Stuck With Me: A With Me in Seattle Universe Novel

by Melissa Brown

Bang. Bang. Bang.

  Startled awake, I jumped in my seat, my heart racing as I realized someone was pounding on the door. And I’d fallen asleep on the all too comfortable chair.

  “Lyra!”

  Dev. Shit.

  Tossing my book aside, I ran a hand through my thick hair and darted toward the door, opening it to see a very annoyed, very disheveled Dev.

  “It’s about the time. What the hell?” He shook his head and plowed past me into the suite.

  “Nice to see you too, Dev.”

  He stopped, placed his hands on his hips, and raised both eyebrows. “Are you serious right now? I’ve been banging on that door for five minutes. What were you doing?” He paused, got a wicked grin on his face and continued, “Oh, never mind. Sorry to interrupt your, uh, private time.”

  “Ugh.” I slammed the door and rolled my eyes. “You’re gross.”

  “Well, obviously you were….indisposed.” He wiggled his eyebrows as he took off his coat and tossed it to the floor. With a huff, I grabbed it and put it on the nearest barstool in the dining area.

  “I fell asleep, Dev. Seriously, get your mind out of the gutter.”

  “Impossible, sorry. And besides, your hair is all messed up. You’re frazzled. What am I supposed to think?”

  “I’m not entertaining this conversation,” I said, walking past him and his devilish grin.

  “Ah, you love it,” he said with a wink. “Wow, this place is sick!”

  “I thought you’d been here before.”

  “Um, no,” he said, suddenly serious. “My people don’t ski.”

  My head jerked back involuntarily, and I sneered at his generalization. “That may be the most ridiculous thing you’ve ever said. And believe me, that’s saying something.”

  Dev waved me away. “I’m just playing, girl. Chill out!”

  “So you do ski?”

  He winked again. “I’m probably the best skier you know.”

  “Nice.”

  He didn’t even notice me rolling my eyes as he turned to continue exploring all of the rooms. When he grabbed his luggage and pulled it toward one of the larger bedrooms that I had avoided, I stopped him.

  “Wait, those are for the couples.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “They have king-sized beds.”

  “What’s your point?”

  I rolled my eyes, walking toward him and pointing inside the enormous room. “C’mon, don’t be an inconsiderate ass.”

  “Too late.”

  “Fine.” I shrugged, walking away. “You’ll have to deal with them when they get here.”

  “Until then, this room is mine,” he said, placing his luggage inside the room. “Holy shit, come and see this bathroom!”

  Humoring him, I walked into the room, and my mouth dropped when I saw the bathroom that was larger than the entire room I was staying in. A huge soaker tub, an open shower with six shower heads, a large rustic vanity with two sinks, mirrors, and wrought iron light fixtures. In a word—gorgeous.

  “I think you’d better pick up your bottom lip.” He chuckled. “You dropped it back there on my travertine floors.”

  “Shut up.” I pushed his arm and crossed mine, taking in the sight of the room. “It’s just a bathroom.”

  “And you’re just jealous you didn’t think to take it for yourself. You still have time to grab the other one. It’s probably just like this.”

  “I’ll survive.”

  “Suit yourself,” he said, climbing into the enormous soaker tub. He laced his hands together and placed them behind his head as he stretched out. “Ahhhh. Luxury.”

  “You’re ridiculous.”

  Our phones buzzed at the same time. We looked down at our screens and simultaneously groaned. My stomach dropped to my knees as Dev and I glanced up from our phones.

  “This can’t be happening,” I said, my brow knitted.

  Dev dropped his arms to his sides and looked up at the ceiling. “Fuck me.”

  My thoughts exactly.

  Chapter 3

  DEV

  “An avalanche?”

  “Yep,” Peter said on the other end of the line. “State troopers were out directing traffic. They sent us back the way we came. No idea when the road will clear. This storm isn’t letting up like we thought it would.”

  “So, what, you’ll get here tomorrow?” I glanced at Lyra, who was pacing the living area, talking to Maren.

  “I mean, we’ll try, but I can’t make any promises, man. This storm is bad, and now they’re calling for at least eight inches overnight.”

