Page 45 of Kiss Slay Replay

“Let it go,” I whisper to myself, even though the room smells exactly like it did in my dream. Like artificially fresh linen. Like Febreze.

Even though Ravi is here with a date. If it’s Tanya, doesn’t that prove it wasn’t a dream? And if it wasn’t a dream, then what was it? A premonition? Or am I still dreaming? Is this a dream within a dream? I check my phone to see if I have service, and I do. Four bars. At least there’s that. I can call for help if I need it. “Thank God.”

“You don’t believe in God,” Evan says, letting himself into my room. “You’re a heathen.”

“Maybe I’ve changed my ways,” I say, crossing myself.

“You’re giving me Catholic school flashbacks and I don’t appreciate it,” he says, elbowing me aside to adjust his bow tie in the mirror. “It’s about time to head out. You ready?”

“I don’t know, am I?”

He gives me the up-and-down. “Yes.”

“That was a confident yes!”

“Except—”

“Except?”

“Why does your foot look like tie-dye?”

My right foot is just a massive bruise from when I dropped my suitcase on it. I popped three Advil and it’s still killing me.

“Ugh!” I sit on the bed, kick my foot up. “Is it super noticeable?”

He shrugs. “No one will be looking at your feet. They’ll be looking at your face. Or your, you know. Assets.”

I laugh. “Thanks, Ev.”

“There could be some people looking at your feet, but you don’t need to concern yourself with those people. Unless you’re interested in a very niche income stream moving forward. Which, no judgment.”

My laughter morphs into tears. I’m crying. I didn’t intend to cry—it was an accident—but now that I’ve started, I can’t stop.

“I said no judgment!”

“No, it’s not that. It’s just…Ravi’s here and he’s with his new girlfriend and…I’m exhausted and…I know it’s annoying talking about my stupid dream but it didn’t feel like a dream and I just can’t get over this déjà vu and it’s fucking with me and…and I know I shouldn’t have been eavesdropping but the walls are so thin and I heard you and Cassie talking about me earlier and I’m…I’m hurt and I don’t know what to do about it.”

He pets the top of my head, careful not to mess up my hair. “Cassie was just venting. It’s more about her than it is about you. She knows it, and I think you know it. You’re both in transition. Cassie struggles because she’s an empath and a control freak. She’s compelled to fix everything and sees it as a personal failure when she can’t.”

“Yeah. Accurate.”

“I know,” he says. “And with Ravi, this is the first I’m hearing about a new girlfriend. Sounds too soon and a little desperate. And with the dream, just take it easy on the gummies from now on. The night is young, we’re still young—”

“Are we?”

He shrugs. “No more tears. It’s party time. Let’s go.”

I wipe my eyes. “All right. Party time.”

—

“Willa the Killa!” Luke says. He initiates our elaborate secret handshake that neither of us quite remembers. We improvise.

“Luke the Nuke. Good to see you, as always.”

“We all set to go?” Wyatt asks, scratching his neck. He attempts to loosen his tie, but Evan won’t have it.

Cassie is already on the porch, hitting her vape.