Don't Go There (Awkward Love 5)

I clear my throat and look up at Andrew.

“That was …”

“Painful?” Andrew suggests, smirking.

“I was going to go with horrifying, but painful works too.” I shake my head and laugh.

What can I possibly say after seeing that?

“Julian doesn’t know?” I ask.

“Nope. He drank too much and passed out. I heard his phone beep at the same time mine did. When I saw this, I checked his phone and there it was.”

“Julian, I can understand.” I muse. “She probably clicked the wrong attachment, but why did she send it to you?”

“I’m not sure.” He frowns at me. “I thought you might have the answer to that one.”

I nod. “Hey, thanks for bringing this to me. I’m going to forward it to myself and then delete it off your phone, if that’s okay?” I ask. He nods, looking relieved.

After I’m done, I hand it back. He passes me Julian’s and sure enough, it’s the same message and same video. I stare at it thoughtfully, trying to work out what her motive is.

“I can put this back if you like?” I offer.

He looks relieved. “Would you mind?”

“Not at all,” I say. “Andrew? This stays between me and you, okay?”

He smiles. “It’s already forgotten.”I watch the video again after he leaves, not only for my own amusement, but also to try and figure if I can work out where they’re staying. Okay, so it’s mostly for my own amusement, because I recognized the swipe key on the table in front of Lily the first time I watched it.

I chuckle as Katie somehow manages to miss every single note as she belts out her song. I feel bad for her, but right now, the amusement is outweighing the sympathy, because this is fucking hilarious. She bounces forward on the stage as she sings the last line, my gaze falling on how good her breasts look bursting out of that dress.

God, I hope she’s still wearing that later....

I grab the hotel phone and call reception. It’s a long shot they’ll give me what I want, but it’s worth a try.

“Hello, I’m staying in the hotel with a friend, but I’ve forgotten what room she’s in. Is there any chance you could tell me?”

“I’m sorry, sir. We can’t really give out that kind of information …”

“I completely understand. It’s just she left her phone in my room and her mom just called with an emergency.”

She hesitates. “Can I have her last name? And her cell number?”

“Saunders,” I say. I flick open the message again and relay her number.

“Lily Saunders. She’s in room two hundred and ten.”

“Great, thanks so much for that,” I murmur. “It will mean a lot to her.”

I grab my jacket and shrug it on as I walk out. I glance at my watch and shrug.

Maybe seven is a little too isn’t too early to bang on their door…

Nah.

I need to deal with this now, because aside from the obvious Julian-related issues, having those three on the loose could make things very complicated for me.

If they call me Adam and someone hears? I’m as good as fucked.Chapter FiveKatieI cringe.

Holy shit, I think I’m dead.

I crack open my eyes and look around, my throat burning from the bitter acid taste in my mouth. I’m in Lily’s room, sprawled out on one of the beds, but I’m so close to the edge, I’m in danger of falling out—

Thump.

“Ouch,” I cry as I crash to the floor.

I rub my back and turn around to glare at Darcy. Not that she’s awake enough to realize that she literally just kicked me out of the bed. Lily is, though. She sits cross legged on the other bed, grinning at me, while I scowl at her.

“Hey. You’re awake.”

“Awake?” I mutter. “That’s arguable.”

How the fuck is she so chirpy when I feel like a squirrel crawled into my mouth and died? Then I see the dark circles under her eyes. I smile, because that explains it. She’s delirious from lack of sleep.

I rub my head and stand up, but I lose my balance and end up falling back onto the bed. I groan into the mattress, pulling myself up into the fetal position, deciding it’s all too hard. I crack my head sideways and frown at Lily as she giggles not so discreetly into her hand.

“What time is it?” I mumble.

God, it hurts to talk.

It’s like the words are clinging to my throat with razorblades. I don’t drink very often, so when I do, it takes my body a while to recover.

“It’s just after seven.”

Seven? In the morning? Then why the hell am I awake?

I fumble for my phone, wanting confirmation, but the numbers are too blurred for me to make out. I blink but then I give up, tossing my phone on the floor. I cover myself with the blanket and groan. I don’t think I could possibly feel any worse than I do right now.