  Lyra yelled from the other room, “I can’t believe that damn cat is screwing me! Right in the ass!”

  “What is she talking about?” I asked Peter, smiling at Lyra, who was clearly unhinged. Luckily, she didn’t see me enjoying her torment, or I was liable to get my face clawed off.

  “What do you mean?” Peter asked.

  “Why is Lyra yelling about a cat?”

  “Oh. Yeah, that’s why we’re late. Big Tuna got sick; had to clean up the house before leaving.”

  “Ahh,” I said with a chuckle, enjoying Lyra’s mania for a brief minute before seeing my own potential misery in the situation. The idea of spending twenty-four hours with Lyra was enough to grate on my nerves, but if Peter couldn’t get to the resort at all…oh man. The shit was gonna hit.

  “You gonna be okay?” Peter asked with a laugh. “With Lyra, I mean.”

  “Doesn’t sound like I have much of a choice now, does it?” I asked, bitterness settling in already.

  “Guess not.”

  “Why does it feel like I’m going to be cursing your cat soon myself?”

  He laughed. It was an uncomfortable laugh, as we both knew that bitterness was going to, for lack of a better word, snowball. “Hang in there, okay? If we can get in tomorrow, we’ll definitely try.”

  “And if you can’t?”

  “I don’t know, man… There’s a bar in the hotel. Just do your best. Listen, it’s really coming down now, so I gotta go. I have no idea how long it’s going to take us to get back to the city. I’ll be in touch, okay?”

  “Yeah, yeah, I’d better hear from you tomorrow, Pete.”

  “I hear you…loud and clear. Go get a drink.”

  I ended the call, put my phone back in my pocket, and walked to the doorframe, leaning against the wood as Lyra sat on the couch, head in hands.

  “I can’t believe this,” she said. “I didn’t even want to come on this stupid trip.”

  “Then why did you?” I asked.

  She rolled her eyes. “Maren convinced me. And now I want to strangle her.”

  I laughed to myself. It was kinda funny when Lyra’s attitude was directed at someone else. Usually it was only aimed at me.

  “Well, I mean, we’re stuck here. The resort only has one entrance, so if they can’t get in, we sure as hell can’t get out.”

  Lyra sat up and rolled her eyes, sitting back on the chair with arms crossed in front of her. “Wow, thanks for the mansplaining… I had no idea.”

  “Look, we’re gonna be here awhile. Do you think you could ease up on the attitude, Castillo?”

  She narrowed her eyes at me. “Don’t think so, Modi.”

  The thing about Lyra was that she was gorgeous. I mean, hot as hell. The first time I met her, I hit on her. I had no shame at all—Trup and I had broken up and I was hooking up with girls left and right. When I met her, I felt this bolt of lightning and I tried my best to impress her. I failed. And since then, I’d put her in this box. A box I’d never open again, because I knew better. And since then, her looks no longer affected me. She was just a girl with a serious attitude problem. And my problem was I had to be around her all the time because our friends were madly in love and building a future together. I decided to extend a small olive branch in the hopes of surviving the weekend with someone I avoided whenever possible.

  “Well, I’m gonna go get a drink. Wanna come?” I
asked, forcing myself to sound neutral. If Lyra thought I was being a smart-ass in any way, she’d reject my invitation. She paused for a moment, then tipped her head to the side.

  “What do you think?” she deadpanned, raising her eyebrows and looking at me like I was a total moron.

  Oh well, I tried. Won’t be doing that again.

  “Suit yourself. You can sit here and wallow all by yourself. I, on the other hand, am gonna go let off some steam.”

  Lyra’s cheeks grew red and her nostrils flared. “I swear to God, Dev, if you bring some random girl back to this room, I will nail your ass to the wall.”

  “Promise?” I asked, raising my eyebrows.

  “Dev!”

  “Oh chill out, girl. I’m just playin’. Besides, I’m with Trup. You know that.”

  “Yeah, yeah.” She rose from the chair. “Still…I wouldn’t put it past you.”

