Locket full of Secrets (10 page)

              “When this is all over,” he smiled while taking hold of my hand, “let’s not do anything with glass, or guns, or hit men for a while, okay?”

              “Absolutely,” I agreed, lacing my fingers between his.

              Sitting, looking deep into Steven’s eyes, the stress of the last 24 hours melted away. Despite all we had been through, it was a comfort to know I had him with me. It was great that Olena and I had the chance to talk and work through some of the questions I was dealing with, but even that alone was not enough to calm my raw nerves. Steven, however, was like a life raft in this sea of confusion I found myself floating through.

              The air between us felt suddenly charged with emotions. I could feel my heart beating out of my chest as Steven leaned closer, closing the space between us. As our lips finally met I felt energy coursing through my body. Although we had kissed once in the car earlier in the night this was somehow much more passionate, fueled by what we had been through and also what we knew was still to come.

              Our kiss deepened as I pressed my body closer to Steven, my arms winding around his neck. As his hands circled around my waist I could feel his heart beat as he pulled me off of my chair and closer to his body. Weaving my fingers through his wet hair I shivered as his hands touched a patch of exposed skin on my back. His hands began slowly sliding up under my shirt when we both paused. Someone was knocking on the door.

              Pulling apart suddenly, I willed my breath to slow as Steven moved quickly to the door. Glancing through the peep hole, Steven’s shoulders relaxed as he let out the breath he had been holding. He stepped back just as Olena opened the door, bringing with her a cluster of shopping bags.

              “Alright, time to get ready,” Olena announced before looking between Steven and myself. I could feel my cheeks flushing under her gaze, my eyes rooted to the carpet.

              “So, what’s the plan?” Steven asked, his voice a little deeper than I was used to.

              Olena paused, as if she knew she had interrupted something. As I finally looked up I saw she was giving Steven a warning glare. The look surprised me, but after the last few hours we had been through it was clear Olena was still trying to protect me from getting hurt. Hopefully our upcoming trip to Russia would help her see Steven was not going to be the cause of more pain for me any time soon.

              Pulling out items from her shopping bags, Olena arranged clothing, bags, and a variety of supplies onto one of the queen sized beds. Part of me wanted to know where she got the money to pay for everything, but I quickly decided that at this point it was better not to ask.

              “Alright, here are the passports,” Olena said, handing us each a blue booklet. Flipping mine open I saw my photo staring back at me. I did not know where she got the photo from, but once again figured it was a question better kept to myself.

              “This looks real,” I said out loud, flipping through the pages to see only one stamp from Canada.

              “It is,” she nodded. “I was in Ohio before I drove to Michigan to find you so I picked it up. Getting one for Steven was tough, but it should do the trick.”

              “So, we’re just going in there as ourselves?” Steven asked, tucking his passport into his bag like it was no big deal. Apparently I was the only one freaked out that Olena had snuck into my house before last night.

              “Yes,” Olena nodded. “We are just college students on a backpacking trip.”

              Looking at the supplies once again, I suddenly understood the casual clothing she had purchased, as well as the large packs. I heard of quite a few students I graduated with who had headed to Europe for the summer with plans to travel around to as many countries as possible before flying home. It was the perfect reason for three teenagers to fly halfway across the world by themselves.

              “We have tickets to fly to Moscow at 2, so we need to get moving,” Olena explained as she handed us each a pile of clothing. “If we leave for the airport in half an hour, we should have plenty of time to make it through security before our flight.”

              Turning my back on Steven and Olena, I could not help but smile as I changed into my new gear. Olena had provided me with a tie-dye shirt and a black zip up hoodie, cargo pants, and hiking boots. Pulling my hair into a ponytail I surely looked the part of someone about to backpack through Europe. While I sat lacing the new boots I took a minute to go over the details in my head. I knew I needed to be calm when we got to the airport, and talk believably about my plans to see Europe when we went through customs.

              “Are you okay?” Olena asked, sitting beside me on the bed.

              “Yeah, just trying to get myself ready,” I nodded. “You know, for our awesome trip across Europe.”

              “There you go,” she smiled. “You are going to do fine.”

