Page 3 of Dream Lover
Panic bubbled in my throat and tightened in my chest. The challenges were for lovers. For people in a committed relationship who loved each other. What the hell was I going to do? Who the hell could I bring? I had no one. Not even a fuck buddy who could pretend to be my boyfriend. No way in hell I’d tell Rebecca there was no one, or ask my brother if he had any single friends who could stand in for me. I still had some pride.
I needed a plan, fast. So when Rebecca asked, “Will that be a problem for you?” I lied and shot back with one of her fake smiles she had given me so many times.
“Not at all. It sounds like a great time. I’m looking forward to it.”
What in the hell was my brother thinking?
I was not looking forward to anything but getting the hell out of there and calling my bestie. Carrie would know what to do. At least I was hoping she would because I didn’t have a clue what I was going to do to solve this problem.
The moment I was alone in the privacy of my car, I dialed her.
“What’s up, girlfriend?”
“Dude, I am in a complete freak out panic mode here.”
“Why?”
I let out a sigh and stared at the itinerary sticking out of my purse. One Becky handed me on my way out detailing everything. “My bonehead brother and bridezilla strike again.”
“What did they do now?”
I rubbed my temple feeling a tension headache forming. “So get this. Instead of, you know, a party bus with strippers or something basic for a bachelorette party, they have decided we are going to Vegas for a week. A week … doing challenges! And what are we supposed to bring on this trip, you might ask. My boyfriend, partner, or significant other. I don’t have one of those, and Becky the bitch says I have to have one for the trip.” I sighed heavily. “Maybe you could come pose as my secret lesbian lover. We know everything about each other and would nail every challenge. Not to mention we could have a blast together. It is Vegas, after all.”
Carrie giggled. What there was to giggle about, I had no clue. “First of all, no. No one would believe we were a couple. We’re together all the time. They would have seen us by now. Secondly, I have a plan. I’ve never let you down in the past, so do you trust me when I say I got you covered?”
Did I trust her? What the hell kind of question was that? “Duh. I trust you, but that doesn’t stop the madness of the week I have to endure of this crap show. And what kind of plan are you talking about?”
“Stop stressing over what you can’t control, and have a little faith in me. All I need to know is your room number, the hotel, and what day you arrive. That’s it. I have the perfect guy in mind. He’ll meet you there. It’s going to work out. I promise. Trust me. I’ve got you.” The call disconnected. I stared at the black screen like Carrie’s voice would come back and tell me to stop freaking out. Because I was nervous. This was a terrible idea. Whoever this was wouldn’t know me, and Rebecca would know right off the bat I didn’t have anyone. Though, what choice did I have? Go crawling to my brother and beg him to let me off the hook. No, that wasn’t an option. Nor was asking him for help because he’d tell Rebecca. Screw that one.
I secured my seatbelt and muttered to myself, “Promises, promises.” This was going to work out somehow. Some way. How? No clue, but I’d pull it off. One week. Seven days wasn’t the end of the world. Prepping the guy beforehand with facts about me would help too. It was important to my brother. Therefore, I’d make it work. He would hopefully only get married once.
I pulled out of the parking lot and drove straight home to start packing, considering they only gave us two days to get our affairs together. This included getting time off from work. I didn’t have time to obsess over who this so-called perfect guy Carrie had was. If he was so perfect for me, why hadn’t I ever met him? As my best friend, it was her duty to introduce me to him immediately, not wait until there was a dilemma to throw him at me. I was going to have to revisit that conversation with her later and find out what else she was holding back from me.
I spent the rest of my night drinking my wine and questioning if it was too late to be an only child. I’d never felt more desperate in my life. Was I really going to depend on a total stranger to pull this week off? What if the guy didn’t show? Would I be wandering the streets and casinos trying to find a stranger to hire to be my man for a week? I downed another glass of wine and packed extra underwear. What if the guy was hot? Carrie wouldn’t set me up with a total bum of a guy. She had good taste in men. This could be fun in the end. It might’ve been the wine doing the talking, but I was trying to get excited about the possibility that I could hit it off with this guy.
“Have a little a faith,” Carrie’s words repeated in my head. Faith was all I had. I stuffed my suitcase full and left it open knowing I’d need to throw things inside tomorrow. I was really going to go through with this harebrained plan.
All I could hope for was he wasn’t a dick.
Quinn
I MAY NOT HAVE LOST ALL MY MARBLES YET, BUT THERE’S A SMALL HOLE IN THE BAG SOMEWHERE
I was running behind.My phone needed charged, and last night I had fallen asleep without plugging it in, leaving me without an alarm clock to blare several times to get my sleepy ass up.
Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. There wasn’t even any time to grab coffee or something to eat on the way. The airport was too far away. Hence why I set my alarm early to have time for caffeine. Now, I was screwed.
I stumbled into the bathroom feeling a bit dazed and confused, relieving my bladder and brushing my teeth. Not at the same time, but probably should’ve in this time crunch.
The cab taking me to the airport was waiting in my driveway, blowing on the horn and waking up the entire freaking neighborhood. This was not a great start to my day.
I felt disoriented and looked a mess. My only saving grace was my luggage was packed two days ago because if I didn’t show proof it was done Becky was planning to pack it for me. That wasn’t an option. Crawling back into bed and pulling my pillow over my head to forget the world existed was what I needed. Sleep evaded me last night. Too nervous about who Carrie was sending to be my fake boyfriend for the week. Tossing and turning all night, the dark circles under my eyes were doing me no favors.
I should have called my brother and told him my cab was a no-show. That I got picked up by the local aliens and beamed to Mars. Something. Anything, but no, like a good, diligent sister, I dragged my bag to the cab and got in, completely ignoring the man’s scowl. He’d get over it.
The cab dropped me at the airport, and my nerves were wild, my skin prickling. Yes, I was officially panicking. Why didn’t I make up an excuse? A good one like,Sorry, my boss won’t allow me the time off.
This had to be one of the dumbest things I had ever agreed to. I could claim to be sick, but the truth was I was a shit liar. My brother could always get me to crack under pressure. He’d smell the lie coming miles away; even through the damn phone, he would know.
