
"You want to watch another one?" Theo asked.
Ester shrugged. "I'm kind of tired."
Theo turned off the TV and went into the bathroom again. She pulled off her shoes and sat on the other side of the bed and waited to see what he would do.
Theo came out of the bathroom and said, "I'm not sleeping on the floor."
Ester looked down at the floor, not clear what they were talking about.
"You're not sleeping on the floor either. Don't worry, I'm not putting the moves on you," he continued. The way he said it with such certainty, she was tempted to be insulted.
"You can get under the sheet, I'll stay on top of the sheet. We'll put a pillow between us. Two people can sleep in the same bed without meeting in the middle. You've shared a bed with someone you weren't doing it with, haven't you?"
"Lots of times," Ester said, even though technically she hadn't shared a bed with someone she had done it with. The few times that had happened it had been in the back of a car, or on a sofa in a basement, or once, in a tent.
She wondered how many girls he'd shared a bed with.
"You comfortable with this?"
"Yes," Ester said, the tone in her voice intended to convey, I don't even know why you're making a big deal about it.
Ester crawled in between the cold sheets, careful to stay on her side. Theo stayed on top of the sheet, like he said. She pulled the comforter and extra blanket up around her ears.
"Good night, Ester," Theo said. He shut off the light.
"Good night, Theo." She could hardly breathe as if it would bother him if she moved too much. At the same time, she was aware of every move he made, shifting to get comfortable on the bed.
"Do your feet go off the edge?" she asked.
Theo gave a low chuckle. "Not if I bend my knees."
She didn't think she could sleep but the events of the day and the accumulated tension from being around Theo for so long caught up to her.
She awoke with a start. The room was completely dark and cold. An anxious twinge shot through her until she remembered where she was. She put a hand to her face and touched her cold nose. The sound of dripping water came from the bathroom and someone moved across the room and then returned to the bed.
She inhaled sharply.
"Lost power," Theo said, his voice immediately soothing. "Ice must have taken down a power line. They may have a generator, we'll find out soon."
Ester didn't say anything. She was tired of being cold. Pushing aside any doubts, she scooted across the bed and curled up alongside him, the sheet still between them. "Is this okay?"
"Hang on a sec," Theo said. He got up, and the mattress lurched up and then he was back on the bed, bundling her up in the sheet. Then he pulled the blankets and comforter over them and pulled her against his chest.
"Too much?"
"No," Ester said, hesitant about how much to lean into him. With all the wrappings, there was less body heat than she needed, but she wasn't about to complain.
Theo adjusted the blankets again. "You think you can fall back to sleep?"
All Ester could think about was every place where her body touched Theo's. Not only was she no longer cold, she was no longer sure what was happening. It wasn't a feeling of lust as much as a feeling of being pulled into something terrifying and exhilarating and a little bit over her head. He was being a perfect gentleman but she thought about his hands wandering over her while he took his time unwrapping her from the sheets. The feelings of longing were overwhelming.
She swallowed. "My mind is full of thoughts."
"I know the feeling," Theo said. "Before, did you say you lived in your car?"
"You heard that?" Her secret had slipped out and she hoped he'd forgotten it.
"I did," he said.
She'd never told anyone about this. "While I was in college my dad got hurt on the job and he, uh, got addicted to pain pills. That was during the time when my scholarship changed and I didn't want to trouble them. Money became a problem and I had to live in my car."
"That's terrible, Ester," Theo said. The sincerity in his voice made her want to cry.
"It wasn't that bad," she lied. She'd been cold, scared for her safety, and humiliated. The amount of energy it took to keep anyone from finding out made it a miracle she passed her classes.
Theo gave her a comforting squeeze that involved his entire body.
"The bummer is it made me paranoid about things not working out. I don't like to do things unless I'm certain, but then I overthink so I can't make a decision."
"What else?" Theo’s warm breath brushed her ear and she shifted into whatever was the opposite of almost in tears.
"My housing. It's been weird for a while. Dennis and I have been friends forever. I thought about talking to him but he could tell me to move if I don't like it. So I tell myself it's not that bad, at least I can pay down my loans. But then I'm stressed because I can't relax at home, but then, it's more relaxing than sleeping in a car. I think about looking for a place but I don't have a car so I have fewer options. But then it's a big city, you never know what's out there if you don't look. But what if I end up with a roommate who's even worse? And so on like that."
Theo made an agreeing sound in his chest.
"Earlier you said you had a lot of shortcomings," Ester said.
"Did I say a lot?"
"You don't have to answer. You can pretend you're asleep."
Theo didn't say anything for a long time so she was surprised when he answered.
"How about one: I'm the opposite. I make decisions without thinking them through. Like coming to school without considering how I would pay the bills and be a successful student at the same time. Is that short enough for you?"
"I think it's a different version of the same problem," Ester said.
His body relaxed around hers.
"You falling asleep?" she whispered.
"Yeah, you're a comfortable place to be."
Ester wasn't sure how to answer. "Me too," she finally said.
Theo pulled her closer. "Thanks for keeping me warm, Shoshone."