              “I hope so,” I sighed, fiddling with my hoodie strings.

              “How is your arm doing?” Olena asked as she laced up her boots as well.

              “Much better. Steven helped me wrap it again after my shower.” As I explained, I could feel blush rising in my cheeks at the thought of our time after my arm had been treated.

              “That is what you were up to while I was gone? Just first aid?” I could hear the doubt in her voice as Olena paused in her shoe tying to look at me.

              “We may have kissed a little,” I shrugged. Despite my casual tone I could feel my cheeks burning with blush. I suddenly felt like we were in 8th grade all over again.

              “Are you sure he-” she began before cutting herself off, as Steven exited the bathroom now dressed in his new clothes.

              “Time to go?” Steven asked in the silence that suddenly filled the room.

              “Yes,” Olena mumbled. “We should go.”

              Shrugging at Steven, I pulled my pack onto my back before turning to follow Olena out of the motel room. Steven moved next to me and took my hand as we walked towards the main office to check out. It was just after noon, the sun lessening the sting of the cool fall air.

              “Where’s the car?” Steven asked, looking around the parking lot for the car we had arrived in.

              “It is in the middle of downtown in a parking deck,” Olena explained. “That way anyone tracking it will be put off our trail. We will take a taxi to the airport.”

              I squeezed Steven’s hand, doing my best to stay calm. I had assumed we would have the car ride to get our Europe travel story straight, but instead we would have to just fly by the seat of our pants once again.

              “You ready for all this?” Steven asked me as we waited outside the motel lobby. Olena was inside turning in our keys and calling for a cab.

              “I think so,” I shrugged, biting my lip. “If we’ve made it this far in one piece, I think I should be able to get through just about anything.”

              “You’ll do great,” he smiled, leaning in to give me a quick kiss on the lips.

              Smiling, I leaned in to rest my head on his shoulder. At least our “disguise” as college kids meant we could still play the role of a happy couple. It was a small consolation, but exciting all the same.  

              “The taxi should be here any minute,” Olena smiled, exiting the lobby. “Russia here we come!”

              Although it was clear she was now in character I found her smile and enthusiasm infectious. I found myself grinning as well, suddenly not as worried about what was ahead of us. Olena was good at this, masking her real feelings to get a job done. If worse came to worse, I would let her take the lead. Hopefully, we could make it through the next few days.

              “Okay, your turn. What’s your favorite book?” I asked Steven, snuggling closer to him under our shared blanket.

              Olena was on the other side of me, asleep for the first time since her nap on our drive from Ohio. After takeoff she fought to stay awake for a little while before finally succumbing to her exhaustion. Now, only an hour later, I was enjoying time alone with Steven. I was starting to get tired myself, but I knew I would have plenty of time for sleep later. After all, we were only two hours into our 11 hour flight. And right now, asking each other all the questions that never came up in our time together so far was proving to be a good way to pass the time.

              “I read
Into the Wild
a few months to go and really loved it,” Steven explained as he absentmindedly ran his fingers through my hair. “I don’t know if it’s my favorite. But it’s kind of my favorite for now. Like, until I read another book that I like better.”

              “I heard about that one,” I noted, remembering my senior year English teacher telling us about it in class. “Sounds like a perfect one to read before this trip.”

              “A little bit,” he laughed. “Only let’s make it home in one piece, okay?”

              “Deal,” I nodded.

              “Do you think anyone has noticed we’re gone yet?” I asked after a few moments passed in comfortable silence. I kept my voice low, afraid to break character even now.

              “I’m sure my roommate wonders where I am, but he probably just thinks I’m staying at your dorm for the weekend,” Steven explained casually, his voice also little more than a whisper.

              “That’s good,” I said, trying to match his casual tone despite the heat rising in my cheeks. “I have a feeling Norra is starting to wonder. Hopefully she doesn't start asking around or call the cops or something.”

              “Maybe you could call her when we land in Moscow,” Steven offered. “I don’t know the time difference but you could have the front desk at the dorm pass on the message if nothing else.”

              “Good idea,” I agreed. “When we don’t show up for classes tomorrow people might start to get worried.”