Don't Go There (Awkward Love Book 5)

by Missy Johnson

  “Damn,” I mutter.

  I stretch out and stifle a yawn, then get ready to make my escape.

  “You’re bailing on us, aren’t you?” Julian frowns. “We’re just getting started. You’re so fucking weak.”

  “The game’s over,” I protest, standing up.

  “Poker might be,” he agrees, his eyes gleaming. “But the real games haven’t even started.”

  “You realize I’m here, in the room, don’t you?” Alberto calls out.

  “Of course, I mean games for Andrew,” Julian replies quickly, throwing his arm around his friend.

  “As much as I’d love to hang around and watch you make a fool of yourself, I need to get some sleep. Some of us have to work, you know. God knows what Alberto will have planned for me for tomorrow,” I add in a low murmur.

  “I heard that, Frederick,” Alberto calls out.

  “You were supposed to.” I wink at Alberto on my way to the door. “Night all.”

  I step into the elevator. The moment the doors close, the only thing on my mind is Lily. If she’s planning on interrupting the wedding, then I need to get her out of here and fast.

  The question is, how the hell am I going to find her?

  Chapter Three

  Katie

  “So,” Darcy rubs her hands together and smiles at me. “What’s the plan?”

  “Plan for …?” I prompt.

  “Tonight.” She waves her hands around. “Or did you not notice we’re in Vegas?”

  “Room service and movies?” I grin, stirring her up.

  “You want to laze around the hotel?” She scowls at me. “Wait, of course you do. Just so you know, I really want to bitch slap you right now.”

  “But it’s such a nice hotel. It’s a shame to waste it,” I tease.

  She glares at me. “I don’t care if it’s the fucking Bachelor mansion and Chris Harrison is about to walk through that door and hand me a rose—” She pauses. “Okay, so that might be the exception to the rule, but even so, we can’t stay in. It’s just not right.” She shakes her head so hard her black hair flies around her.

  “I’m pretty sure it’s the bachelor himself who hands out the roses,” I bait her.

  “And you’d only know that because your idea of a good time is a Netflix binge.” She shakes her head, muttering to herself, while I choke back laughter.

  “You okay, Darc?” I ask her. “You seem a little worked up.”

  She glowers at me. “Why did you even come at all? You should’ve just stayed home and spent yet another weekend scraping blood off the floor of some sleazy motel,” she grumbles.

  “You make it sound so dodgy.” I giggle. “I’m here for Lily, not to fuel your addiction to partying and gambling.”

  “And sex.” She grins. “Don’t forget the sex.”

  “And for the record?” I frown at her. “I love my job.”

  I’m in the final year of a degree in forensics, something I’ve wanted to do since I was a kid. My job as an emergency response cleaner is perfect, because there’s no better way to learn about blood spatter and analyzing a crime scene than to be put into the middle of one. There’re no words to describe walking into a crime scene, other than to say it’s the best feeling in the world—in a really non-creepy way.

  “Hey, I’m all for bodies and gore, but without sex and alcohol, what’s the point?” She smirks at my expression.

  I groan and pull myself off the bed, getting to my feet. I already know I’m going to lose this battle, so I might as well start getting ready.

  “We’re going out,” Darcy says firmly. “You do want to help Lily forget about Julian, don’t you?”

  “You mean you’re actually going to invite her?” I tease. She pokes her tongue out at me. “And like you care whether she forgets him or not.”

  She makes a face. “Okay, fine, I don’t. But I do care about you, and you need this as much as she does.”

  “Fine.” I groan when she throws her arms around me, nearly cutting off my circulation. “I’ll go out with you. But I’m not drinking.”

  She fist pumps the air and starts dancing, waving her hand at me until I join in.

  “Fucking awesome. Okay. It’ll take me about an hour to get ready …”

  I shake my head. An hour? It will take me five minutes. I walk over to the window, only half listening to her as she runs through her intensive beauty routine.

  “I’m going for a walk,” I announce.

  I grab my phone, then head out. Her voice filters through the door when I close it. I smile. Did she even hear me say I was leaving?

