Chapter 72: The Warmth After
ISABELLA’S POV
The hotel lobby wasn’t anything special; it smelled of cheap air freshener and polished wood, and it was quiet. It was a kind of quiet that felt padded. A quiet that felt like a wall against the world.
I hovered a few feet behind Levi, the oversized sweatshirt he had given me hanging long around my thighs.
My hair was still damp with water from the rain; strands were stuck under my neck, but at least I felt dry. Mostly. Definitely not shivering anymore.
Levi walked up to the front desk with quiet confidence, saying something to the receptionist that I couldn’t fully comprehend because of the reverberating blood pumping in my ears.
The receptionist — a woman with tired eyes and a polite smile — nodded and tapped at her keyboard. There was a short exchange, and then Levi turned slightly, eyes meeting mine.
"They only have one room left," he said gently. "But it has two beds. Are you okay with that?"
His voice was low, careful, like he didn’t want to scare me off with even a syllable too much.
I nodded. "Yeah. That’s fine."
He gave the woman a polite smile and completed the check-in. A few minutes later, he had the key card in hand, and we headed toward the elevator in silence, the soft hum of fluorescent lights above us the only noise between our footsteps.
The hallway was quiet as we walked, the carpet softening our steps. I could hear all the little sounds—the buzzing of the lights, the elevator door creaking, and the way his shoulder brushed against mine as we squeezed through the narrow space.