After their early dinner the afternoon was winding down into an evening and Zac and Ginger found themselves back in the car. Ginger immediately looked at the time; it was nearly seven. Alex wasn't home just yet but he would be by the time she got there, if she decided to go back home.
"So what would you like to do?" he asked, looking over at her. They were still in the parking lot at the Olive Garden. "It's still really early."
"I'm not really in the mood for anything," she said, running her hands over her stomach. "I'm too stuffed."
"Do you want to go home?"
"No!" He jumped at her response. "No, I don't want to go home. Where are you staying?"
"In a hotel by the river."
"Are you in a room by yourself?" she asked, nudging him a bit.
"Unfortunately, no."
"Oh. Darn."
"Why?"
"Because if you were I would have suggested we go back to your room and have sex." He didn't bother to hide the shock on his face by her blunt statement. She began to laugh. "Obviously you weren't expecting that."
"Obviously not."
"But you're not in a room by yourself so I guess we'll have to think of something else to do."
"If you want to have sex I can find a place for us to have sex." She laughed again. "I'm serious."
"I'm not going to do anything in a little cheap motel we find down the road, you know." He nodded. "Then where are we going?"
"I can find us a hotel room in a ritzy place that'll sneeze on you for wearing that into their building," he said, glancing over her casual wear. She shook her head. "All right. How about a regular hotel? Nothing fancy, just somewhere we can get it on and leave."
"I may not want to leave."
"Do you want to spend the night somewhere?"
"Yeah. I do."
"All right." He went to start the car. "Are you sure about this? You're not just making me look like a complete pervert who wants to take advantage of you when you're joking." She shook her head.
"I think we've already established who's the pervert here," she said, pausing to kiss him. "Let's go somewhere."
"All right." He started the car. "We have to stop at a Walgreen's first."
"Why?"
"Because I don't have any condoms."
"Oh. That might be helpful."
"Just a trifle." He pulled out of the parking space. Ginger put on her seatbelt and sat back, admiring Zac a moment. There was a Walgreen's down the street that he pulled into. He parked near the entrance and turned off the car. "Are you coming?"
"No way!"
"Why not?"
"They know me in there! I'm not going to walk in there with some guy to buy condoms! By tomorrow everyone will be talking about it�'That Stevens girl came into the store yesterday and bought some condoms with a guy!' "
"Your last name is Stevens?" he asked.
"You don't know my last name?"
"I don't even know your first name! I just made up one for you and I've been calling you that ever since!" She shrugged. "What is your first name?"
"Hurry up and buy your condoms, mister, while I'm still in the mood." He sighed and got out of the car. She waited and it wasn't long before he popped back in with a plastic bag. He put it on the floor by her feet.
"You know it's very unsettling that I don't even know your name but I'm going to spend the night with you."
"You didn't know me for more than five minutes before you spent the night with me!"
"But I didn't actually do anything! This time we're actually going to do something!" he said.
"I think we did something that first night."
"Well we didn't do much."
"Still." He shrugged and started the car again. "Don't let it get to you, dear. There are things you know about me that some of my best friends don't know."
"Like what?"
"You know my parents died. You know my brother's my guardian and that Social Services are constantly on our case�you know he likes to yell at me."
"Your best friends don't even know your parents died?"
"I don't talk about it. I don't let many people in my house. Kris is the only one who knows everything but that's just because me and her grew up together, you know? We're really close."
"Really? You don't talk about her often."
"You just met me two days ago. You haven't heard the least of it." He nodded. "Geez, I can't believe we've only known each other two days."
"Well�we're just a fast couple."
"Yes, I guess we are. There's a nice hotel that's not too far from here," she said, looking out onto the road. "It's cute and it's not really expensive. It'll be perfect for tonight."
