Page 66 of The Love Bus

FLING AWAY

I slipped into the hotel room and let the door fall shut behind me.

For a moment, I just stood in the short entryway, breathing in the silence. I couldn’t unpack since our luggage hadn’t been unloaded from the bus yet, but it wouldn’t have mattered just then. I just needed the quiet. No one around, nothing to do.

I crossed to the window and pulled back the curtain to reveal the stunning view of the parking lot, which, compared to the view from our hotel on the South Rim, was considerably un spectacular.

I leaned my forehead against the glass and closed my eyes.

This thing with Noah—these feelings were so much different from anything I’d ever felt with Leo.

They were an odd combination—comfortable and exciting, tender and passionate all at once.

Being with Noah felt easy in a way that surprised me. Like I could tell him anything and trust that he’d listen, not judge.

Well, almost anything. I hadn’t quite figured out how to talk to him about his mother yet.

Aside from that, he saw me—really saw me—and still made me feel like I was enough. But was that because we both knew this couldn’t last? Or because, maybe, it could?

That question floated up, uninvited, and ignoring all my misgivings, this time I didn’t push it away.

With Leo, I’d always felt like I was doing maintenance. Managing his moods. Managing my image. Managing whatever tension threatened to disrupt the carefully curated version of us we’d sold to everyone else.

But with Noah…

I didn’t feel like I was responsible for his emotions. I didn’t feel like I needed to smooth things over before someone got upset.

He could have a conversation with his mother, and I didn’t have to be there to make it easier for him.

Because Noah was a grown ass man…not the man child that Leo was.

Leo was older than both Noah and me, so why had I spent so much time taking care of him? Had Leo ever taken care of me?

God, I’d been so caught up in our life, I hadn’t realized there wasn’t any love.

Before I could fall into the rabbit hole, my phone vibrated in my pocket.

Ashley.

I smiled and flopped onto the bed. “Hey.”

“You okay?” she asked immediately.

I blinked. “Yeah. Why?”

“I don’t know. Mom called. She said something about you possibly not finishing the tour, and then when I tried to stalk your location, your little dot was, like, off the grid for eight hours.”

Off the grid? “I’m at the Grand Canyon. And I got to see it from a helicopter.”

“There wasn’t a helicopter ride on the itinerary.”

“No. There wasn’t.” And then, because I couldn’t contain myself, I told her about Noah and I. Being together. Just for now. And all the stuff with his mom—him coming back from that river trip early and the way he surprised me today. There was no point trying to hide the gushing from my sister.

She knew me too well.

There was a pause while I just stared up at the ceiling. Then, in a softer voice, she said, “You sound pretty freaking happy.”

I smiled. My mouth really was tired from all the smiling I’d done. “I kind of am.”

And then my older and usually wiser sister surprised me by not offering a warning or word of caution, but instead, sighing…sounding a little wistful maybe.

“Good,” she said. I could hear the faucet turn on and off, and a few dishes clinking together.

It was a bittersweet reminder that while I’d been sashaying around the mountains and deserts, she’d been living her normal life, taking care of the twins and our mom.

“Is that why you weren’t with the tour today, then? ”

“Yeah.” But then my brows furrowed as I finally processed something she’d said earlier. “Hang on. How did Mom know I wasn’t with the tour today?”

Ashley hesitated. “Um…I think she might have seen something on Facebook?”

I sat up. “But I haven’t posted anything in ages.”

“I don’t know, Luna,” she huffed. “She might be in that Facebook Group for your tour still. Since she was originally supposed to be the one going.”

Oh. Right.

I really needed to look at this Facebook group. I probably should have been keeping better track of it this whole time, to be honest, especially since my anonymity had initially been the only upside to coming on this trip.

But what could a handful of senior citizens have really gotten up to in that group? Most of their posts were probably harmless—some sunset photos, maybe a few blurry selfies, or Tay posting the daily schedule. And even though Josie went a little crazy sometimes, Facebook groups were private.

I’d accepted a few friend requests early on, but otherwise, I hadn’t even glanced at it in days.

And honestly? That had been incredibly freeing.

When I’d been working on the show, I’d had no choice but to monitor multiple pages almost hourly—mine, Leo’s, and the show’s—refreshing, scrolling, tapping my way through, responding to comments and messages. I’d practically lived on my phone.

But not this week.

This week, I’d just been living.

The possibility that I’d missed something important brought an unwelcome moment of panic.

“Anyway,” Ashley said, her voice drawing me out of that burst of social media dread before it could really take over. “It’s not as though Boston is on the other side of the country. Have you and this Noah guy talked about dating after you get home?”

Noah hadn’t mentioned it. And although I’d confided in him about a zillion other things, I couldn’t be the one to make that suggestion. I just couldn’t.

So much for my newfound independence and bravery.

“It’s just a fling,” I said.

“Really?”

“I mean—” My hands flailed around helplessly, not that she could see. “It is.”

“Okay. Fine.” Ugh, I could practically hear the eye roll. “Whatever. Fling away . I’ll want all the details when you get home.” But then her voice dropped, with a little hesitation. “Hey, um… There’s something else I wanted to talk to you about.”

“Yeah?”

“Just…” She trailed off and went quiet for long enough that I pulled away to double check the call hadn’t disconnected.

Nope, still there.

“Ash?”

“Sorry,” she said quickly. Then, “It’s nothing really. I just miss you.”

That was a lot of build-up for a simple “ I miss you .” But then I heard the door to the hotel room clicking open and then closing. Noah was back. “I miss you too, Ash. But, hey, I gotta go. We’ll talk soon, okay?”

If it was important, she’d tell me later, I was sure.

“Okay. Just…no more daredevil stunts.”

Calling the helicopter ride a daredevil stunt was a huge stretch. It pulled a laugh out of me. “Fine, no more helicopter rides.”

“I’m not talking about the helicopter ride, Looney. I’m talking about falling in love.”

“I’m not!” I bit my lip, my smile faltering slightly. And I wasn’t—because how could I fall in love with one guy when I’d just broken off my engagement? What kind of person could possibly move on so quickly? “I won’t.”

“Well, okay then. I mean it, though,” Ashley added with that faux-but-actually-she-kinda-meant-it stern voice. “Goodbye, Luna. Love you.”

“Love you too. Bye, Ash.”

I thumbed the end call button and turned to the door, where Noah was just standing there, looking…incredibly Noah-ish. He was leaning against the wall, having just slipped his shoes off in the entryway, terribly casual and effortlessly handsome.

“Everything okay with your mom?” I asked, rolling over on the bed so I could see him more easily.

“Yup,” he said, popping the “p.” He didn’t look tense or anything, so I was inclined to believe him. “That your sister just now, on the phone?”

“Yup,” I parroted back, popping it in just the same way he did. She warned me not to fall in love with you . The words drifted through my head, but of course, I didn’t say that part out loud.

I don’t know if I’m going to be able to keep that promise.

Didn’t say that part either. It was arguably the most important bit.

But Noah was walking toward me, eyes glimmering, skin golden and sun-kissed, and I didn’t want to think about our families or our futures right now. Neither did he, from the looks of things.

So, with zero hesitation, we flung ourselves right back into our fling—and made excellent use of another hotel room.