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Emma gave me a look.
“Have I ever been able to stop you when you put your mind to something?” I opened my mouth to argue, but then snapped it shut.
“Fair enough,” I said with a sigh, flopping down on the couch. The group chat was racing again, and I decided we needed to figure out where the hell we were and how to get back to our friends. I found the notepad with the hotel name and address on it and put it into my phone to figure out how far away we were from our friends’ hotel.
“We’re only a ten-minute walk down the strip,” I said. “How did we even end up here? You seem to have a better memory than me.” That was entirely unfair. I hoped as the day wore on the hangover wore off that my memory would get clearer.
“Can we take a cab? I don’t want to walk. Or maybe we could have someone come and bring us some clothes? I’m not super into the idea of a walk of shame with that getup on.” Yeah, I wasn’t into that idea either. I sent a quick message asking if anyone could meet us with some regular clothes. Nova said she would and I thanked her profusely.
Emma and I finished most of the food and then there was a knock at the door. I rushed to open it, finding Nova grinning on the other side with a bag slung over her arm.
“You two are ridiculous,” she said, breezing in as if she didn’t have a hint of a hangover at all. Her dark brown skin glowed, and I knew that she wasn’t even wearing any makeup. Having a friend so pretty was painful sometimes.
“Yes, but in the best way,” Emma said, reaching for the bag and then heading to the bathroom to change.
“So, what have you two been doing all night?” Nova said after Emma shut the door. Was it my imagination that she said it in a suggestive way? Weird.
“Honestly, I don’t know. But I was wearing a sequined dress and somehow we got here.” I gestured around the room.
“I’m sure it’s going to be a great story when you remember it,” Nova said. Emma came out of the bathroom in a simple white tank and jeans with holes in the knees.
“So much better,” she said, sitting on the couch.
“My turn,” I said, grabbing the bag from her. I dashed to the bathroom and shut the door. I wanted to change, but also to wipe off some more of the glitter if I could. There were some makeup wipes on the counter and I scrubbed as good as I could before slipping on a new pair of undies, jeans, and a tank with a chubby octopus on it. I combed my fingers through my hair, getting my hands stuck on a whole lot of hairspray. I needed a shower more than I needed anything else right now.
Just as I walked back out, there was another knock at the door.
“Who could that be?” Emma asked. Nova shrugged.
“Maybe housekeeping? We should get out of here anyway. I hope it’s not going to cost me too much.” I wasn’t exactly rolling in money right now. This trip had been a splurge already.
Nova went and looked out the peephole.
“Looks like room service or something?” I shared a glance with Emma.
“No idea, since we already ate and put the cart out. I guess open up and see? They probably have the wrong room,” I said. Nova opened the door and had a quick chat with the person outside and then turned around slowly, the door still open.
“Um, so, this is Craig and he’s here to bring a complimentary honeymoon breakfast to the newlyweds.” She said all this with her brown eyes so wide I thought they were going to fall out of her head.
“The what to the who?” I asked, and Emma burst out laughing.
“We must have told them we got married to get free stuff,” Emma whispered at me as Craig wheeled the cart in. This one was draped in gaudy red velvet and included an ice bucket with champagne, chocolate strawberries, and two dishes covered in silver. Oh, and two red roses. Cute.
“Thank you so much, Craig,” Nova said, pulling some cash out of her bag and handing it to him.
“Congratulations,” Craig said, giving us a grin before he departed.
“Whatdidyou get up to last night?” Nova said, snatching a strawberry off the tray.
“Still hazy,” I said, joining her and going for a strawberry for myself.
“Let’s enjoy this and then head back. I’m ready to end this weekend right,” Emma said. She got up and stopped.
“What’s that?” she said. I looked down and saw a sheet of paper shoved halfway under the couch. Emma bent down and picked it up. Then her eyes went as wide as Nova’s had been when she’d opened the door.
“What is it?” I asked, setting down a third strawberry. Emma’s face had gone paler than I’d ever seen it before, so something on that paper had given her a shock. Her hand shook as she held it out to me without a word. I only needed to read the top scrolling words and see the seal, as well as our signatures to realize why she was flipping out.
“You two look like someone died, what the hell?” Nova asked, abandoning the cart.
