Page 64 of Six Wishes

CHAPTER29

Peanut gallery

Van

“You ready for this?” I ask Zach who is standing next to me in the lobby of the high end Las Vegas hotel that Kalypsos set us up in.

“We’ve been standing here for at least an hour, dude. What the fuck are they doing up there?”

I found out from the Kalypsos PR rep that Chloe was bringing her cousin to Vegas for this trip. When I mentioned it to Zach, he jumped at the opportunity to join me.

“What’s going on with you and Hunter anyway?” I side eye him, but he is not even blinking my way. He is laser focused on the elevator doors, waiting for the girls to finally step through them.

We slipped a hundred bucks to the bellboy to casually go up to their suite and ask if they needed anything. We wanted to make sure they were still up there. It really would’ve been funny if all this time we waited here while they were out partying. He came back to report that they were getting ready to go out for dinner.

“None of your fucking business what I got going on with Hunter,” Zach growls next to me, and my eyebrows go up in surprise.

“I thought we were friends, Z,” I decide to tease him, against my better judgement of course. I can tell he may punch my lights out if I insist on getting more information. “I told you everything about what’s going on with me and Chloe…”

“Yeah, I know.” I cough in my fist to cover my laughter when I hear the laconic tone of his voice. “Make sure to keep that shit to yourself. We’re not a couple of sorority girls trading boy stories. What’s next, braiding each other’s hair?”

“I don’t have enough to get it braided,” I run a hand through my hair and pull at the top.

Zach rolls his eyes and continues staring at the elevator doors, sighing in disappointment when they open, but we don’t see who we’ve been waiting for.

I decide to take it easy on him and leave him alone for now. After all, I got my own problems to deal with. Getting Chloe back is a priority.

I can’t believe it’s been weeks since I last saw her. She did try calling me couple of times, but I wanted to have all my ducks in a row before I talked to her. I needed to remain focused on my career, and Chloe would’ve definitely been a distraction given the situation.

My right hand goes to the back pocket of my jeans where I got the piece of paper she wrote her address on when I asked her back when we first met. It feels like forever ago. I did get it laminated so that I wouldn’t ruin it, and now I carry it with me in my wallet everywhere I go.

I am so focused on that and my chaotic thoughts of Chloe that I almost miss Zach elbowing me in the ribs and mumbling under his breath, “Here we go…”

I look up just in time to see Chloe and Hunter standing a few feet away from us. People are trying to walk around them, some getting irritated that they’re not moving. I don’t think they’re realizing that they’re doing that.

I haven’t felt this nervous since I was in sixth grade and asked a girl to dance with me. I basically had a ministroke when I said the words. And there’s a very good chance I never recovered from that because my brain is a bit fuzzy at the moment.

Zach is no help here, so I have to take matters into my own hands. I clear my throat and start walking toward where Chloe is still staring at me like I just dropped from the sky. Hunter has a furious blush going on as she looks from the floor to Zach.

“Hello, ladies,” I slightly bow toward them, rocking back and forth on my feet, hands in my pockets.

“H-h-hi,” Chloe stutters in an adorable way. I just want to grab her and kiss her senseless. I notice she is wearing flats and am a bit disappointed.

I hit her with my most charming smile, I hope. “So, lately, I’ve had some time to learn about important dates in history.”

Chloe’s lips spread into a wide smile, and I’d high five myself if I didn’t think it’d look lame.

“Would you like to be one of them?” The main part of my pickup line falls flat. Chloe’s eyebrows furrow in confusion, and Hunter is just staring at me with a blank face.

“Lame, dude,” Zach says from behind the fist he has in front of his mouth.

“It sounded better in my head,” I turn my head toward him and mumble in the corner of my mouth, then look back at Chloe. “I just meant to ask if you’d like to be one of the most important dates in my history.”

“Awwww,” Hunter is in a puddle of mush as she grabs Chloe’s arm for support. “That is so sweet, Chlo!”

“Okay, enough of this shit,” Zach mutters under his breath.

I stare at Chloe, willing her with my mind to be on the same wavelength as me. “Would you talk to me for a bit?”