Page 21 of Aria

I tried to ignore the giggles and pitiful looks I received while I traipsed through the club, as the unconscious blonde in my arms was catching everyone’s attention.Had they never witnessed a passed-out drunk before?

I made my way up the staircase, relieved there was almost an end in sight.But I froze when Devon had seemingly vanished.Setting Chelsie down on the nearby couch, I pulled out my cell phone to call my bandmate.

That’s when I noticed an unread text message from ten minutes earlier.

It was from Devon.

Devon:Gotta bail. Meeting Sean at the studio to work on somethin major. Make sure the girls get home safe. You're still an asshole.

My stomach soured. I glanced over at a comatose Chelsie, then back at my phone. Realization hit me that my plan had completely backfired, and now I was the one left solely in charge of taking care of this woman.

Deep breath.Stay calm.You can do this.

To make matters worse, I had no idea where Chelsie even lived. I hadn’t paid attention during the drive over to her apartment.

I called Devon, but it went straight to voicemail.

Ah, fuck.

I only had Julia’s number written on a gum wrapper in my car, which was miles away from the bar. I cursed myself for not saving it into my phone. My only other option was to take Chelsie back to the hotel with me—it sounded like the worst possible idea, but I couldn't think of anything else through my own foggy alcohol buzz.

Stepping over to Chelsie, I leaned down to scoop her up.She looked so peaceful, so content. So unaware she was about to be whisked away to a strange hotel room with a man she loathed.

I was certain she was going to castrate me come sunrise, so I made a mental note to remove all sharp objects from the room.

"Here goes nothing," I said, lifting the petite blonde into my arms. "At least you don't weigh anything."

Chelsie stirred, her eyes fluttering open. "I want French fries," she muttered. Then she wrapped her arms around my neck and nestled her head against my shoulder.

I tensed, trying to ignore her soft hair tickling my neck and the scent of citrus on her skin. "French fries sound great."

CHAPTERSIX

CHELSIE

Something startled me awake.

It could have been the pounding headache, or it could have been the blinding sunlight that pooled across my face.Or maybe it was the unknown bed I was sleeping in while still wearing last night’s clothes.

My mouth was dry, my stomach hollow, and my entire body was painfully sore. I blinked a few times as my eyes adjusted to the light before sitting up and massaging my temples, looking around the room for some sense of familiarity. It appeared to be an upscale hotel room.

Had I been date-raped? Kidnapped? A willing participant in a one-night stand? All three scenarios made me cringe.

I set my sights on an adjacent nightstand where I spotted a black leather wallet. Curious as to who my company was, I snatched it up and began to look through its contents.

Oh…crap.

According to the driver's license, the wallet belonged to none other than my very best friend, Noah Hayes.My stomach twisted into knots. Why would I be in a hotel room with Noah?

Oh my God, I drunk-slept with Noah!

Panic sluiced me, but I forced it down to keep digging.

I continued to browse through the wallet, discovering a large wad of cash, some credit cards, stale pieces of gum, and a photograph. I pulled the small picture out and studied it—it was a photo of a young boy, maybe three or four years old. He had adorable chubby cheeks and light brown hair.A nephew, perhaps.

Not finding anything else of interest, I discarded the wallet and threw my legs over the side of the bed.I squeaked in surprise when my toes tickled a sleeping male body lying on the floor next to me.My legs popped back up as if I’d stepped on hot coals, and it didn't take long for me to realize that the man was Noah.

The whole situation was confusing. Where was Devon?Where were Lisa and Julia?Why did it feel like I’d been run over by a semi-truck?

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