Chloe raises her hand, instantly catching the waiter’s attention, and though I was ready to drag her upstairs to the VIP lounge and make the absolute best use of the privacy, my thoughts cool as she steps away to place her order.
“Hey,” Cooper says, wrapping a hand around my shoulder. “This place is fucking lit.”
I nod. “Good. Enjoy it. I have a meeting in the morning and need to prepare for it.”
Cooper raises his eyebrows. “You can’t leave now.”
I grin. “I’ve got like ten spreadsheets I haven’t even started on yet. Have whatever you guys want. They’ll send the bill to the hotel.”
“Dude, we’re not here so you can pay for everything. That’s not why I invited you on this trip.” There’s a scratch of annoyance and an even deeper one of offense on Cooper’s face.
“I know. I want you to have a good time. Vanessa’s having fun. Dance with her. Drink. Do whatever. The lounge is yours all night.”
“Are you going to the hotel or upstairs?”
“Upstairs for now. I need to make some calls and go over some shit they sent over.”
“Okay. Well, if you need anything…”
I shake my head. “Have fun.”
I disappear through the crowds of people, making my way back to the VIP lounge where I pace across the floor, my body restless and tightly wound.
“Hey.” Chloe’s voice pierces the space, making me feel vulnerable and messing with my headspace. “Is everything okay?” She holds two shot glasses filled with a blue liquid. She raises them. “Sometimes I get stuck in my head. I’m trying to do less of that… I think.” Her pointed heels accentuate her long legs that are swallowing the space between us. She hands me one of the glasses.
I accept it, throwing the fruity chick drink back.
“Is everything okay?” she asks for a second time.
I shake my head. “Don’t look at me like that,”
She blinks too fast, her glass untouched. “Like what?”
“Like you want me to take you up against that wall and let everyone watch me claim you.”
Her face pales, but her eyes dilate. “I came up here because you went AWOL.”
“That may be what you’re telling yourself, but your body says differently.”
Her eyes widen with alarm and offense. “That was dancing.”
“We basically fucked with our clothes on.”
She pulls her chin back, repulsion puckering her lips. “You’re a disgusting drunk.”
I laugh mirthlessly, closing the space between us and slipping my hand through her hair, brushing it from her face, the floral and citrus scents of her hitting me like a drug. Her breath hitches, and her eyes shift to me, but she doesn’t move. “I’d do it,” I tell her. “I’d fuck you until you couldn’t remember another guy’s touch or name. Fuck you until you screamed and let them all watch you as you came. But that would be it. That’s where it would end.”
The contents of her drink splash across my face. “It never started. Get over yourself.”
8
Chloe
My thoughts are still buzzing, too loud to let me sleep.
I roll over and reach for my phone to check the time. Four-thirty.
I’ve been awake for the past two hours. The first thirty minutes were spent listening to Vanessa give me the detailed play-by-play of her night with Cooper, including details of what she felt while dancing with him—details I’d rather not know or think about my best friend—until she happily passed out with a smile on her face.
I, on the other hand, am already dreading the rest of this day. How in the hell am I supposed to face Tyler after how things ended?
And how had I felt guilty for thinking he was a jerk, and then right when my defenses lowered, he proved just how big of an asshole he is.
I flip off the covers, too agitated to sleep or remain still.
My toes sink in the plush carpet as I tiptoe across the room, silently open the door, and slip out into the air-conditioned living room upstairs where the telescope sits.
My gaze settles on the telescope, my breath leaving me with a sigh as my shoulders relax.
I move closer, the lights of the city making it easily bright enough to see as I graze my fingers over the expensive tool and the sleek lines. I can’t fathom having something this expensive just sitting out for anyone to touch.
I find the brightest spot in the sky—guaranteed to be Venus—and release the clutches to align the telescope with the glowing object and look through the eyepiece, slowly twisting the focus knob until the image becomes sharp and clear.
“What are you doing?”
I jump, nearly knocking the telescope over.
Cooper grabs the telescope, chuckling as he rights it. “Sorry. I thought you’d jump, but I wasn’t trying to send you out the window.”
“Liar.”
His smile broadens, and then he points at the telescope. “Tell me something nerdy.”
I take a deep breath, moving to be in line with the telescope again. “Did you know it’s silent in space?”
He raises his eyebrows. “Silent silent?”
I nod. “Sound waves require a medium to travel through, and since space is a vacuum with no atmosphere, the realm between stars is silent.”
“What about on other planets?”
“They have noise, like Earth, but depending on the air pressure, it would sound different.”
Cooper raises both hands to his head and makes an explosion sound. “That’s awesome.”
“Glad I could blow your mind.” I pretend to shine my fingernails on my pajama shorts. “Why are you awake?”
“Why are you awake?” he counters.
I shake my head. “We don’t answer questions with questions. It violates every friend rule.”
He backs up, sitting on the couch and crossing one ankle over the other. “Are you doing okay?”
“Me? Yeah. Of course. Why?” I wonder if Tyler told him what he’d said to me?
Coop rolls his shoulders. “You’ve been kind of absent lately.”
“I have?”
He shrugs again. “I don’t know, maybe I’m in my own head, but it just seems like something is bothering you. I thought it was because of Ricky…”
I shake my head. “Definitely not. I’m done wasting brain power or
