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I’m too fucking trashed to walk back to my room at this point. Plus, I think that Tanner might be pissed at me about something, but I can’t remember what it is at this point. I probably did something that was super douchey, but I can’t fucking remember what it could be.
TANNER
Idon’t sleep.
I can’t.
Instead, I lie in bed and stare at the ceiling. I’m hungry, but I also feel sick to my stomach at the same time. So, instead of searching for food, I stay right where I am. At least, until the sun comes up.
Grabbing my phone, I glance at the time and nod my head. Seven. I’ve stayed in bed for as long as I possibly can. I at least need some water, if nothing else.
Climbing out of bed, I stretch my legs and let out a sigh. I’m not sure that I want to start this day. I wish that I could stay in bed, sleep and just waste the day away. But I have classes coming up tomorrow, so I need to talk to Wesley and have a plan on how to get to my classes.
I refuse to quit them, no way in hell am I going to just let him do whatever he wants while I sit around and watch. Fuck that. I’m going to use him the way he’s obviously using me. If he wants to have his cake and eat it too, then so can I.
Gathering my things, I go in search of a bathroom. Thankfully, I find it fairly quickly and slip inside. I throw up, as I typically do, a clear sign that I’m starting my day, these days. The bathroom is not the cleanest one I’ve even been inside of, but there’s a shower, a sink, and a mirror.
Quickly, I shower. It’s not completely disgusting, but it’s also not somewhere I want to spend a bunch of extra time, either. Taking my stuff back into the bedroom, I drop it off, then make my way toward the bar.
I don’t know where or even if I’m going to find Wesley, but I need water at the bare minimum. The bar is littered with people, most of which are naked or in some state of undress. I don’t look too close, afraid to see Wesley among them with that woman.
Then something catches the corner of my eye. There’s someone with their head down at the end of the bar. It’s him. I stand in the middle of the room, staring at him for a long moment. I’m not sure what to do, but seeing him face down on the bar makes me feel good. He’s not with her.
This doesn’t mean that he didn’t do anything with her at all, but at least he’s not snuggled up naked next to her or anything. Inhaling a deep breath, I let it out slowly, then continue on my search for water.
It doesn’t take me long to find the kitchen. Looking around, I’m a bit surprised at how nice it is. It’s not industrial or anything, but it has all of the basics. There’s a fridge, a large single square sink with a gorgeous faucet. Also, there is tons of counter space for prepping and a six-burner stove.
I could actually cook in here. I don’t know why that excites me as much as it does, but it does. With a shake of my head, I try to get that thought out. This is not going to be some happy little home. All the dreams I had yesterday of this relationship being as beautiful as it is when we’re alone together, they’re gone.
Completely and totally gone.
Reaching into the fridge, I grab a bottle of water and hope that I don’t get in trouble for taking something that isn’t mine to take. Twisting the cap off, I tilt my head backward and suck back as much as I can. I knew that I was thirsty, but I didn’t realize I was that thirsty. Without taking a breath, I drink half of the bottle.
The door to the kitchen flies open. I turn my head, my breath hitching at the sight of Wesley standing in front of me. Inwardly, I admonish myself for calling him Wesley. I shouldn’t. He’s not giving me himself, why should I think of him as anything but the name they call him here. Riff. He’s Riff. He’s not the man that he pretended to be. He’s not Wesley, that’s just some kind of persona he gave me for a few hours.
He tilts his head to the side, his eyes focusing on mine, but he doesn’t smile. Instead, he frowns. He opens his mouth, no doubt to say something, but instead, the door opens again, and another man is standing there. He looks much like Riff, wearing the same kind of outfit of jeans and leather.
“You ready?” he asks Riff.
Riff looks back to him, then to me. “Yeah,” he says. “Give me five?”
The man leaves and it’s just me and Riff again. Riff clears his throat, taking a step toward me. He clearly has something that he wants to say to me. “I have to go to Louisiana for a few days. You’ll be okay here?”
Nodding my head, I clear my throat. “I don’t have a car or money, or anything, but I need to be able to go to my classes and the grocery store.”
Riff nods his head, taking a step toward me, then another. His hand lifts and he wraps his fingers around the side of my neck.
“I am not going to leave you stranded, buttercup. I got a pickup truck you can use, and I’ll leave you plenty of cash.”
He doesn’t mention anything about last night and I decide not to either, at least not right now. It’s pointless, he’s going to be leaving and I am going to be focusing on my classes. I now have a brand-new reason to be the best realtor that I can be—this baby and our future. Because nobody is ever going to take care of me, except me. I realize that now.
