Free Forever Layla: A Time Travel Romance by Melissa Turner Lee Page B

week. He agreed. There is a room behind the office designed for the night clerk, but they don’t have a night clerk since the owner lives on site .  I can use that in exchange for doing a few hours of housekeeping each day I’m here.”
    She made her way back to the cart covered in cleaning bottles, mops , and brooms out on the landing, and I followed her. “But why? I don’t mind sharing a room with you, and Michael can go hang for all I care.”
    “That’s nice , but you planned on this trip with your friend.”
    I followed closely behind her. “But I like sharing a room with you better. You don’t snore like Michael. And I bet you’d never fart over me while I sleep and shout, ‘Ah, that felt good.’”
    She laughed as she grabbed up a can of air freshener and sprayed it just inside the door of the room before returning it to the cart. “Probably not, but you never know. We haven’t had Mexican while here.”
    “If you leave, he comes back to the room.”
    She grabbed shampoo bottles and soaps off the cart and headed back into the room as I continue to follow her and talk. “You really don’t need to do this.”
    She stopped and turned to face me. She pursed her lips and glanced away for a moment before looking back at me. Her brown eyes were big chocolate circles. “Yes, I do need to do this. I’m not good at being a charity case. Been there, done that , and burned the t-shirt. Secondly, I just needed to get my own room after last night.” Her expression turned grim on the last part as she turned away from me again.
    “What do you mean? You said you weren’t mad.” I stop following her and stood still , thinking about what had happened, trying to figure out what I’d done to offend her. “I thought you were into the kissing and all. If you feel like I forced myself on you, I’m sorry.”
    She was busy placing soaps and shampoo bottles out. “I was into it. That’s the problem. Until last night you were a harmless kid to me. A cute kid, but just a kid. I started seeing you as more and…” She exited the bathroom and placed her hands on her hips. “Look, I made promises to my grandma on her deathbed. She wanted me to wait for the right guy. Do you understand? And it’s important that I keep all my promises. If I stay in your room now, I won’t be able to wait.”
    I stepped closer to her. “But…I am the guy. I thought you sort of accepted that last night.”
    “But you’re still in high school. We just met.” She looked around the room and stepped over to a trash can and straightened it by the nightstand before training her eyes on me again. “My grandma and my mom were both young single mothers. Nanna got religion in her later years, and she raised me with her new set of values. She wanted me to turn out different. She made me promise her that I’d…” She glanced around and whispered. “Stay a virgin until I got married. You have no idea how out of fashion that is where I’m from, but I promised her, and I…have to keep all my promises. I have to do what I was told or it will all fall apart. If I stay with you, feeling the way I feel for you, I’m going to fail. It’s all on me to get it right, and I have to obey all the instructions. That’s what I was told.” She got a distant look on her face like she was remembering something as she whispered, “It’s all on me.”
    I stepped out of her way as she walked back out to the l anding and then followed her.
    “If you’re sure, ” I said and tried not to pout, reminding myself that pouting was not manly.
    She moved the chair back to the table and let the door close. “I am. Besides, I only work until two each day so we can still hang out on the beach and all after.”
    I nodded. “Okay.”
    “I stuck some breakfast in the mini-fridge in the room for you.”
    “Thanks. Want me to save you something?”
    “No , thanks. I ate this morning before I started. I’ll see you later.”
    “Yeah, sure, ” I said, trying to