Total pages in book: 87
Estimated words: 80197 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 401(@200wpm)___ 321(@250wpm)___ 267(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 80197 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 401(@200wpm)___ 321(@250wpm)___ 267(@300wpm)
Travis starts the car, turning his head to look at us with an amused smile. "Where to, Celine?"
She recalls her address despite her inebriated state, and Travis puts the car into drive. Music begins to play, and Celine sings along in an adorable but tuneless way. I catch Elias smiling, which is an expression he doesn't make very often, and I'm suddenly hit with the possibility that he might also like Celine in more than a friendly way.
Hell. There's no way I'm letting her go from Eddie's arms into Elias's bed. That's like jumping from the frying pan into the fire.
"This is a tune!" Celine sings at the top of her voice, and I wince as Ellias laughs.
"Has anyone ever told you to audition for America's Got Talent?"
"There's no talent here. Just a whole lot of enthusiasm." She throws her arms wide in a showgirl-style way and nearly clips me and Elias in the face.
"Enthusiasm goes a long way," Travis says, making Elias snort. I guess he agrees.
"I had a great night," Celine half-sings. "Except these stupid shoes hurt my feet, but you guys are all great kissers."
"Thanks." Travis seems genuinely pleased.
I would be, too, if I thought she could remember any of it.
"You're drunk, Celine." Elias folds his arms across his chest, making his biceps bulge in a way Celine notices and appreciates.
"I might be drunk, but I'm not dead."
We all laugh because Celine’s pretty funny when she's slurring and abrupt.
We're at her dorm in no time, and Travis throws the car into a spot close to the entrance.
We all exit the vehicle like three bodyguards protecting a celebrity, which Celine seems to like. She links arms with me and then Elias. Travis walks slightly to the side, his expression mostly bland with a side of amusement.
At the door, Celine fumbles around in her purse, then fumbles some more. Her hand grows increasingly erratic as she rummages and doesn't come up with the keys.
"They're not in there," she gasps.
"Give it here." Elias takes her purse and shakes it. The contents make a dull thudding sound, and there is no telltale jangle of keys within it.
"You lost your keys?"
"They were in there. At least, I thought they were."
She tips her face to look up at the window of her room as though she's contemplating doing a Spiderman-style climb up the fascia of the building.
"Well, we're not getting a locksmith out at this hour." Travis looks at his watch to confirm.
"You can stay with me," Elias offers, handing the purse back.
"You can stay with me, Celine." I step forward, placing my hand on her elbow.
"This again, guys. What am I? The mediator?" Travis twists his mouth to the side, considering. "I suggest we get a motel room for Celine."
"Okay," Elias says. "How about Molly's?"
"Sounds good."
Celine seems confused and sways in her ridiculous sandals. As she stumbles into the car's back seat, she starts to laugh. "You know Molly's is where Ellie and Gabriella did the nasty with their boyfriends?"
"Please don't talk about my sister doing the nasty." Travis meets my eyes in the mirror and grimaces.
"Yeah. I'd rather not be reminded that Ellie conceived Noah at Molly's."
"Did she?" Elias finds that amusing enough to crack another smile. I swear, the dude has smiled more tonight than in the past six months.
"Molly's is a dive," I say.
"Yeah, but it's cheap and local." As Travis is paying, and it's already the middle of the night, I don't object.
Celine's head drops to my shoulder on the journey, and she snores gently, making all of us quietly laugh so as not to wake her.
When we pull into Molly's, she's fast asleep. "Shall I carry her?" I ask Elias.
Surprisingly, he agrees, and we work together to get her safely out of the car.
Travis heads to reception to get the key, and we follow slowly, waiting outside so the receptionist doesn't see Celine and fear anything untoward is going on. From an outsider's perspective, three men hiring a room for an unconscious woman is the very definition of red-flag creepy.
"Room one-one-one-nine," Travis says, emerging with the key dangling from his index finger.
He leads the way, and we lumber after him, watching as he unlocks a battered green door and opens a far-from luxurious room.
"She's out for the count." Celine's head rests against my chest, and her face is peaceful.
"I don't think we should leave her," Elias says. "At least one of us should stay."
Travis puts his hands up, palms out, grimacing at the prospect of me and Elias bickering again. "I think we all need to stay. That way, Celine will be in safe hands, and we will have each other as witnesses to what does and does not happen in this room. Plus, I'm dog tired."
"Good point."
Elias steps in to tug down the comforter, and I gently lay Celine on the mattress, arranging her beautiful red hair in a fiery bundle behind her head and covering her gently so I don't disturb her. We stand around, looking down on her like she's Sleeping Beauty, and we're about to duel over who will be the one to wake her. There are only two huge beds in the room and a weird chair that looks like it might fall apart at any second. The carpet has seen better days. I don't know how we're going to all stay here.