Total pages in book: 97
Estimated words: 94155 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 471(@200wpm)___ 377(@250wpm)___ 314(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 94155 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 471(@200wpm)___ 377(@250wpm)___ 314(@300wpm)
“Well, whatever, I don’t care the reason. Let’s get going.”
We walk through the trees toward the hotel. We reach the stream and cross it easily, finding the trail we should have stayed on. It takes us less than ten minutes to get back to the hotel.
The entire time we walk, we joke about how silly it all was. We were so close. We could’ve easily made it back last night if we’d seen the hotel.
Maybe, subconsciously, we didn’t want to make it back. If we had, we would’ve had to catch our flight and leave, and none of us are ready for that yet.
Mari cheers when we exit the trail and end up in the hotel parking lot.
“We survived!”
I laugh. “We did. I’m glad we made it out.”
“Me, too. Now what?” Mari asks. “Are we going to get a flight out tonight?”
John and I share a look. Technically, we should be getting back to New York. It’s already Saturday, and we’re supposed to be back at the university for classes on Monday.
But none of us seem to be in a hurry to go back. This place has been amazing to us. It’s hard to leave when we’re so happy. Life won’t be as easy and free when we get back to New York.
“We should go back,” I say.
“But?” Mari asks, her eyes wide and hopeful.
“Well, maybe we could stay for a while longer.”
“Really?” Mari claps her hands together excitedly. “How much longer?”
“A few days, I guess,” John says. “You have class, and I need to teach...”
“A few days would be great! Could we could stay until Wednesday? I have stuff to do in my classes on Thursday and Friday. An exam and a quiz.”
“Mark? What do you think?”
I mentally go through my schedule. I’m ahead on my dissertation work. The only class I TA for is John’s, so if he’s making alternate arrangements, I’ll be fine there.
“I can do that,” I agree. “If you can make it happen.”
John grins. “Of course I can make it happen. I’ll talk to the university.”
I cringe. “They’re not going to be happy. This isn’t a conference anymore.”
“I’ll spin it. Maybe I’ll tell them I’m working on a paper with some professors here. They never follow up on that shit.”
“What about us? Mari and I wouldn’t have a reason to stay.”
“Well, they don’t know Mari is here. For you, I’ll say you’re helping with the paper. It’ll be fine, Mark. Don’t worry about it. I’ll take care of everything.”
I trust John completely. He would never put my career or standing at the university at risk. If he thinks we’re safe, then we’re safe.
“So, we’re doing this? We’re staying until Wednesday?”
John nods. “I’ll book our new flight as soon as we’re back in the room.”
“Yay! I’m so happy!”
Mari hugs John, and I get behind her for a nice group hug. We stay together for a full minute. I would be happy staying here forever. Not in Alaska, necessarily, but in a huddle with Mari and John. Although I wouldn’t mind staying in Alaska, too.
“We should get inside. I need to find out if this hotel has a laundry room. I didn’t bring enough clothes for an extra five days.”
I grin. “Who says you’ll need clothes?”
Mari flushes. “Well, I like how that sounds, but we’ll have to leave the room every once in a while.”
“I wouldn’t mind staying inside for five days,” John says.
“I would! We’re in this beautiful state. We barely got to see any of it when we were inside for the conference. Imagine what we can do when we have full days to hike and explore!”
“Fine, you have a point. We’ll wash our clothes and venture outside every once in a while.”
Mari nods, satisfied. “Perfect.”
When we enter the hotel, the same concierge as yesterday is working. He does a double take when he sees us.
“What are you doing here? I thought you checked out yesterday!”
“We had a little mishap in the woods.”
He gasps dramatically. “Oh my goodness, are you okay?”
“Yes, yes, we’re fine,” John assures him. “We got a little turned around and couldn’t find our way back when the sun went down. This morning, we woke up to find that we were close to the hotel the entire time.”
“That’s terrible! I’m glad you made it back okay.”
“Thank you. It was certainly an interesting adventure. Now, we wanted to ask about availability at the hotel. We’d like to extend our stay until Wednesday.”
The man’s eyes light up. “That is fantastic! We’d love to have you for a few extra days. I’ll book you in the same room you have already. Is there anything else I can help you with?”
“We need to do laundry. We didn’t plan on staying this long.”
“Don’t worry about that. Here, take these bags and fill them up with everything you need washed. Make sure you write out any special instructions. I’ll send a maid up in an hour to take them. They’ll get you your laundry before you fall asleep tonight.”