Page 6 of Exactly What I Needed
I rolled my eyes. “Ha. Ha. What’s up?”
Clearing her throat, she took a deep breath. “Ready to go to the afterparty?”
“Thank you, but no. That was really fun, but—”
“Come on, Cosi. You rarely come to concerts, so why stop now?”
I shook my head.
“If you girls get too drunk to drive, text me, and I’ll come pick you up like usual. Just keep your locations on. Deal?” I offered, and all seven of them groaned.
“Fine. Party pooper,” Sydney grumbled. “Take my car, and I’ll let you know when I need you. Oh, also, Tera needs her dry cleaning picked up on Monday.” She fished her keys out of her pocket, and I pulled them from her fingers.
“Thank you, really. I actually had a lot of fun tonight!” I exclaimed, and she grinned, then tugged me into a hug. The entire group of girls squished in around me, and I took a deep breath.
Getting out of my comfort zone, experiencing something I would’ve never normally done, had been exciting. And fun. I made some amazing memories and couldn’t wait to look at all the videos and pictures that everyone had taken.
They broke away and waved, skipping giddily through the parking lot toward the sidewalk. Wherever the party was, it must be close, as they were all planning on walking. I gripped the car keys tightly in my fingers and shoved my free hand back into my pocket.
Doing something I wouldn’t normally have done caused me to smile more than I could remember. My voice was even a little hoarse from the screaming. Even if I’d been wrapped up in trying to remain out of the singer’s view, I’d had an absolute blast.
I raised the keycard and flipped it between my fingers. My eyes drifted to the horizon and around the back of the stadium. There was the hotel where he was staying. The massive logo, Azure Mirage Hotel in Silverwood, California, twinkled against the blackened night sky. It would be a quick five-minute walk down the street and across the road.
That’s it.
Nodding once in confirmation, I shoved the keycard back into my pocket and took off in that direction before the adrenaline faded. Before my confidence waned, I walked steadily through a now nearly empty parking lot. I could pick up Sydney’s car when I left. It would only be a couple hours before he would most likely kick me out.
Groaning internally, I should’ve asked Sydney what his actual name was before this.Maybe I could text her? But how do I make that discreet without raising any questions?Or maybe it wouldn’t raise any questions since we had just seen them in concert, and she hadn’t had a chance to actually tell me what it was.
No, it was fine. He would be my Dark Banshee for tonight, then a whispering memory long faded after. He wouldn’t remember me, and I could simply find excitement and peace in this secret escape. And a one-time-only adventure.
The elation I’d been feeling churned into nerves as I anxiously waited at the crosswalk. I’d only ever slept with one other guy before, and that hadbeen my ex. Someone who’d ridiculed me anytime I voiced my opinion on what I wanted. So, I’d learned to be quiet and just accept whatever it was he wanted to do at the time.
Tonight would be different. I was determined to have at least one night where I enjoyed myself. And if I embarrassed myself because I didn’t know what I was doing, so be it. It wasn’t like I’d ever see him again. And he would forget all about me in a day or two whenever his next conquest came along.
I would get to cherish this memory, untarnished by whatever views he had, because tonight would be about sharing a passionate adventure of connection. We’d barely said more than a few words to each other, and yet, I didn’t feel like he was a complete stranger. Mostly a stranger, yes, but for tonight, he’d get to be whomever I made up in my head. There would be no reality to destroy that.
The sliding glass doors parted as I quietly stepped into the bustling lobby. A hotel I would never be able to afford to stay at. The white tile below me shone brightly, gold accents reflecting off the surface. A large chandelier hung above, illuminating the beautiful paintings and statue replicas scattered about the lobby. I walked to the right, toward the elevator, and past the check-in desk on my left.
A few workers’ eyes tracked me, but they didn’t stop me as I pulled the room keycard from my pocket and pressed the up button on the elevator. A couple giggled, walking behind me toward the restaurant entrance on the opposite end of the hotel. A group of businessmen chatted, heading toward the bar.
The elevator door dinged, and the stainless-steel contraption parted. A couple guests exited, and then I walked into it. Pushing the ten, I waited, but nothing happened. Glancing at it again, I realized I had to scan my keycard to make it move. I was a bumbling ball of nerves. Quickly holding it up against the reader, the red light surrounding the number ten flashed green, and then the doors closed.
My hands trembled as it began to climb. I couldn’t believe I was doing this.
Technically, I could turn around right now, and nothing would have happened. But something kept me steadily drumming onward. Somehow, my feet managed to step out of the elevator once it stopped on the tenth floor and into a hallway where there were only four doors. I’d never seen a floor like this.
Two to my left and two to my right. Since when do four rooms take up an entire hotel floor?
Walking to the right, I passed room three and stopped in front of the end of the hallway. Directly in front of me loomed the white double doors with a golden four plastered upon it, and it dawned on me. They were suites, not rooms. Of course they were, this guy was famous. Famous enough that he filled a massive stadium that held tens of thousands of people.
I tapped the card against the side of my thigh. If I scanned it, there would be no turning back. The label of slut and whore could be used about me, right?
No. No, it couldn’t. This was one time with someone with whom I’d felt an immediate pull.
Right?
Besides, no one would ever believe me.
