Discovering Truths by B. Benfield (book series to read .TXT) 📗

in the room, I threw my suitcase in the corner. I never unpacked in hotels, it seemed pointless to me. I walked around, checking out my new home for the next five weeks. The company was able to reserve the same room, even though I’d be leaving on the weekends. It was small, but extremely nice. A full-sized bed draped with a light blue blanket and white pillows sat in the middle. The curtains were white and pink flowers decorated the space. It was cute enough. It’d do the job.

Glancing at the clock, I noticed I had two hours before my first introductory class. The training building was next door to the hotel, giving me plenty of time to rest and replenish before I walked over. I dug my phone out of my purse then sat down on the bed, falling back on the pillow.

 

Me: Made it. Just got settled into my room.

Gage: That took forever. Was your flight okay?

Me: Yeah it was fine. It was just very chaotic and crowded. And I don’t know where I am. I wanted to get settled before I pulled out my phone.

Gage: Okay, good.

Me: The little guy that picked me up from the airport was funny…he was hitting on me.

Gage: Are you serious? Now I’m going to have to fly down there and beat somebody’s ass.

Me: Omg calm down lol. He was twenty-three. It was funny.

Gage: Don’t go replacing me.

Me: I would never.

Gage: You better not.

Me: How is your day?

Gage: It’s Monday.

Me: Yikes. That doesn’t sound good. I’ll let you go. Just wanted to let you know I’m here.

Gage: Thank you for telling me. Message me when you can. Love you.

Me: I love you too.

 

Me: I’m here. Just got settled into the room.

Marcus: Good.

 

It was obvious who was actually concerned about me. Every little instance between Marcus and I proved to me even more just how far we’d drifted. I shook my head and rolled my eyes as I sat the alarm on my phone for an hour later. I needed to catch a quick nap before I went to my first class. Everything in my mind was catching up to me, making me physically exhausted.

***

The introduction class to my training was intense. Mike warned me that the training was brutal, and he wasn’t lying. There was eight people in the class, and only three of us were hired from within the company. The rest were outside candidates, hired for the position because they had previous experience as a manager. I was sure that I had one-up on them all because I learned from the best. The class was from nine to six every day with an hour lunch at twelve. On Fridays we’d be dismissed at twelve, allowing time to travel home for the weekend. A syllabus was passed out, detailing exactly what we’d be doing and the things we would be covering. It was going to be a heavy load, but I was ready.

As I walked out, I spotted a fast food restaurant across the street. I was going to walk over, grab a bite, and take it back to my hotel room. As I reached the exit, a guy from class walked up beside me and stopped me when he said, “Hey.”

“Hey?” I repeated questioningly.

“Want to grab some dinner?” he asked.

“Oh, no thank you. I’m just going to go across the street here and get something and take it back to my room. I think I’m going to crash early tonight.”

“Okay, cool. I understand that. I’ll probably do the same. See you tomorrow morning.”

“Yeah, see you then. Have a good night.”

“You too,” he replied.

It might have been a friendly gesture, but I wasn’t in the mood. I’d never been recognized by men so much before in my life. Maybe I had adulterer written across my forehead. It was an awful feeling and I hated myself for it, however the love I had for Gage overshadowed it all.

The restaurant was crowded and it seemed to take forever to get a salad to-go. Once I had my meal, I walked back to the hotel, carefully pacing through the traffic. Atlanta was a busy place with cars and people everywhere.

Inside my room, I wasted no time changing into my comfy pajamas. I turned on the TV and adjusted the air conditioning to where I wanted it. It was nice not answering to anyone. I spent a lot of time at home alone, but there was something different about being alone in a totally different state.

I had my dinner in peace and watched my favorite shows until my eyes grew heavy. I knew Gage was busy with his son and football practice, so I hadn’t wanted to bother him. It was after nine and I knew he should be settled, so I grabbed my phone to send him a goodnight message.

Me: Hope you’ve had a good evening. I’m about to fall asleep.

Gage: My evening was good. How was your first class?

Me: It was good. This training is a lot, but I’ll be fine.

Gage: I miss you. There’s a video chat feature on here. Want to talk in the morning?

Me: Yes! I have to be at class at nine.

Gage: I’ll call around eight…is that okay?

Me: Yes! It’s a date!

Gage: I love you

Me: I love you.

 

Assurance from him was all I needed to fall asleep soundly. That feeling of uncertainty was still present in my mind, but the more we talked, the more I felt confident that he and I were going to be just fine.

Marcus didn’t bother to call or text. Not that I cared, or expected him to.

Chapter Thirty-Three

 

The light from the TV woke me up the next morning. I looked at the