Read Naked for Free Online

his head. “Oh, no. Read the fine print. We don’t do refunds.”
    “But it was only just a minute ago…”
    The teller shook his head back and forth more furiously. “I don’t care if it was ten seconds ago or ten days ago—NO REFUNDS. Can you read? Read that ticket if you don’t believe me.” He slid the ticket back towards Caelyn.
    Suddenly, Elijah was pressing against her, his face close the glass. “Do you just enjoy being rude to people?” he said, his voice raising. “Huh?”
    “Elijah,” Caelyn said, taken aback by his anger. “It’s okay.”
    “No, it’s not okay. They’re taking advantage of you.”
    “It’s the rules.”
    “The rules are bullshit.” He pointed at the teller. “Where’s your manager, huh? I want to speak to someone with a brain in their damn head.”
    “Elijah.” She touched his arm and he flinched away.
    “Fuck it,” he said, slapping at a bunch of pamphlets on the countertop nearby.
    They fanned out crazily and some of them fell on the floor.
    Elijah walked out, not looking back.
    Caelyn grabbed her bag and followed him as quickly as she could.
     
    ***
     
    Needless to say, Elijah hadn’t seemed much in the mood to talk for a few minutes after that.
    His eyes had remained glued to the road, intensely focused as they drove out of New York and onto the Jersey Turnpike.
    She’d offered to pay the toll that came up, but Elijah had declined and paid himself.
    Caelyn knew better than to say anything. He was clearly upset, perhaps because he felt he’d been responsible for her losing so much money.
    But she wasn’t upset with him about it—she didn’t blame him. She didn’t even blame the bus line or the cranky teller. It was just life. There were worse things that could happen than losing a hundred bucks.
    After they stopped for gas off the turnpike and Elijah paid again, she had to say something.
    As he pulled the SUV onto the highway, she cleared her throat. “Look, you can’t just pay for everything the whole trip,” she told him.
    He shrugged. “It’s fine. I have the money.”
    “But I can’t let you do that.”
    “Why not?” he said.
    “Because, it’s not fair.”
    “You getting stiffed for that stupid bus ticket wasn’t fair either.”
    “It’s not the same and you know it.”
    He glanced at her. “Whatever, Caelyn. Pay for gas next time if you really want to.”
    “It’s not just about gas,” she said, still looking at him, trying to read his expression.
    “What is it then?”
    “Well…” she sighed, and then asked the question she’d been wondering ever since he’d stepped on the bus. “Are you only going to Florida because of me?”
    The question hung in the air and she immediately regretted asking it that way.
    The truth was, she had almost hoped that he was only going to Florida because of her.
    Even though it would have been beyond strange, she wanted to believe that Elijah might feel some of what she was starting to feel for him.
    Maybe he just wanted more time together. She held her breath.
    But he shook his head firmly. “I’m not going to Florida because of you, Caelyn.
    I was always going to Florida.”
    “Oh.” She tried to ignore the disappointment that moved through her belly.
    “Then why didn’t you say so?”
    He shrugged, his dark eyes never leaving the road. “Because I didn’t know a thing about you. For all I know, you were some crazy chick—I didn’t think I needed to tell you my whole travel itinerary.”
    “Okay,” she said. She was starting to feel hurt and a little angry. He was acting as though he didn’t just board the bus in Chinatown and practically beg her to come with him. “So then what changed your mind?
    “I don’t know.” He shrugged again. “You seem cool. We had a few laughs. I figured it was silly to make you pay all that money to travel on some stuffy, cramped bus all the way to Florida when I was going there anyhow.”
    “Oh,” she said, softly.
    “If I’d known they were