I opened my eyes staring at the blank wall in front of me. The same spot that Kayden’s television used to sit. I knew this would be our last few hours in New Orleans. This room held so many memories for us. Each trip had been filled with a roller coaster of emotions.

My heart grew heavy as tears stung my eyes. A single tear ran down my face falling on to Kayden’s chest. I didn’t wipe it away before it fell, not wanting to wake him.

“What’s wrong, baby doll?” Kayden said in a husky sleepy voice.

Shit. I tried not to wake him, letting it fall on his chest instead of wiping it away.

“Just thinking about how this is our last couple of hours in New Orleans.”

Kayden and I jumped from the sound of someone knocking on the door.

“Did they say when they were coming?” I asked, scrambling to find clothes as Kayden slipped on his shorts.

“No,” he said.

Kayden walked out of the bedroom leaving me naked and alone. I dressed as quickly as I could, picking up my clothes from last night. I could hear male voices, but I couldn’t make out the words. I didn’t hear a door close, but I heard strange noises coming from the next room. Kayden appeared in the doorway.

“They’re here to clear out the apartment already, Sophia. We have to start packing and leave, too,” he said. It was real, we were really going to pack everything up and leave NOLA behind. “The guys are already clearing the furniture out of the living room,” he said.

“Okay,” I sighed. I shoved everything I could fit in my suitcase. Kayden walked around the apartment grabbing everything he wanted to take before the other guys could grab them. He carried it all in his room, placing it on the floor.

“Hey Kayden, you taking your bedroom furniture?” a man called yelled.

“Nah, I don’t have room,” Kayden responded.

“I’m sorry, baby,” I said. Kayden shrugged and continued throwing his clothes in bags haphazardly. Shit, this isn’t how I wanted him to leave New Orleans. I helped him pack everything he owned into large black garbage bags. Cold air filled the apartment; my body breaking out in goose bumps from the wind whipping through the small space. Everything about this ending was bone chilling and mind numbing.

Placing the last few items in the SUV, Kayden closed the trunk and looked at me.

“That’s it, baby. We’re standing in the same spot I first touched you—the day that changed my life.” He wrapped me in his arms, cocooning me in his warmth. My body shivered from the memory of his lips first touching mine. “Let’s go sweetheart, I’m exhausted and we still have a long drive back to Florida.”

I watched as NOLA disappeared in the rearview mirror, a gloomy sky framing the buildings. I gripped the steering wheel trying to distract myself from the sadness that filled my soul. Kayden reached out, grabbing my hand, placing it against his lips.

“We’ll be okay, sweetheart. We’ll be back here someday,” he said kissing my fingers.

“I know we will. I just want you to be okay. I know how much you love her.”

“I love you, Sophia. New Orleans is a place, you’re my life.” Kayden held my hand for hours, stroking my fingers in a reassuring rhythm. The scenery changed signaling our miles traveled, from bayou to palm trees. We grew more tired the closer we got to my home—our home.

“I’m going to call Jim and see if we can stay the night. Is that okay with you?” he asked picking up his phone, waiting for my answer.

“Please, I’m beyond exhausted and can’t make it another four hours.”

Jim told Kayden how to get to his place; he lived in a small trailer park near the Florida border. I needed to sleep, I didn’t give a damn where.

“I want you to be prepared,” he said.

“For?”

“I know you’re thinking it’s a regular trailer or RV, but it’s neither. He lives in one of those small pull along trailers. It has one bed, I don’t even know where we can sleep.”

“I’ll sleep in the car for all I care; I just need close my eyes. It’s almost dark and we have hours still to drive, I won’t make it,” I said.

“Can I get a beer or something?” he looked at me with a pained look on his face. “Just a little something, Sophia, please?”

I couldn’t imagine how mentally exhausting this had been for Kayden, I could barely form a thought. “Yes, sweetheart, we’ll find some place to stop.” Truth be told, I needed a drink.

We pulled into the liquor store we found; Jim’s place was only a mile from the freeway. It looked like trouble… half of the letters were missing on the sign, people standing in the doorway, parking lot filled with pot holes and chunks of cement. My stomach twisted into knots just thinking about Kayden walking in the door. “You stay here,” Kayden said.

“Why?” Like hell I’m going to let him go in alone.

“This place doesn’t look right. I don’t want to kick someone’s ass because they say something shitty to you,” he said.

“Then I’ll go in, you stay in the car,” I said. I wouldn’t wait behind in the car worrying about what he was doing or what someone was doing to him. I couldn’t take the chance of Kayden winding up in a brawl. This looked like a local hangout and we were the outsiders.

“Are you fucking crazy?” he asked gripping the steering wheel.

“Are you?” I replied staring him in the eyes. He didn’t have a hope of winning this battle. “Either we go in together or I go in alone, your choice.”

“Damn it,” he said hitting the steering wheel.

“Trust me; they’d fuck with you before saying anything to me.”

“You’re so naïve, Sophia. Come on, let’s go… You’re not going in there alone.” Kayden reached for the door handle and I didn’t give him a minute to change his mind.

Kayden held my hand pulling me close to his body. I could feel eyes watching us as soon as we climbed out of the car. I kept my head held high, trying to show no fear. Inside my heart pounded and my hands were shaking slightly. Look like you belong here, I repeated to myself as we approached the doorway. The sea of men standing near the entrance parted, granting us access. I didn’t notice until this moment that I had been holding my breath. I inhaled deeply, my lungs filling with the smoky air inside. I stifled a cough, not wanting to draw any more attention than we already were.

I looked around the room, trying not to be too obvious. People dotted the interior, standing near a bar, sitting on benches lining the walls, and just milling around… It had to be one of the oddest places I had ever walked into. The sign on the front of the building said liquor store, but this had the feel of a local watering hole. Behind the bar a large selection of booze lined the walls.

“Can I get a bottle of vodka, please,” Kayden asked the older gentleman. The man didn’t seem to be happy to serve us.

“Ten bucks,” the man said.

I looked around while waiting for our purchase. People were drinking out of brown paper bags, no cups, just their bottles wrapped up hiding the contents. What exactly is this place? The man placed the bottle on the counter wrapped in the same brown bag all the patrons were drinking from. Kayden grabbed the bottle, immediately pulling me towards the door.

We walked out at a quicker pace than we entered the store; walking through the crowd still stood near the door. The men were talking, but I couldn’t tell if they were talking to us.

“No man, we’re good.” Kayden said.

I looked at him, “What did they say?”

“They asked if we wanted to buy any drugs,” he said.

He heard things I didn’t, probably saw things that I missed.

“No,” he said again to the men as we reached the car doors.

We climbed in and closed the door. Kayden didn’t waste any time, starting the car quickly and locking the doors.

“What was that place?” I asked once safely inside.