After a few minutes, the person on the other side gives up and walks away—allowing me and Eloise to let out a deep sigh of relief.
Though I’d like nothing more than to stay here and bury myself in Eloise’s warm pussy, I know she’s anxious that someone else will come in and discover us.
I lower Eloise to the floor, keeping my eyes locked on her as she settles her dress back into place. When she’s done, she gazes up at me, her gaze misted with an emotion that causes my heart to crack. “I… have to go.”
“I know.”
She steps forward, wrapping her arms around me and pushing her face into my chest. “I promise I’ll text you as soon as things calm down with Dave. Okay?”
“Okay,” I whisper, pressing my lips to the top of her head. It’s not what I want to hear, but it’s the reality of our situation. I’d wait forever for Eloise, so a few more days without her won’t kill me.
Unless it does.
Eloise leaves the dressing room first, her gaze lingering on mine longer than it should—but then she closes the door.
Even though I shouldn’t, I stand there for a long time, half expecting her to show up again. She never does.
27
Riot
2 weeks later…
It’s been 348 hours, 22 minutes, and 17 seconds since I last saw Eloise. I’m a proud man, but even I can admit the reality of my situation.
I’m not fucking okay.
I pulled myself together long enough to attend Jane’s weekly lesson, but I haven’t been to Hightide in three days, and my inbox is filled with calls from Mac, asking where the hell I’ve been, and when I plan to make up for my missed lesson time. I can’t find the will to respond, no matter how much I tell myself I should. I’d much rather sit in this room, drinking and listening to “Little Wing” on repeat in the dark.
For the past week and a half, I’ve been researching ways to help Eloise, but I’ve come up with nothing. The past three days, I descended into hopelessness, drowning in memories of the past, wishing there was a way for me to save her. Wishing that she was here, safe in my arms.
I keep thinking about her smile, or the way her eyes light up beneath the glow of the moon. The sounds she makes eatinga stack of birthday pancakes, and the way her tone shifts when she’s talking about something she loves. The way she moves, the way she smells, the way she thinks.
The way she loves…
I lose myself in the memories, falling so deep I start dreaming that Eloise is here. That she’s on the other side of my hotel room door, knocking.
I jolt, sitting upright as adrenaline spikes through my veins.Someone is at the door, alright. But there’s no way it’s Eloise.
Groaning, I struggle to my feet and stumble to the door, not even bothering to look through the peephole before I throw it wide open.
“Fuck, Riot. You look like hell.”
I gaze at Enzo with a frown, the room spinning violently. “What are you doing here?” My surprise loosens my grip on the bottle, and it shatters on the floor. “That… was not supposed to happen…”
Enzo hangs his head with a sigh, pinching the bridge of his nose like it’s the only thing stopping him from tearing his hair out. “Are you going to invite me in?”
“Not with that attitude.”
He scoffs, pushing past me into the room. His nose crinkles in a disgusted expression as he gazes around the space, taking in the empty bottles and unmade bed. “Mac called me. He said you’ve missed your last three shifts at the shop.”
“So?” I sit on the edge of the mattress, reaching for the bottle of Jack on the coffee table. It’s too much of a struggle, so I just let my arm fall limply to my side. “Fucking piece of shit.”
“I certainly hope you’re referring to the bottle and notme,” Enzo grumbles.
“Maybe I am. Maybe I’m not.”
He stalks across the room, gazing at the puke-covered armchair with a frown before deciding it’s best to stay standing. “What crawled up your ass and died?”
