âyeah, i believe that,â ravi nodded slightly, keeping his eyes on the road. âwhenever people hear bad weatherâs coming they all rush out beforehand so they donât feel trapped inside or whatever.â he let out a small breath of amusement. âthe worst part is it brings out all the people who probably shouldâve just stayed home.â he could imagine what working a bar on nights like that must be like. drunk idiots, loud arguments, some manager hovering around acting like they knew everything. that alone sounded like enough to stress anyone out. âbut yeah,â he added after a second, âitâs really no problem. no one should be out in this kind of weather anyway.â he kept his attention on the road, choosing his words a little more carefully than usual. when the silence crept back in, ravi let it stay there for a while. he wasnât about to push her into a conversation she didnât want to have. so when maris finally spoke and went straight to the problem, it caught him off guard. his fingers tightened slightly around the steering wheel.
the thought hit him instantly. if he said the wrong thing now, there was a good chance sheâd never bother speaking to him again. he took a slow breath, trying to steady himself, unsure how to respond without making things worse. âi know,â ravi sighed, nodding slowly. part agreement, part embarrassment.
the honesty came out blunt, but he didnât try to soften it. âi shouldâve been straight up about our plans. you shouldnât have to wonder if iâm going to show up or not.â he hated the impression heâd left behind. but that part was on him, and he knew it. which was why he was starting to realize he needed to do better. âbeing wishy-washy isnât cool,â he admitted. âi wont ever waste your time like that again, i promise.â the truth was, ravi hadnât slept properly in days. maybe weeks. whenever he started working on a new project it swallowed everything around it. writing, planning, chasing ideas. somewhere in the middle of it he was usually smoking, drinking, doing whatever helped keep the creativity moving.
âiâve been working like crazy trying to finish this project,â he explained. âmy sleep scheduleâs kind of a mess right now. i didnât mean for any of that to happen. i swear.â he rubbed his face with one hand, discomfort settling in as the car slowly rolled into the motel lot. âiâm sorry, maris,â he said again. he wasnât sure if sheâd accept it, but the apology was there now, out in the open for her to take or leave. the car rocked slightly as it rolled across the gravel parking lot. ravi really didn't like this motel. the place looked eerie -- seriously eerie, even to someone who spent most of his time writing horror films. maris couldnât actually be staying here⊠right? the neon sign reading grand motel glowed faintly through the fog and rain. this was it. this is where she said she was staying.
as they pulled closer, ravi noticed the lights around the building flickering. his brows furrowed slightly only intensifying his suspicion of this place. then they cut out completely. there was nothing. only them and the blackness that surrounded the car. the darkness swallowed the lot almost instantly. for a moment the only light came from raviâs headlights cutting through the fog and rain. visibility was terrible. it looked like the entire block had lost power. this whole drive ravi felt strange about dropping her off at some sketchy motel, but he knew pressing her about it would only push her away. maris had that stubborn, defiant edge to her. still, something about the place didnât sit right. âmarisââ his arm shot out in front of her, hand catching the passenger door handle before she could open it. âiââ he shook his head slightly, looking at her. âi canât let you go in there, maris."