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The lobby was beautiful. They’d definitely put money into the hotel. The floors were marble and shining brightly in the fluorescent lighting. A crystal chandelier hung down in the middle glowing softly as it caught the natural and artificial lights. It gave the entire lobby a classy air to it that made it seem high end even in a town like Madison.
The check-in desk was against the back wall. A water feature constantly poured water behind them steadily, giving the space even more of a pleasing ambiance.
If not for the noise levels it would likely be calming, but right now, the place was full of chaos. Lines of people were waiting to check in and others milled around, bags in hand and talking loudly.
“If you're here for the competition, please go to the end of the desk where you will register.” The lady barely gave us a glance as she pointed the way, already moving on to the next person.
Since they took care of everything when we joined the competition, we hadn't even had to make the reservations for ourselves. Everything was paid for which only sweetened the deal.
Zath pulled me with him toward the line she indicated. My mind was elsewhere as I moved with him. It felt like Lance could be lurking around every corner, waiting to pounce on me. But my ex wasn’t exactly the crazy stalker type. Then again, I didn’t think he was the ghosting type, either.
I had this awful feeling that the work I’d put into being untraceable the last year was down the drain now. I’d moved towns, blocked old numbers and emails, and even had my phone through Zathrian’s name now. Lance would have no reason to come find me here and he would never stoop to be part of a lowly bartending competition, anyway.
My horse stamped her hooves proudly in my head, glad that I was finally pulling my head out of my ass. Leave it to her to be blunt and never hold back on me.
But at the end of the day, I had to admit I’d created a new life that I was proud of. It was ironic that the dream Lance had always said was beneath us was the one thing that truly held me together when I was trying to start my new life.
That was why I initially agreed to the competition. This was my way of giving him a final fuck you, telling the universe that I was worthy and this was something to be proud of. Sure, I didn’t owe him anything. The competition and eventual win was for me, the rest was just icing on the cake.
“You with me?” Zath asked as we joined the line. It was already queued up at least twenty strong, but they were apparently prepared, handing out keys with efficiency. We were checked in and had our keys in under fifteen minutes, which was far better than I anticipated.
“Welcome to the Verity Hotel and Suites, we're glad to have you. Here is your key card and the itinerary for the competition along with rules and regulations to follow. They ask you to read over them meticulously and reach out if you have any questions.”
“Thank you,” I said quickly, plucking the keycard and the packet out of her hand. I was more than ready to get out of the lobby and up to our room.
“Come on, let’s go check out what kind of room we got,” I said as I pulled him away. “They didn’t even offer us two rooms. Good thing we aren’t afraid to share. I mean… I was promised lots of steamy sex to keep me sane.”
“I doubt they have enough rooms to spare. They have to fit the crew, judges, sponsors, all of us, and probably leave enough for a solid audience,” Zath countered. “And I definitely plan to follow through on my promise, sweetheart.” He turned to me and gave me a cocky half smile. On anyone else I would have rolled my eyes, but Zathrian made it look downright delicious.
“I should be afraid to share, you might take advantage of me,” I teased.
“Oh, I definitely will,” he agreed.
“Nyla?” I froze in terror at the sound of that voice. Zathrian immediately looked around for the source of my panic. It took everything in me to turn around and face my former friends.
“Grace. Mackenzie.” I acknowledged them with a strained smile. They both looked good, though angry. The amount of disgust, pain, and heartbreak in their eyes was enough to break me but I held my head high.
“We haven’t been able to contact you for a year, Ny,” Grace accused. Her lioness never did pull any punches. “How could you do this to us? After everything we went through?”
“I’m sorry… I couldn’t handle it,” I admitted. “I needed space from everything in my life. Being rejected by a mate isn’t a pain I can describe.”
“From us, too?” Mackenzie said bitterly. “We helped you through it. We’d have been there to support you.”
“And I appreciate that,” I reassured her desperately. “I’m so sorry. I was a mess and space was the only thing I could do to take back control of my life.”
“And who is this?” Grace asked sharply. Their anger was expected, but I didn’t quite think there’d be no forgiveness in them.
“My mate, Zathrian,” I introduced. He didn’t bother to say anything, his eyes narrowed at them both. Right now they were being almost aggressive and he wasn’t taking kindly to it.
“So, you have a whole new life that we aren’t a part of,” Mackenzie said with finality that felt like a knife to the chest. “We heard you’d be here, so we thought we’d show up. But I can’t do this. Bye, Nyla. At least we’re giving you more of an exit than you gave us.”
Grace gave me one last glare before following Mackenzie. I knew I’d likely fractured that friendship forever. Seeing it unravel in person was rough. They deserved so much better than I gave them.
“You alright?” Zathrian asked. He’d let me handle my own battles yet likely would have stepped in if I needed help. But truthfully, I deserved all of the anger they held for me. I’d thrown away a friendship, escaped in the dead of night, and ghosted them all, never looking back.
Because no matter how I looked at it, Mackenzie was right, I had an entirely new life now.
One they weren’t a part of. A life that kept me busy enough to not think about them often.
