AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Evie: Sorry, don’t mean to bug you but are we meeting at the party?
Evie: I’m heading down, I’ll see you there.
That was two hours ago. She probably wasn’t happy to get to the party and find me missing. I can only hope she isn’t reading too much into it.
A guy can dream.
The other texts are from Dalton, wondering repeatedly where I am.
I shoot off a text to Evie with an apology and promise to explain when I get there. Then I run up to the room, shower and change quickly into another one of the trendy outfits Evie picked out for me, and head down to the beach.
The beach party is hopping. Everywhere I look there are gorgeous young people in swimsuits, drinking and dancing to the music. I realize too late that I chose the wrong clothes. I’m wearing a “nighttime in Paris” designer suit and look like I’m there to assassinate someone. Oh well. Maybe it’ll remind Dax that I’m not a man you threaten lightly.
The VIP section is on an elevated platform off to the side with better views of the beach and stage. Even hurrying, I’ve arrived too late. Carl steps aside to let me in just as Kara thanks the crowd for showing up and announces the following act.
Evie is talking to Tori and LaToya when I come in and she jumps up at the sight of me, concern on her face. She accepts my kiss but then pulls back, asking, “Where the heck were you?”
“Black hole of work,” I say. “I’m sorry. The time got away from me. How was the show?”
Evie, thankfully, accepts my excuse and launches into a play-by-play of the show. Apparently some drunk guy had tried to storm the stage and security had to wrestle him to the ground a foot away from Kara’s turntables. Throughout the whole thing, the DJ had played on, barely even glancing at the crazy man who’d been moments away from assaulting her.
“Kara’s tough,” Dalton says proudly. “It’d take more than that jackoff to faze her.”
“Apparently,” I say. I sit with Evie. A quick sweep of the group shows more than a few faces missing. Brent and Cheryl, fighting since the plane, have fucked off to somewhere, probably spiraling even deeper into their drama. Dax is missing too, and so are a couple of the girls. Which one of them is he screwing? I eye Tori and LaToya. Just because they’re here now doesn’t mean they’re not suspects.
“You sure everything’s fine?” Evie mutters to me now that we aren’t the center of attention.
“Yeah, of course,” I say. I wrap an arm around her and she rests her head against my shoulder. “It’s just work. There’s a lot waiting for me back home.”
She’s quiet and I immediately wish I hadn’t brought up work or home or the future. But what else is there to say? Besides, we’re apparently acknowledging the hard truths of our situation now.
We settle back down on the couch, and I try to pay attention to the story that Tori is telling. It’s futile. A deep sadness is creeping over me like vines.
I wish I never had to come out of my work spiral. Sitting here with Evie is too hard knowing how little time we have left. If only I could stop the sand from slipping through the hourglass, freeze the scene in its tracks. But I wouldn’t choose this moment. No, I’d take her somewhere private, watch the setting sun reflect in her crystal blue eyes as she laughs and then leans in for a kiss…
Kara’s appearance shakes me out of my thoughts. The group claps and cheers, and she takes a little bow before bounding over to the couch to sit between Dalton and Tori.
“That was the best show yet!” she announces. “Man, I just connected with this crowd.” She looks around. “Where’s Dax?”
“No clue,” Tori says. “Haven’t seen him at all today.”
Kara frowns. “That’s weird.” She pats her pockets and then curses. “Shit, I keep forgetting. I left my phone up in the room.” She hesitates and then flashes Tori a devilish smile. “Could you go and get it? Please?”
Tori rolls her eyes. “Girl, you’d lose your head if it wasn’t screwed on. How many IDs have you forgotten in Ubers again?”
“Three,” Kara admits. “But I’m tired. I was on my feet up there for hours.” Seeing her friend still reluctant, Kara adds in a sing-song, “And if you go get it, I’ll buy you those Louboutin flip-flops you liked.”
Tori’s eyes bug. “The Loubi Flips? Fuck yeah. I’ll be right back.”
With Tori gone, there’s nobody between Kara and the two of us. Kara wiggles her eyebrows at me. “What’d you think?” she asks.
“I actually just got here,” I say. “Work.”
“Man, you are always working,” she says. “You need to relax a little.”
“What do you call this?” I ask, in mock indignation.
“You’re wearing a suit.”
