Total pages in book: 90
Estimated words: 87015 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 435(@200wpm)___ 348(@250wpm)___ 290(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 87015 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 435(@200wpm)___ 348(@250wpm)___ 290(@300wpm)
I forced myself to make eye contact with him, and I could see the compassion in his gaze. I didn’t want him to feel down tonight. I wanted him to have a good time. I wanted to make him feel better, so I said, “No more heavy shit. We’re going to turn Vegas out tonight. You with me?”
Parker’s lips stretched into a wide grin. “I’m with you. Let’s do something fun and new!”
I couldn’t wait.
CHAPTER FOUR
Parker
I’d had a bit of a bad day before calling Elliott. If something could go wrong, it did. One of the instructors hadn’t shown up. I’d been asked to teach a lesson, and don’t ask me how it happened, but fire extinguishers ended up being involved—through no fault of mine, of course.
When I’d messaged the guys, all of them had been busy. I hadn’t told them what was going on. If they knew I needed to talk, they would have made it happen, but I didn’t want to be that guy. Just because I was all up in my feels, acknowledging that I was almost thirty-four years old and still single, didn’t mean they had to drop whatever they were doing and console me.
But now? Now I was having the best fucking time ever. And not totally because of all the alcohol I’d consumed, but I’d had a lot of it, and drunk Parker thought drunk Elliott was fun as fuck. Seriously, why did sober me get so annoyed by him? I couldn’t for the life of me figure it out right now as we danced on a bar countertop together at… “Where are we?” I yelled. I knew we’d left the first place we’d met up at, and that was like two or three bars ago.
“I don’t know!” Elliott replied, and we both started laughing so hard, we almost tumbled off the counter. We caught each other and then just laughed more.
My conscience was there somewhere, telling me I would regret this and maybe wish I was dead in the morning, but I would worry about that when the time came.
“Let’s find the next place!” Elliott said, jumping down, then taking my hand and helping me. Two drinks waited for us on the bar. Well, I was pretty sure they were ours, but if not, they were now. We grabbed them and downed them before stumbling out the door in a fit of giggles—and I didn’t think either of us was typically a giggler.
“Oh my God, Elliott. This is so fun! What are we gonna do next? We should do something wild and crazy! Something I’ve never done before!”
Wild and crazy wasn’t usually my jam, but again, tonight, drunk Parker didn’t give a fuuuuuck.
“Ooh, let’s get in the sprinkler!” Elliott pointed.
“That’s not a sprinkler! It’s a fountain, and it’s cold.” I glanced around. “Shit. Where’s my jacket?”
He shrugged. “Probably wherever mine is.”
I busted up. Holy fuck. Why was he suddenly so funny?
“What do you want to do?” I asked. “No fountain swimming.”
“You’re not the boss of me.” Elliott ran for the fountain, but I caught his wrist and held him back. We laughed, tripping over each other and falling to the pavement. People walked by us and around us like we weren’t there. This was Las Vegas, after all, and I was sure they’d seen much worse.
The ground was softer than expected. When it moved, I almost screamed earthquake, but then I realized I was lying on top of Elliott.
“I thought you were an earthquake.”
“What?” He chuckled, his breath against my face. It was probably cold outside, but my drunkenness took care of that.
“Jesus, you really are beautiful,” he said, which made my pulse flutter and the temperature go up a few hundred degrees. I mean, who didn’t like to get told they’re pretty? Compliments were fucking fabulous.
“So are you,” I told him because he was and I was drunk, and…if there were more reasons, I couldn’t remember them.
“What are you doing on the ground?” a woman asked, leaning over us. Her eyes were red, and she looked like maybe she’d drunk her weight in liquor too.
“I don’t remember.” I laughed.
“Oh my God! I love you! You’re the best.” She grabbed me and pulled me up.
“You’re the best tooooooo.” I didn’t know her, but I loved her. I wanted to be best friends with her forever.
“We’re getting married!” She pointed to the woman beside her.
“Shut up!” I replied. “They’re getting married,” I said to Elliott, who was still on the ground.
“I heard. Is no one going to help me up?”
My new friend and I both took one of his hands and pulled him to his feet.
“I’m Wendy, and this is my best friend, Larissa. We just admitted we love each other, and now we’re going to get married! Do you guys want to come?”
“I fucking love weddings! Come on, El! Let’s go.” I dragged him with me as we followed Wendy and Larissa down the Strip and to a small white chapel at the end. “Oh my God. It’s so cute. Why is it so cute?”