One More Time

“Really. If something happened to you or something, I’d want to be there to help,” Luke said.

“Look, creep. She’s got it. Okay? Just go away and stop following us,” Ana said.

I shot a look toward Ana, but she shot me one right back. The elevator door opened on the fourth floor, and Ana dragged me off and down the hallway.

“What are we—?”

“Shut up and keep walking, okay?” she asked.

The elevator doors shut behind us, and I turned around. No one was there, not even Luke. And I sighed with relief as Ana dragged me over to the stairs.

“The last thing we needed was for that asshole to know what floor we were staying on. Now come on. We’re walking the last two flights.”

“You could’ve been a little nicer, you know,” I said. “Luke was just trying to be a gentleman.”

“He was being creepy,” Ana said. “Anyway, did you really want to go back to the room?”

I thought about it for a minute, suddenly tired. “Yeah, actually, I do. Once I said room service and a movie, it sounded pretty good. You don’t have to stay with me though, you can go find some fun to get into.”

“And leave my bestie to wallow in whatever you find to wallow in? Not a damn chance,” she said.

I sighed as we reached our room, but I was silently glad that she would be staying. Lord knows I couldn’t be trusted to be alone with Rhett right next door.

CHAPTER 8

RHETT

I woke up the next morning with my stomach growling. I hadn’t eaten much at dinner after seeing Chanel sitting with that guy last night. I saw how she was trying to scoot away from him as he continued to put the moves on her. I was waiting for Ana to step in because I knew Chanel would never get aggressive with anyone. It wasn’t in her nature. She was always so sweet and kind. She never wanted to see or acknowledge the bad in anyone because she thought people were always more than their parts. When someone was mean to her, she would brush it off as them having a bad day and needing someone to take it out on. She prided herself on being there for people – good or bad ?

?? because, in her mind, it meant she was providing them with an emotional release they needed.

But it burned me to watch him get close to her.

I quickly got dressed and headed to the breakfast gathering. I had no intentions of waking Tommy after all the drinking he had done. He was pissed that I wouldn’t let him go sit by Ana last night, but I wanted him at my side as I perched and watched, as I analyzed the situation from afar.

And I acquired all the intel I needed to know that Chanel had not initiated the encounter with that guy.

I walked into the breakfast room right as Chanel’s eyes looked around for me. They fell on me and she smiled, and something in my chest leaped to life. I got my plate of food and went to sit next to her, and as I sat down, Ana’s eyes went to town.

“He’s still sleeping,” I said.

“Who?” she asked.

“She’s not good at playing stuff off like that, is she?” I asked.

“Not at all,” Chanel said with a giggle.

“You guys are dicks. I’m not looking for anyone,” Ana said.

“Don’t worry. He was pissed that our table with you two was already taken last night,” I said.

“Well, my side wasn’t taken,” Ana said.

“Who was that guy, by the way?” I asked.

“You remember Luke, right? Luke Thomas from my chemistry class?” Chanel asked.

“The one you always had to work on those projects with?” I asked. “No way. That was nerdy little Luke? The guy who had a crush on you?”