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I had no idea what kind of schedule she kept these days. Would she be out this late? It was possible. And oh God, if she caught wind of me making a “spectacle” tonight....
What were the chances I could make it to the locker room and back without running into one of them?
Not great.
Was I obligated to deal with it all tonight? It was my job that I’d bailed on, though I didn’t see any harm in putting off facing any ramifications until tomorrow. The most appealing plan was to try to salvage this part of the night. I really wanted to see Liem again.
Even with the stresses of the evening, seeing Liem and meeting Vinh had made me feel the most… alive that I had since Cody left. So no, maybe we’d skip the locker room. And then I’d—a tug on my elbow brought what had turned into an aggressive power walk as my thoughts spiraled to a halt.
“Where’s the fire?” Vinh asked, that cheeky arched eyebrow mocking me.
“In my mind,” I deadpanned.
He frowned at my response and dropped my elbow before glaring at my forehead as if he could quiet my mind by sheer force of will. His intense gaze traveled to my eyes, and he visibly softened before he brought a hand up toward my face. My breaths halted and my lips parted, but he abruptly rerouted at the last moment and tucked a piece of hair behind my ear instead before dropping his hand. My heart skipped and thumped with equal parts disappointment and relief as he smoothed his expression and relaxed his shoulders.
It hadn’t felt like that when AJ had touched me.
I was beginning to suspect that calm was Vinh’s superpower because I'd be damned if my body didn’t relax right along with his, my heart rate slowing to just shy of steady.
“Should I dunk your head in the fountain?”
Huh?
“Huh?”
He looked over his shoulder and realized we’d made it all the way to the main lobby where the grand fountain was perfectly framed by the sliding glass doors just on the other side of the valet lane.
I also noticed something else I hadn’t before, and it was discordant in every meaning of the word.
People.
Other people. Who weren’t me or Vinh.
Noises.
Sounds that were both intrusive and unwelcome in my newfound bubble of calm.
Had it always been this loud in the lobby?
It was Saturday night in the Coast’s most affluent casino. And it wasn’t just the casino that drew a crowd—there were a handful of bars and nightclubs scattered throughout Fortuna’s campus too. So of course there were people. And of course they were noisy.
His only response to my disbelieving survey of our surroundings was a twitch of his lips before he gestured down the next hallway. “After you.”
“You know, if you want to go straight to Dawn’s, I could meet you there after I find a change of clothes,” I offered, self-consciousness creeping into my spirit now that I’d noticed all the people. We kept pace with each other down the next corridor and all the way to Margaret the Magnolia. Vinh slowed slightly to inspect her with another one of those unreadable looks on his face.
He seemed to snap himself out of whatever had given him pause, and we resumed our normal pace to continued past the statue of Minerva, and because I was blatantly studying him again in an effort to not see who was watching us, I noticed his gaze flick to the goddess for a long moment before he turned his attention back to me.
“No,” he finally responded as we passed the jewelry store.
“No?” The smells from Caffeina wafted out, and I almost asked if we could stop.
“No.” This time, a little smirk played on his lips as he replied.
“Why not?” I glanced back at the café longingly.
“For multiple reasons. Which one do you want?”
I brought us to a halt in an alcove a few feet from the casino entrance and sucked in my lips. “The honest one.”
