Page 31 of See You Next Tuesday

“Oh!” Anya laughed meanly. “That’s different, if she never confirmed.”

“And anyway, that’s not even why…” He struggled for words. “I mean, with you and me—”

“I don’t care.” Anya’s voice was raw. She knew full well that Valeria wasn’t the reason Gabe had rejected Anya, because he did that before Valeria showed up. But Anya couldn’t think about that, couldn’t ponder how colossally idiotic he’d made her feel. “I can’t believe I let Simone talk me into thinking it was a good idea to sleep with you. I knew you were a selfish asshole, that you were just trying to charm me like you charm everyone. Shame on me for being stupid enough to let you.”

Tears were streaming down Anya’s face. Damn it. One more humiliation to pile on the heap.

“That’s really what you think of me?” Gabe asked. He looked genuinely hurt. For a moment, Anya couldn’t believe he cared enough about her to be this upset. Then she remembered, it wasn’t about her at all. It was like Kira said: Gabe couldn’t cope with anyone not liking him.

“Anya? What’s going on?” Simone and Kira came rushing over, still sweaty from the dance floor. “Are you okay?”

“Can we go?” Anya turned to Simone. “I want to go.”

“Yes,” Simone replied firmly. Anya loved her for not asking questions. “We’ll leave right now.”

Anya saw Kira throw Gabe a questioning look, and Gabe still looked devastated, but Anya didn’t care. She let Simone take her arm and steer her back toward the bar’s entrance. As the sound of the music receded, Anya willed the image of Gabe’s face out of her mind. He didn’t matter—none of this mattered. She was flying home tomorrow, and then she could forget all about this stupid trip, and this horrible night, and Gabe Hunt would be gone from her life forever.

Thank God, she thought. Can’t wait to never see you again.

Chapter 7

Three years later

Sessego for Senate—Las Vegas, Nevada

40 Under 40: Gabe Hunt

by Lily Norman, posted on politico.com

In the world of political communications, slick messaging firms and K Street consultants are the (very expensive) norm, but Gabe Hunt sees things differently. “I came up in field,” Hunt says. “I’ve spent thousands of hours knocking doors, talking face-to-face with actual voters. That’s an experience no focus group can replicate. People don’t want to be messaged—they want to be heard.” Hunt made a name for himself running the Florida field operation for President John Flannery, but he jumped to comms the next cycle for Rep. Nick Mohney (D-MT), who successfully flipped Montana’s at-large district in the midterms. This cycle, Hunt’s moving up to the big leagues: He’s been tapped as communications director for Rep. Jo Sessego (D-NV), one of the most popular members of the House, who’s finally taking her shot at a Senate seat.

“Jo is my dream candidate,” Hunt effuses. “She speaks her mind, and she doesn’t care if she pisses you off. She’s absolutely fearless. Who else would agree to do a Reddit Ask Me Anything the day of her campaign launch?” That AMA reached legendary status after going viral and propelling the Sessego campaign to a massive first-week fundraising haul. Was the AMA a genius political move, or just plain lucky? Hunt answers with a bit of a wink: “With a candidate like Jo, all I have to do is put her where the eyeballs are. I’m just grateful she’s confident enough to say yes to my ideas.”

Between campaign cycles, Hunt enjoys adventures with his girlfriend, Tallulah Del Rosario, an Australian travel vlogger / model known as “WanderLu” on YouTube, where she has more than a million subscribers. The pair met while skydiving in Montana, and Hunt has been a regular feature on Del Rosario’s channel ever since. “Lu keeps me grounded,” Hunt says. “When you’re on a race, it’s easy to fall into the trap that life begins and ends with this week’s polling data. There’s nothing like a quick rafting trip to Brazil to remind you there’s a world outside all this.” So would Hunt consider leaving politics to join Del Rosario’s voyages full-time? Sessego’s campaign manager Kira Liu says there’s no way: “Gabe’s a political junkie of the highest order. No matter how cool he looks kitesurfing on the Indian Ocean, believe me, he’s never happier than when he’s on a campaign.”

Transcript of Slack Channel: Sessego for Senate #AllStaff

Kira: Quiiiiiiiiite a hit in this morning’s press clips!

Kira: Did everybody see?

Preethi: Ooooh Gabriel, so famous

Preethi: So handsome

Preethi: So suave

Lacey: !!!!

Lacey: My mom is gonna freak out

Shawn: My mom is gonna ask for Gabe’s number

Ike: My mom is gonna ask why I’m not already dating him

Gabe: Aw, you guys

Simone: Congrats, Gabe! Great work, Preethi!