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She seemed like she was about to speak. We stood together in the garden, in silence.
“Nothing,” she said. “I’ve got to go. I’ll talk to you in a bit, okay?”
But I didn’t see her again for the rest of the evening.
Chapter Thirteen
Lena
Iwenttobedthat night, sneaking off from the party before it was even half over. When I woke early that morning, at 6 a.m., I got up and watched people slinking back to their rooms, who were still up. It was crazy.
I felt guilty and tired as I wandered in the half-light of the day, while the sun came up over the beach. By the time I got back to my room, I wanted to go back to bed.
But that’s when I realized I was feeling sick.
I ran to the toilet, and before I knew it, I was vomiting. With the taste of acid in my mouth I sat up and spat, feeling disgusting. I poured a glass of water and drank it down deep.
What was the matter with me? Was I sick? Not likely—I hadn’t had all that much to eat yesterday, aside from a hearty breakfast and some food from the buffet at the party. But nothing which would have made me throw up my guts.
I wondered if it had been how much I drank. But when I thought back, I realized that all I’d had was a single glass of champagne. For the rest of the night, I’d had fruit juice. I was feeling light-headed and dazed after my and Alex’s amazing sex at the rooftop bar of the hotel, so I decided not to have more than one drink.
Maybe it was nerves or guilt. That was the most likely thing, I thought.
I remembered how I’d rushed off at Alex’s mention of his brother. It was the beginning of the end, I knew it. Pretty sure his brother would have mentioned the name of his ex to Alex, but surprisingly hadn’t as Alex would have known it was me.
I never meant for this to happen. I know how that sounds now—that I sound like a bad person, with a liar’s excuses, desperately putting off the truth for as long as she possibly can. And I knew how it looked to Alex. A girl having a good time, at a billionaire mogul’s expense. But I never meant for us to get involved, never meant for the immediate dislike I felt for Alex to unravel, revealing a strange pattern of feelings and thoughts that I wasn’t used to, or could barely comprehend.
Krista knocked on my door at about 10 a.m. She had not been one of the revelers who stayed up late. But when she saw me, green and pasty, appearing at my door, she looked concerned.
“What’s the matter, babe? Are you hungover?”
“No,” I said. “I went to bed at like, 10 p.m. last night. I don’t know what it could be.”
“Hmm,” she said. “How much longer are you staying here, anyway?”
“Uh, I have to take some press shots in a couple of hours. But then I can head home. I was thinking of staying for another night, though.”
“Well, okay,” said Krista. “Um, listen. Can I ask you something?”
“What is it?” I said.
“Last night I saw you with that guy Alex again. Is everything okay between you two?”
“Never better,” I said. The feelings of sickness were slowly subsiding, and I was grateful. I had to get back to see the stylist in a few hours, and then a photographer was coming to meet us.
“Okay. Because I heard that he’s like, a scary guy. You know he was an asshole to Mark Patterson last night? The guy I met in the lobby?”
“Oh,” I said. “Is that right?” I was too weak and sick to explain the truth to Krista. That “Mark”had been making me feel uncomfortable with his compliments and his touching me and conversation that was less than desirable. That I was glad Alex had stepped in when he did. Even if it only made me feel more guilty about concealing my true identity from him.
I flopped onto the bed, as all these thoughts and more circled around my head, only intensifying my nausea.
“Look,” said Krista. “Not to be a negative nelly, but I’m calling the doctor.”
Twenty minutes later, he arrived. “Not another shrimp victim, I hope,” he said, as he knelt by my bedside.
“I’m really fine,” I said guiltily. Krista had insisted on making me lay down on top of about ten extra pillows she’d requested from one of the maids. “And I didn’t have the shrimp, anyway.”
“Drink much last night?” asked the doctor, innocently.
