Total pages in book: 84
Estimated words: 78634 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 393(@200wpm)___ 315(@250wpm)___ 262(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 78634 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 393(@200wpm)___ 315(@250wpm)___ 262(@300wpm)
I grabbed my phone and key card and headed down the hall. Along the way, I sent Vee a message, letting him know where I’d be in case he and Hal came back to the hotel and wondered where I was.
He replied: Three other teams from the rugby tournament showed up, and they brought a keg. I’ll be back really late. Hal is in his cornfed cowboy’s room, so I don’t think we’ll see him until the morning.
Now I was doubly happy we’d left the party when we did. I was in no mood for a wild kegger. Another message from Vee popped up: Tell Bryson thank you for reimbursing me, by the way. He sent me a Venmo payment a few minutes ago.
When I knocked on Bryson’s door, he answered it looking very hot in a white T-shirt and gray sweatpants.
Oh man, I needed to get a grip.
“I ordered popcorn, drinks, and some candy from room service, and I pulled up the pay-per-view movie menu,” he said, as I followed him into the room. But then, he turned to me and added, “Then again, it’s our last night in Las Vegas. If there’s anything you still want to see or do, I can cancel our order and scrape up some energy.”
I took a seat on the couch and pulled a throw blanket onto my lap. “It’s been a long day. This is exactly what I want to be doing now.”
For the second night in a row, Bryson offered me his bed and slept on the couch. We didn’t talk about why he wanted me to stay, but I knew it was because neither of us felt like being alone.
The next morning, he ordered us breakfast from room service. We made awkward small talk while we ate, and afterwards I returned to my room to shower, get dressed, and pack.
Vee and Hal arrived just as I finished up and was zipping my suitcase. “I drank too much last night, so I ended up sleeping it off in the pool house,” Vee muttered, as he slumped in a chair and adjusted his dark glasses. Then he grinned and gestured at Hal. “I’m not sure if our friend here slept at all, or if he spent all night acting out the bumper sticker ‘save a horse, ride a cowboy.’ Are you doing okay there, buddy?”
Hal was in the process of changing into a fresh outfit. Since his hair was damp, it appeared he’d already showered back at the party house. He shot Vee a look and told him, “I’m fine, thanks.” Then he turned to me and said, “I’m sorry, Embry. I was supposed to be here for you this weekend, but I ended up getting distracted.”
“There’s no need to apologize. You and Vee helped me all day yesterday, while I looked at a bunch of wedding venues, found an officiant, and got the cake and everything I needed to decorate it. The rest of the time, I was perfectly happy hanging out with Bryson. He’s becoming a good friend.”
“I still feel guilty,” he muttered.
“Don’t. I’m happy you had fun. Are you going to see your cowboy again?”
He shrugged. “We exchanged numbers, and he invited me to visit him any time I want, but we’ll see.”
“He’s trying to act like he doesn’t care, but he really likes this guy,” Vee said. “It’s okay to admit it, Hal.”
Hal sat on the foot of the bed and sighed. “You’re right, I do. He’s hot, and sweet, and incredible in bed. But his life is in Texas, and mine’s in California. That’s just the way it is.” He changed the subject by frowning at Vee and saying, “Go get a shower. Bryson will probably want to leave for the airport soon, and you smell like a brewery.”
Vee stood up and set aside his sunglasses. “I really do. Some drunken rugby dude spilled his beer all over me last night.”
I got up, too. “I want to do a little shopping. I’m not sure how soon we’re leaving for the airport, but if Bryson texts and asks us to meet him downstairs, will you please take my luggage with you?”
Hal said, “No problem,” and I thanked him before hurrying to the elevators.
At the first gift shop I came to, I picked out a small teddy bear in a Las Vegas T-shirt as a souvenir and found a present for Bryson. Then I returned to the bakery we’d visited the day we arrived and bought my housemates two dozen rainbow-colored macarons, as a thank you gift to Hal and Vee for coming with me, and to everyone else for watching Dusty while I was gone.
Right after that, Bryson sent a text asking us to meet him in the lobby in fifteen minutes. I relayed the message to my friends, and then I paused and looked around.