  I placed a hand on my heart and dramatically threw my head back as if I’d been shot. “Promise me you’ll be this pleasant when I return?”

  “Ugh, shut up!” She grabbed a pillow from the couch and chucked it at me. I blocked it and chuckled. She rolled her eyes again and retreated into her room.

  “Always a pleasure, Lyra,” I said, shaking my head and raising my voice slightly so she could hear me. “Now where are the other key cards? Front desk said you took them all.”

  “Kitchen counter,” she yelled from her room.

  I walked across the room, grabbed a card, and walked out the door without another word. I needed an escape, even if it was only for a short time.

  “That sounds awful,” the blond said as she swirled her drink. I think her name was Holly…or maybe Polly. Something like that.

  “I know. She’s a pill…but what can you do? Hopefully the storm will blow over soon.”

  She gritted her pearly white teeth. “It’s not supposed to. Could be a long weekend. At least we can ski, right?”

  “Right,” I said, pressing my lips into a thin line.

  I’d never skied. Not once. And I wasn’t planning to do it for the first time in a snowstorm—especially since I lied and told Lyra I was great at it.

  Not sure why I did that.

  Holly/Polly polished off her drink and placed her martini glass on the heavy wood bar. She jumped to her feet and grabbed her purse from the back of her barstool. “Look, my friends and I are gonna grab some dinner. Do you want to join us?”

  “Nah, that’s okay. I think I’ll stay here for a bit.”

  “All right. Well, it was nice to meet you, Dan.”

  “Um, it’s Dev.”

  “Oh, right. Sorry.”

  I guess I deserved that, Holly/Polly.

  “No worries. Take care.” I raised my glass to her and gave her a wink. She blushed and walked to a corner booth, joining a group of girlfriends who were just as cute as she was. If I was still single, I’d be following close behind.

  I grabbed my phone and texted Trupti.

  -Stuck at resort. Avalanche. Peter & Maren couldn’t make it here in time so I’m stuck with ‘She who shall not be named.’ Wish you were here.

  If I was honest with myself, though, I wasn’t missing Trupti as much as I thought I would be. Hell, I was missing Peter more than Trupti. As much as I cared for Trup, and as much as I’d always wanted a future with her, her flakiness was grating on my nerves. And if I was honest with myself, I knew there was a reason for her hesitance to be a part of my life in any real way. She claimed to want my parents to know, but she knew there was a simple way to make that happen. Spend some time with my friends, prove she was all in. Until then, I was holding back—and I could feel a wall building between us. A wall that I would have fought tooth and nail to destroy just two years ago. But today…today I found myself looking the other way as each new brick was added to it.

  My phone buzzed with Trupti’s response.

  -That stinks. I’m sorry. I know you can’t stand her.

  -Drowning my sorrows at the bar.

  -Try not to overdo it, Dev. You’re not known for your alcohol tolerance.

  -Gee, thanks, Trup.

  I put the phone down for a second, rolling my eyes with a sigh.

  -Sorry, just being honest.

  -Yeah, well, I guess I’ll update you tomorrow.

  -It’s fine. You can just tell me all about it when you get back. I’ve got a lot on my plate.

  -Wtf, Trup? A lot on your plate? You can’t spare a few minutes to text me? Aren’t you the least bit concerned that I’m stuck in a hotel room with another woman?

  -Whatever. Lyra doesn’t concern me.

  -Wow, okay. So what is it then? What flew up your ass?

  -Let’s not get into it now.

  -What are you trying to say?

  -Nothing. I’m just upset about earlier, that’s all.

  -Well, maybe we have that in common.

  -Maybe we do.

  I put my phone back in my pocket, knowing that was the end of the conversation. We were at a standstill. I ordered another drink, watching the football game on the big screen above the bar. I ordered another drink and then another. My phone buzzed. A text from Peter.

  -How you holding up?

  -Meh.

  -Did you get a drink?

  -Uhhh….half a dozen.

  -Lyra has vomit-phobia.

  -Oh…does she now? Maybe I’ll have a few more…

  -Dev, play nice. The road definitely won’t be cleared by morning, but we’re going to try to head back tomorrow night.

