How Not to Fall In Love

Chapter 48

Fifteen minutes later, Jules took a step back to make sure none of my bruises were showing through my makeup. Then, she asked Sadie if she could see any of them. Sadie stepped back by Jules, moving her head from side to side as she examined my face. She told Jules she did a great job and that we should probably go back downstairs and wait for Austin to return. 

"Rylee, I gave Austin directions to my parent's vacation house; that way, you don't have to spend money somewhere to stay. Text me when you get there. Let me see your phone real quick to make sure you've got my number." She held out her hand. 

She knew I had her number, but I handed over my phone anyway. She made sure my location was off and asked me if my father's number was on my contact list. I told her it was under Dad. She went into my contact list and blocked his number. She didn't want me to answer his calls accidentally. She handed me back my phone and then wrapped her arms around me. "Please be careful, Rylee. Promise you'll come back." 

"I promise." I hugged her back. 

"Rylee, Austin's back." Logan opened the front door. 

"I guess this is it. We should go, Jules." I let go of Sadie and walked out the front door. Austin was leaning against his car with his arms crossed in front of him. I ran over to him, throwing my arms around his neck. "Thank you for coming with me." 

"You're welcome. I'm going to make sure you're safe. I'm not going to let him ever hurt you again." He kissed me. "We need to get going, though. We've got a two-hour drive ahead of us." 

Jules hopped in the backseat, and I got in the passenger seat. We waved to Sadie and Logan, and then Austin headed down the road. We were approaching the three-way stop when our father's truck rolled through the stop and was now in front of us, driving in the same direction. My eyes stayed glued on his truck, unable to look anywhere else in fear he would see us; right as I was about to tell Austin to turn, he turned right and sped down the road. 

"Do you think he saw us?" I managed to get the words out. 

"No, or he would've been on our ass by now." Austin reached over and laid his hand on top of mine. "You can relax." He raised my hand to his mouth, then lowered our hands onto the console. "We should reach Sadie's parent's lakehouse around six tonight; then we can get something to eat. After that, we'll need to keep a low profile. Once my parents and your dad find out we took off, they'll be looking for us. We'll get enough groceries to last us a couple of weeks tomorrow." He let go of my hand briefly when we reached the highway. 

I sat in the passenger seat and debated whether I should text Sophie and Cole so they wouldn't be mad and worried. Austin must have known what I was thinking because he told me I should text them. I didn't even ask him how he knew I was thinking about them; I took his advice and started texting them in a group text. I told them I couldn't tell them where I was going, but Austin and Jules were with me, and we were okay. I told them not to try and call me either in case my father happened to be tracing the calls on my phone. They promised they wouldn't call or tell anyone they had heard from me. I told them I'd send a brief message to them in a few days to let them know we were all right. I was so busy texting back and forth between Cole and Sophie that I didn't realize we had reached our destination. I started to ask Austin why we were stopping when I looked up and saw a two-story log cabin nestled between two large trees on each side. In front and to the left of the cabin was a garage; the garage door was painted the same dark forest green as the front door to the cabin. Austin turned the car off, got out, and grabbed the bags from the backseat. 

"Do you have the key?" I asked, getting out of the car. 

"Sadie gave it to me before we left. It's in my pocket. Come on, so we can get something to eat; I'm starving." He walked toward the front door, carrying a bag in each hand. He lowered the bags onto the porch, reached into his jeans, and pulled out a shiny key. He unlocked the door and stepped in first to make sure it was safe for us to go inside. "Wow...This place is great!" He motioned us to come inside. Jules and I grabbed the remaining bags, closed the car doors, and entered the cabin. Right inside, the front door to the left was a counter with four stools and the kitchen. Wine glasses were hanging by the stems in the wine rack at the end of the counter. I stood there staring at the wine glasses, wondering where they kept the wine because I could use a drink. After a few minutes of daydreaming about where I could find the wine, my eyes wandered to the right toward the big stone fireplace. Jules walked over to the double glass door, looking out at the patio toward the lake. The windows on each side of the doors were the same size, making it look like there were four doors instead of two. To the left of the fireplace was a wooden staircase that led upstairs to the bedrooms. Austin grabbed the two bigger bags and headed up the stairs; I quickly followed him. He entered the first room on the right; a big bed was in the center of the room, with a high back chair and table on the other side of the bed by a white stone fireplace. I turned to the left and saw a doorway that led to what looked like a  bathroom. 

"You can have this room, Rylee." He set my bag on the bed, then walked out of the room with his bag. 

"Stay with me...Please." 

He stopped in the doorway, turned his head, glancing over his shoulder. "You want me to stay in here with you? I don't know if I'll be able to control myself around you." He started to turn around to face me with a slight smile. 

"Yes." I stepped closer to him. "I don't want to be alone." 

"What about Jules? Will she mind that we're in the same room together?" He dropped his bag beside his feet, took my hand, and pulled me closer. He brushed a piece of hair away from my cheek, his touch sending goosebumps all over my body. I needed a distraction from everything, and what better way than to have Austin's hands all over my body? Then again, I didn't want our first time to be on the run from my dad in Sadie's parent's bed. 

"Rylee, Austin? Are you two ready to go get something to eat?" Jules asked, walking up the stairs. "Which room is mine?" She asked, looking into the bedroom. "I take it you two will be sharing this room?" She raised an eyebrow, smiling. "I'm going to put my bag in the room down the hall, away from you two." She smiled as she walked out of the room. "I'm hungry, by the way." She hollered. 

Author's Notes:

Things are getting serious between Rylee and Austin. I think, at this point, he would do anything to protect her. 

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