  Outside, a shiver of excitement rushes through me as I look around. I’m in Vegas, baby. This is the first time I’ve been here and I’m already loving it. The lights, the people, the noise … they’re all things I’d usually avoid, but here, it somehow creates the most amazing atmosphere that I just have to be a part of.

  I shiver again, this time from the cool breeze that’s hitting my bare arms. I look up and sigh, because the lights look amazing against the dark backdrop of the sky. I start walking, not even caring where I’m headed. There’s so much to see. Every place I pass is bustling with activity. People are laughing and enjoying themselves. I feel happier just being close to them.

  And this is what it’s like on a Wednesday.

  I’m feeling something I haven’t felt in a long time. Anticipation. Excitement. I’m looking forward to letting my hair down and having some fun. I laugh, because that’s so unlike me. Especially lately.

  I’m the first to admit that the last few months I’ve done nothing but work and study, but the problem is, I had chosen such a competitive field of study that I don’t really have a choice. I’m so close to finishing, which means the harder I work, the better my chances are at securing the job I want. My future is important to me, but maybe Lily and Darcy are right. There has to be a balance, or I’ll burn out.

  If that’s the case, then I have a lot of balancing to do.

  It’s after eight when I let myself back into the room.

  “I’m back,” I call out to Darcy.

  I quickly change into my go to black dress, then run a brush through my long, wavy hair. I dab on some lip gloss, then some mascara, and I’m done. I study my reflection in the mirror, smiling at Darcy as she wanders out of the bathroom. She looks at me in surprise, her heavily made up eyes clouded with confusion.

  “You went out?”

  “And a HeadFucker for the pretty lady.”

  My eyes widen at the sheer size of the very over-the-top cocktail the waiter just placed in front of me. The name is appropriate, because it’s fucking with my head just looking at it. When I agreed to one drink, I didn’t realize I needed to specify a size limit. He flashes me a smile and I flush, while Darcy scowls at him.

  “Yo. Romeo.” She snaps her fingers to get his attention, then she motions to herself. “I’m right here, dude. Right. Here.”

  He looks at her in surprise, like he’s noticing her for the first time, then he mumbles an apology. I shake my head at her and laugh, while Lily looks up from her phone, a confused expression on her face.

  “Huh?” she mutters.

  “Nothing. Go back to stalking Julian.” Darcy sighs.

  “I’m not stalking him,” Lily huffs. “I’m just—” She stops, her frown intensifying as she stares at her phone. “Fine. I’m stalking him.”

  I lower my head to disguise my amusement and exchange a look with Darcy, who is openly laughing. Lily hunches forward and turns her attention back to her phone, just like she’s been doing since we left the hotel. She’s barely come up for air. Even now, in this awesome bar that gives us the most incredible view of Vegas, she’s barely looked at anything other than that screen.

  Me, on the other hand …

  I’m seriously starting to wonder whether I’ve been missing out something. I close my eyes and let my body react to the beat of the music, because it’s impossible not to. I’m enjoying myself so much
more than I thought I would. I sway to the music, a smile on my face, then I jump when Darcy’s voice interrupts my moment.

  “You’re loving this, aren’t you?” Her eyes light up.

  “Maybe a little?” I grin.

  “I knew it.” She claps her hands together in victory. “Now all we need is to get you some action and it will be just like every other trip to Vegas I’ve had.”

  “Excuse me?” I say, laughing. “I don’t need or want a man, thank you.”

  “Oh, settle down, Beyoncé,” she teases. “It’s been years since anyone ventured up that road, so I think it’s about time.” She grins at me. “I heard the last guy who tried to go there got stuck halfway and had to be winched to safety. I also heard—”

  “Oh, shut up,” I growl, laughing. “It hasn’t been that long.”

  But it feels like it. It doesn’t help that my last encounter was completely unsatisfying, because the guy was drunk and had no idea what he was doing. He couldn’t even aim for the right hole, if you catch my drift. After that experience, I kind gave up. I put all my energy into work and studying, because at least that gave me some reward.

