“Actually, I, uh… think I need to get some air,” he says, tugging on his collar. “It’s hot in here.”
Disappointment swells inside me, though I don’t know why.
Part of me wants to go with him. I could use some air, too.
But I get the feeling he wants to be alone. He looks like I feel at the moment.
Overwhelmed.
“Okay,” I say, fighting the urge to frown.
It looks like he wants to say something, but thinks better of it.
“I’ll just, uh… hold the fort down, I guess.” I take a sip of my drink as he lets out a heavy sigh. I think he’s going to ask if I want to come with him, like he did earlier at the hotel, but he doesn’t. Instead, he just takes a step back, away from me.
I feel the difference the minute he does. The warmth disappears from my side, reminding me staunchly of how some thingsneverchange.
I watch as he walks away, saying nothing, and I’m reminded of another time. Another place.
“You good?” I ask as Hudson slips his hands into his pockets.
“Great,” Hudson says, his voice clear as a bell. But his eyes tell a different story.
The neon lights cover him, lighting him up in shades of blue. Part of me wants to go with him to make sure he’s okay. I mean, I’m sure he is—we’re all adults here, after all. But I still worry about him. Vegas is a big place. Anything can happen.
But Hudson doesn’t need a chaperone.
He needs to get laid.
And so do I.
So, I watch as he turns to the girl waiting for him just outside the ropes of our VIP.
“I won’t wait up,” I tell him with a wink.
I think he’s going to say something, but whatever it is, disappears and he leaves me in his wake in the VIP section.
Alone.
I shake off the weird feeling, not sure why I’m thinking about Vegas, right now of all times. Maybe it’s just being around the guys. Brings up old memories, I guess. It’s one of the most memorable we have, after all.
I pull out my phone and message Mandy to let her know I’m still alive and haven’t been kidnapped by some crazy New Yorker. I send a few selfies for proof of life, but she doesn’t respond. I scroll through my phone, getting lost in social media until I feel Hudson’s return. I look up, and panic hits me when I see his wide eyes.
“What happened?” I ask. He looks like a deer in headlights, and I can’t help but feel worried.
“Uh… I don’t know… Alex…” He looks off toward the hallway, then back at me.
“Is Alex okay?” I ask.
Hudson’s worried expression shifts into disbelief.
“Um, I just… I think he was… him and Mack were… I heard something, and I just don’t know.”
“What are you trying to say?” I ask.
He looks even more panicked.
“Relax. Breathe.”