"All right. Lead the way." She began to tell him where to go and in a few minutes he pulled into the parking lot of a cute little hotel. It wasn't very tall and wasn't all that elaborate, but she said it was still cool so he believed her. She put the condoms in her purse and they went inside. Zac did all the talking and got a room with a double bed for the two of them, using a fake name that he pulled off an advertisement on the wall, and in no time they were up in their room, making out on the comfortable bed. He pulled off her shirt and wasn't all surprised to see that the tattoo she was hiding from him poking out from her bra; a blooming white rose on her right breast. "What's this?" he asked, grinning.
"I guess you found it. I told you it wouldn't be hard�" She paused, shifting. "Well, maybe a little." He blushed.
"Why a rose?" he asked, reaching behind her and unclasping her bra. She let him slip it off so he could see it fully, as well as with the rest of her chest.
"It's my middle name."
"Middle name, huh?" he asked, looking up at her eyes. "Ginger Rose? Ginger Rose Stevens. Well, I know most of your name now."
"Yeah, most of it."
"Will I ever know your full name?"
"Maybe when we get married."
"You think we'll get married?"
"I said maybe," she told him, tugging on the bottom of his shirt. She slipped it off of him. "Maybe one of these days. But stop talking." He kissed her.
Ginger woke up in the morning with a smile on her face. Despite only knowing him for three days, Zac was proving to be very important to her. She didn't spend the night with random people, she never had, and this was certainly the first time she'd ever slept with someone when she wasn't sure she was in love, at least for the time being.
She gazed lovingly at him, knowing she'd have to wake him up soon. It was nearing nine-thirty and they had to be out of the room by ten. He looked completely at peace, unknowing of her longing stare. He didn't seem at all uncomfortable lying completely naked in a bed with a stranger, especially one that was such a punk as herself. She'd played off his comments the previous night, but what he'd said really affected her. Her friends who knew about her tattoos didn't think oddly of her in any way; Zac was the first person to mention that she was a little punk. If he saw her like that, did other people see her like that as well? She was the kind of girl he couldn't bring home to meet Mom�never in her life did she think she'd be labeled like that.
Ginger decided against waking him up. She quietly got out of the bed and went into the bathroom, closing the door and shutting on the water once she was alone. As the water began to warm, she looked at herself in the mirror. Her hair was a bit ratted but most of her makeup was still in tact. Her heavy black eyeliner and maroon lipstick stared back at her and for the first time she realized what Zac was saying. She was a little punk. Little punks wore makeup like she did. Little punks had their tongues pierced with four tattoos (one being not entirely permanent). She wouldn't bring herself home to meet Mom.
She hopped into the shower and washed her body quickly. She could take a real shower when she got home; she was just trying to wash the sleep away. She washed her face and crinkled her nose when she realized she didn't have a toothbrush or toothpaste to get rid of her morning breath. Sighing, she went out into the main room and got dressed. Zac was still asleep. She could understand why; he had a hard night. However, it was nearing ten o'clock and she knew they would have to leave. She walked over to the bed and climbed on top of the covers next to him. She looked at his closed eyes and smiled. Even if she was a punk, he didn't seem to care. She kissed his lips until he responded and giggled a bit when he pushed her onto her back and continued to heavily make out with her.
"Zac," she said, pushing him away, "we have to leave."
"Do we really have to?" he asked, sitting up and rubbing his eyes. His hair was a mess but he still looked together, which made her smile. He'd looked as together when they spent the night together that first night.
"Yes, we really have to," she said. She sat up and put her arms around him. "We're supposed to check out in about five minutes, so I suggest you get dressed, dear."
"Why didn't you wake me up earlier?" he asked, yawning. He got out of the bed and began to get dressed. "You're not even giving me time to take a shower."
"You can take a shower at my place. We just have to leave."
"All right. Give me a minute." He sleepily walked into the bathroom and shut the door. She heard the water at the sink running. She looked around to see if they'd left anything lying around, and what they did she stuffed into her purse and was at the door when Zac came out of the bathroom, looking a little more awake and clean than he had before.
"Let's go," she said. He walked over to her and took her hand before taking over and leading the way to the hotel lobby. At the front desk they checked out and were on their way quickly.