Page 8 of Love & Other Disasters

Brent laughed and Elle looked pained.

“I think you brought the right friend along tonight,” Brent said to Elle.

Oh no. She was not the right anything. She’d broken from the character she created and ended up being herself this evening. Who knew he’d turn out a theatre nerd too? A tragedy.

“I need another drink, anyone else?” Elle asked.

“My hotel has a rooftop bar that I wanted to checkout before I left and haven’t had the chance to do so. It’s walking distance from here, if you’re interested.”

“Where are you staying?” Elle asked.

“Bobby Hotel.” J.P. flagged down a waiter and asked for the check.

She shouldn’t go. But somehow, she’d lived here her whole life and never once seen downtown Nashville from any rooftop, let alone from a swanky bar. Besides, maybe she and Frat Guy could talk more theatre before he was out of her life forever. Her chest tightened, but at this point, what choice did she have?

“What are you doing?” J.P. asked. Brent was shoving his black credit card at the waiter and J.P. also wielded a black card fighting over who paid for everyone.

“I was getting my own,” Violet said. And her power of invisibility had returned since they continued their dick waving contest unfazed.

Elle finished her drink and sighed, tapping her fingers on the table. How could she be okay with this? She was the one with enough money to not need anyone else. “You wanna get out of here?” she asked.

“Hang on,” Brent said. “You get the next one,” he said to J.P. who remained insistent when the women stood.

“We’ll be outside,” Elle said.

“How are you okay with all of that macho crap?” Violet asked her once outside on the sidewalk.

She smiled a wicked smile. “Let them bicker over what doesn’t matter. We keep our money to buy what we want and rule the world while they waste time. Just don’t tell them.”

Violet laughed, shaking her head. “I really need to go.”

“No, come on. Let’s go have drinks at a rooftop bar. Doesn’t that sound fun? Besides, you two have hit it off.”

“You don’t see the problem in that? I cannot hit it off with him.”

“Minor inconvenience,” she shrugged.

“I gave him a fake name. That’s not minor.”

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