“You guys okay?” the guy asks again, his demeanor friendly but cautious.
Nessie nods. “Yeah, thanks for stopping.” She looks at the two women. “And thanks for offering to knee him in the ballsack.”
The woman who made the threat smiles. “I’m a little disappointed I didn’t get to do it.”
We’re still laughing when Cooper and Tyler appear, dressed in their suits as they laugh about something. The sight of them together—Cooper happy, Tyler unguarded—tugs at that space in my chest that has always noticed too much about Tyler. His friendship with Cooper is how, aside from all of his negative traits, I always knew he was a good guy because Coop’s acceptance and tolerance for bullshit is so low thanks to having wasted so much of it on his dad.
Cooper’s smile falls as he looks at me, his gaze becoming severe as he scans the others around us. “What happened?” he asks, his focus jogging between Nessie and me.
I shake my head. “Nothing.”
Ty’s eyebrows are drawn as they come to a stop. “What’s wrong?”
“Some guy just got mouthy with them, but they were amazing. You guys should be impressed with your girlfriends because they were strong and fearless and complete badasses,” one of the women who had stopped tells them.
Ty’s eyebrows jump as he pulls his hands out of his pockets, still scanning over the crowds. “What happened?”
“Which guy?” Cooper asks.
Nessie glances at me and then the others. “Thanks again, guys. Have a great night.” She wraps both hands around Cooper’s arm and leads him to the corner so we can cross the street.
Tyler’s unease is apparent, which has me offering a quick wave to the strangers and weaving my hand in his.
“Let’s go,” I tell him.
His muscles are constricted, reluctant to leave. “Is that him?”
I glance up at where the bearded man is waving at us like the moron he clearly is. “While I really enjoy seeing new sights, jail is not a place I want to see,” I tell him. “He was dumb and drunk, and he’s going to go to bed and wake up with a killer hangover and likely a broken nose if he continues this. Meanwhile, we can go and celebrate our last night in Vegas. Alone. Not in a jail cell.”
His jaw flexes with irritation, and then he pulls out his phone and hits a few buttons before slipping his arm securely around my waist.
We catch up to Nessie and Cooper, who’s still growling out threats and asking for details as they wait for the crosswalk.
“It was nothing,” she assures him.
“I saw your face.” He looks at me. “I don’t understand why you guys won’t just tell me what happened?”
“Because we handled it,” Nessie says, placing a hand on her chest. “You heard that woman. We were badasses.” She tries to dazzle him with a smile, but Coop’s got his protective growly side on, the one that he’s always had toward us, even when he was the scrawny book nerd before the muscles and height kicked in to make him a legitimate threat.
Cooper swings his gaze to mine. It’s a challenge, a demand that stands on ten years of friendship and not keeping (many) secrets from one another.
I sigh, glancing across the street where the guy is still standing with his friends. “The guy was being a douche. He had some liquid courage and backwoods audacity and asked if we were hookers.”
Tyler stiffens, and my grip on his hand tightens reflexively. “And we handled it,” I repeat Nessie’s words. “Team badass.” We high five each other.
Cooper’s eyes are sharp as they search mine to see if I’m withholding any additional details before he releases a deep sigh. “Next time, just kick the asshole in the nuts.”
I grin. “Deal.”
“I sent his picture to the head of security at the hotel. He’ll contact the cops and have him followed, make sure he doesn’t act like a fucking tosser to others.” Tyler says before taking a long breath through his nose.
“Good. Hopefully, he fucks up again and gets arrested.” Cooper stabs the elevator button with his finger.
I glance at Nessie, releasing a heavy sigh. I was hoping this night would be filled with laughter and fun as we celebrated our final night in Vegas, rather than being accused of being a hooker for the second time in two days. I glance at my reflection in the doors, studying my dress and hair and makeup. At the beginning of this night, I’d been concerned I hadn’t looked sexy enough, my pink dress looking more like something I’d wear to a wedding than a Vegas club. Yet, the invisible label of “hooker” makes me feel tarnished in a way that makes my regret for this evening wane as my annoyance at others making me feel less with such simple and careless words burns across my skin.
21
Tyler
“Hey, Nessie, truth or dare?” Chloe says as the lift doors close. She raises her chin and straightens her shoulders, attempting to push the bullshit out. It’s something she constantly does, and one of the things that’s always drawn me to her. She hates to focus on the lows, which I’m convinced is the only reason she thinks I’m redeemable.
Vanessa turns to her, a smile creeping across her features. “I was wondering whose turn it was. Oh, man … truth?”
Chloe grins. “If you woke up as a guy tomorrow, what’s the first thing you’d do?”
Cooper shouts out an unintelligible objection as Vanessa laughs. “I’d freaking find out if morning wood is a myth.”
Chloe’s nose crinkles with a giggle. “You’re so lying. You’d be outside peeing your name on the sidewalk.”
“Oh my gosh, you’re right.” Vanessa belts out a laugh, her hand reaching for Chloe’s arm as the two start giggling, talking more with hand motions than actual words.
“What would you do?” Vanessa asks, looking at Cooper.
“Are you kidding? If I had boobs, I might never leave the house again,” he admits. “Tell them, Ty.”
I consider the idea of waking up as a woman and shake my head. “You’re not wrong.”
The tension seems to stay in the lift as we pile out into the suite. “Goodnight,” Nessie says, hugging Chloe and kissing her cheek. “Love you.”
“Love you, too,” Chloe says before giving Coop a side hug. He kisses the top of her head, an action I’ve seen no less than a hundred times that only tonight registers about the significance of their connection. He read her emotions so quickly, recognizing something was amiss before he even realized it with Vanessa.
Vanessa hugs me, her head turned, watching the same interaction. “It’s not…” She shakes her head. “It’s innocent,” she tells me.
I nod, knowing it is, and yet I still feel the pang of jealousy as I watch the two laugh.
Chloe’s eyes drift to mine, and her smile changes, growing as our eyes connect.
“Let’s go to bed,” Vanessa says, placing an arm around Cooper and heading toward the stairs.
I grab a glass and fill it with water, knowing it’s a part of Chloe’s nightly routine. “What are you thinking about?”
“Are you sure you want to hear all this? Because a lot is going on up here.” She motions to her head.