Page 50 of The Bet

“So that he can check if I’m okay.”

“Then give him my number,” she replied. “Or respond through your phone. Tell him you're fine and that I can vouch for it. Should I talk to him?”

I wanted to bury my head in the sand out of frustration.

“You’ve obviously forgotten the part where I said that this is a fake drunk call?”

Chuckling, she read through the messages and then she looked at me.

“You like him?” Her voice lowered. I would have denied with all my heart, but how could I? I had literally drunk texted him. That was insane!

Still, I couldn't stop thinking about being around my boss.

“Want to hear my theory from earlier?” she asked, and I shook my head.

“Absolutely not.”

She smiled and then read the message again.

“What do you want me to do?”

I thought about it, realizing just how once again I was putting myself in absolute trouble.

“Call him,” I told her. “Tell him I’m fine and just a little tipsy, and you're here so you’ll be going home with me soon.”

“Alright,” she said and took the phone number from me.

I wanted her to put it on speaker, but I had already been crazy enough for one day, so I simply got up and headed to the bathroom, trusting her to do what needed to be done so that I could head home.

A few minutes later, I had just flushed the toilet in the stall when she called out for me.

“Hannah? Hannah?”

At the panic in her tone, I got up to meet her.

“What’s wrong?” I asked.

She stared at me wide-eyed and in shock, and truly, I became afraid.

“What did you do?”

“Absolutely nothing,” she replied.

“I called and the first thing he asked for was your location. I wanted to explain to him that you were fine and that you would get home safely, but he didn’t respond. Instead, he hung up. I - I think he's coming all the way here.”

“Fuck!” I swore, and she nodded.

“Fuck, indeed.”

“So, how are we going to handle it?”

“How else?” I nearly yelled, my blood pressure shooting up. “I now have to act as if I was actually drunk.”

“Yikes,” she said. “You’re a terrible actress and a worse liar. How are you going to pull it off?”

She sounded concerned. However, when I turned to watch her sipping on her drink, I couldn't miss the excitement and anticipation in her eyes.

Suddenly, there was a collective roar from a corner of the bar, and it unsettled me so much that my heart nearly left my chest.

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