  As I sip my extravagant drink, I have a revelation. We’re here for Lily, so we should be doing whatever necessary to help her forget. I gulp down the rest of my cocktail in one hit, and then I stand up. The dizziness comes on suddenly and I let out a giggle.

  Maybe drinking it that fast wasn’t a great idea.

  “Let’s go,” I command.

  Darcy and Lily both look up at me in surprise. It may be my sudden assertiveness, or it might just be because I keep stumbling over my feet—which is impressive, considering I’m standing still.

  “Where?” Lily asks, confused.

  “Wherever. I don’t care,” I say, frustrated. “Let’s go somewhere you’re not just going to sit there, pining over Julian.”

  “I might just go back to the hotel,” Lily says in a small voice.

  “Oh, for God’s sake. Just shut up,” Darcy growls at Lily, throwing her hands up in the air. “Enough with the pity party. It’s driving me insane. I’m seriously five seconds away from thumping you over the head and going all Weekend At Bernie’s with your body.”

  Darcy nods slowly, her blood red lips—which look striking against her jet-black hair, lifting into a wicked grin.

  “Now that’s how you crash a wedding. Can you even imagine?” Darcy asks with excitement.

  “Well, I’m sorry my pain is so frustrating for you—”

  “No, what’s frustrating, is you’re acting like a weak, heartbroken fool when you should be out there, having fun, showing Julian what he’s missing,” Darcy declares.

  She grabs hold of Lily’s shoulders and gives her a little shake, looking her straight in the eye, while Lily tries to squirm away.

  “Do you think your fuck knuckle of an ex is sitting in his hotel room, crying over you right now? No, of course not. He’s too busy thrusting his minuscule, pinky sized cock down his fiancée’s trap, because it’s the only way he can shut her up.”

  “Darcy,” I exclaim, smothering a laugh. “You can’t say—”

  “No, It’s okay, Katie.”

  Huh? I stare at her in shock as she shrugs, then lets out a giggle.

  “Darcy is right.” Lily makes a face. “She’s also offensive, rude and borderline psychotic, but she’s right. Sitting here like this isn’t helping anyone. She glances at Darcy and giggles. “And you’re not too far off with the whole pinky cock.”

  I frown, as they both laugh over Julian’s misfortune. I’m still trying to get past the fact that they’re agreeing on something.

  “I have an idea.” Darcy grins and throws her arm around Lily. “Something that will fix all your problems.” She pauses, building up the drama and then grins. “Karaoke,” she says excitedly. “Am I right? It’s perfect, right?”

  “No way.” I laugh.

  “I love it!” Lily cries, at almost exactly the same time.

  “No,” I groan, shaking my head adamantly. “No, no, no. Anything but that. I might be slightly inebriated, but I’ll never be drunk enough for karaoke.”

  “Is that a challenge?” Darcy narrows her eyes.

  “No, and it’s not happening. No fucking way.”

  “Oh, come on,” Lily begs, grabbing hold of my arm. “You don’t even have to sing. We’ll do a few songs, then we can all go back to my room and relax.”

  “Why yours? Mine’s twice the size,” Darcy grumbles.

  Lily ignores her jibe, too focused on me. Her lip quivers.

  “It might help me forget—"

  “Oh, for fucks sake, Lily,” I huff, saving her the trouble of finishing that sentence. “Fine. But I’m not singing.”

  I wipe my eyes, the sight of Lily and Darcy standing on stage, rocking back and forth in each other’s arms almost too much for me to handle. I’ve been laughing hysterically for ten minutes straight now, which is how long they’ve been torturing the crowd with their painfully bad rendition of “I’ll Make Love To You.” It’s even worse than the original, which is saying something.

  When they start to dirty dance, I cover my face with my hands. I can’t watch, but at the same time, I can’t not watch. Curiosity wins out as I peek through my fingers to witness them butcher a Boyz II Men song so badly that I half expect the police to arrest them for assault. I shake my head and take a deep breath, my stomach muscles aching from laughing so hard.

  I should be recording this.

  There’s no way they’re going to believe it really happened, otherwise. I wouldn’t believe it myself if I wasn’t here, seeing it in the flesh. This is the only moment I’ve ever known the two of them to get along.