  -Be real. You’re not coming, are you?

  -Not sure, but we’ll do our best.

  -And Scott?

  Peter didn’t respond right away and, not being a moron, I knew exactly what that meant.

  -They decided to stay home. Allison hates snowstorms and we’re getting much more than they’d predicted.

  -Shocker! But wtf? How much more snow are we supposed to get?

  -They just increased it again—about a foot overnight and possibly another foot tomorrow.

  -Shit, dude. I won’t be seeing you, will I?

  Another pause.

  -Pete!

  -Dev, all I can do is try. And you’ll just have to make the best of it if we can’t make it.

  -With Lyra? Impossible.

  -She’s not that bad!

  -You keep saying that and yet I have to call bullshit…again!

  -I’ll call you tomorrow, okay?

  -Sure, fine.

  When the game ended, I hauled my tipsy ass back to the suite. Lyra was reading in the same armchair I found her in when I first arrived.

  “If you’re not careful, that chair is going to have a permanent indent of your ass.” I let out a burp and a laugh.

  “Lovely,” Lyra said, returning her attention to her book. “Just so you know, I’m not holding your hair back if you puke.”

  “Um, I have short hair, so no assistance needed, thank you very much,” I said and let out a hiccup. A pleasant smell wafted my way and I inhaled deeply. “Mmmm, what is that?”

  “One of Maren’s candles, cranberry and pine.”

  “You travel with candles?” I asked, thinking that was one of the most absurd things I’d ever heard.

  “Yeah, so?”

  “So, that’s weird, don’t you think? That’s like traveling with air freshener. Do you do that too?”

  “As a matter of fact, I do.”

  “You’re even stranger than I thought, Lyra Castillo.”

  “Why don’t you go sleep it off? This conversation is boring me to tears.”

  “Always a pleasure, Lyra.”

  “Wish I could say the same.” She gave me the fakest smile imaginable, then pressed her lips together and narrowed her eyes. Lyra wasn’t playing.

  I put my arms up in surrender. “Message received, okay?”

  She looked down at her book. “You may go now.”

  “You don’t have to be a bitch.”

  She slammed her book shut. “What did you
call me?”

  “You heard me,” I sneered, tipping my chin forward. “Look, we’re stuck here. It’s obvious that Pete and Maren aren’t gonna make it. And look, I’m just as pissed about it as you are, but you don’t have to be a pain in the ass. So just calm your tits, all right?”

  “Screw you, Dev.” She rose from the chair, book in hand, and grabbed the candle glowing from the coffee table. She scowled at me before walking to her room and slamming the door behind her.

  “Sweet dreams!” I yelled with a sardonic laugh before walking into my room and passing out, still fully clothed, on the enormous king-sized bed. It was soft and inviting, and I drifted off into a welcome and sleep.

  At least I could escape Lyra in my dreams.

  Chapter 4

  LYRA

  I didn’t sleep well at all. Between my fight with Dev and knowing Maren probably would never make it to the resort, my head was spinning. I couldn’t relax. And so I’d tried to focus on my book, but found myself rereading the same paragraphs over and over as Dev’s words lingered in my head.

  You don’t have to be a bitch.

  Everyone has the name they hate to be called. And aside from stubborn and obstinate, bitch was mine. I was a strong, intelligent, and opinionated woman, and I hated how men felt so threatened by that—so threatened that they threw that word around like confetti.

  Pathetic.

  I’d heard it for years—usually when alcohol was involved, like the night before. And usually because of that fact, I could brush it off.

  So why couldn’t I brush it off with Dev?

  At first morning light, I grabbed my phone to text Maren and found about eight texts from my mother.

  -An avalanche?!?

  -Are you safe?

  -Why didn’t you call me?

  -Yes, I know you’re an adult, but you’re still my baby! CALL ME, LYRA!

  -It’s 3am and I haven’t slept at all….and it’s your fault.

  -Don’t make me call hospitals! Lyra!

  I laid back down and inhaled deeply, holding it for five seconds and exhaling slowly for another five. No one could raise my blood pressure like my mother.