  I lean against the wall and stare down at my vodka and soda, wondering how I let Darcy talk me into another drink, when I still hadn’t recovered from the first one. I turn back to the stage, just in time to watch them embrace each other for the ending. I sigh, not sure I can take much more of this.

  There’s no way in hell you’ll catch me up there …

  Chapter Four

  Adam

  Get Lily away from here as quietly as possible.

  That’s the plan. The problem is, I have no idea how to implement it.

  Lily is one of the most emotional, stubborn and determined people I’ve met, which means she’s unpredictable. If I walk up to her and demand she leave, chances are she’ll cause a scene big enough to fuck the both of us over.

  So how do I approach this, then?

  I’ve been trying to figure this out for hours, but I feel like I’m going in circles. Everything brings me back to the fact that I can’t be sure how she’ll react.

  My phone rings, snapping me out of my thoughts. At first, I’m glad for the distraction, until I see that it’s Mom. I let it go to voicemail, because I can’t deal with her now. Not while I’m trying to sort out Lily. She’ll only suck dry the little energy I have left in me for the night. That sounds horrible, but everything with Mom is an effort.

  “Fuck.”

  I tense as the guilt over not answering her sets in. I try to ignore it, but in the end, I call her back, because the irony is I’m not going to be able to focus until I speak to her now, anyway.

  “Adam? They’re trying to get me again,” she whispers.

  “Calm down, Mom. Everything is fine. You’re in the Bayside Psychiatric Facility, remember? They’re just getting your meds stable,” I say softly. “Then you’ll be able to go back home.”

  “No, they said that, but I know they’re after …” Her voice trails off, as she breaks into a sob. “Adam, please. Help me. I need you. You, me and Tom.”

  I close my eyes, the pain in her voice nearly breaking my heart. I hate it when she talks about Tom, because it means she’s really bad. I run my hand through my hair and sigh. I wish I didn’t feel so useless.

  Even if I were right there with her, it wouldn’t make a difference.

  “You’ll be home soon, okay?” I repe
at softly. “I love you. I’ll speak to you soon.”

  As the line cuts out, I stare at the phone. I’m angry and frustrated, then I feel guilty for feeling angry and frustrated. It’s the same story, every time. Schizophrenia is a hell of an illness.

  “Shit,” I hiss.

  Why does everything have to be so hard?

  Grunting, I sit upright, taking a moment to remember where I am. Someone knocks on the door, reminding me that’s what woke me in the first place.

  I sigh and get off the bed and wander over to the door. I force my eyes to adjust to the semi darkness along the way, narrowly avoiding walking into the desk. I turn the handle and pull open the door, expecting Alberto or Julian to be on the other side, I frown when I see that it’s Andrew.

  Andrew?

  He gives me an awkward smile.

  “Hey A … um.” He swallows, looking green. “Frederick.”

  I smirk at how uncomfortable he is, then I cock my head.

  “What is it?” I ask.

  “Uh, this.”

  He hands me his phone, nearly dropping the thing when it fumbles out of his grasp. He catches it just before it hits the floor and then straightens up, flustered. He hands it to me again, while I try not to laugh. I stare at the screen, not sure what I’m supposed to be looking at. Whatever it is, it better be worth waking me up over. I glance at him thoughtfully, because I’m pretty sure that’s Julian’s phone he’s holding in his other hand.

  “Can you tell me what I’m supposed to be looking at?” I ask, impatience creeping into my voice.

  “Sorry. Click into my messages,” he mumbles, flushing. “It’s the first one.”

  I click on the message and raise my eyebrows, a smirk creeping onto my lips.

  This is what you’ve been missing?

  I make a face. Do I really want to find out? Apparently, I do.

  I click on the attachment, then I wander over to the bed and sit down. I wait for the video to load, motioning for Andrew to come inside. He does, closing the door so he can stand against it. He shifts awkwardly on his feet, for the most part, avoiding eye contact, but he glances my way every so often. It’s like he’s waiting for a reaction.