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Chapter 7: Aftermath, part 2

Chase

I jolt awake to the blaring ring of my phone! I wrestle towards the nightstand, needing relief from the assault on my pounding eardrums. Not to mention the sunlight crashing through the windows, burning both my retinas and my soul. What time is it? I peer through droopy eyelids at the screen… It’s Amanda. Again. How many times has she called? Reluctantly, I hit accept, wishing I brought water and a pain reliever with me before crawling into bed last night. “Why aren’t you answering my calls?” she asks, her voice trembling through tears. A pang of guilt twinges in my sour stomach. I swing my feet over the edge of the bed and pause. 9:55 in the fucking morning! “Amanda,” I sough, shutting my groggy eyes tight. “Corey and I closed a contract with the Baltimore Aquarium this week. We’re finishing up the final touches away from hom…” She yowls through hiccuping weeps. Oh no, here it comes! “BULLSHIT CHASE," she shrieks, "I saw his reels last night! From the looks of it, it’s no business trip at all!” Awesome! Corey definitely posted some kind of content featuring himself with women in the VIP. Now I’m guilty by association. I sigh, “I spent most of my time in the casino, Amanda." Lie. "I was only with Corey for the toasts, not even that long." Another lie. "You know I don’t associate with his behaviors,” this one is true, but my defeated tone probably says otherwise. I’m not sure what else to say? We broke up.

"But... but..." she starts to whine, only I cut her short. "Unless you saw me in his reels, I really don't have the energy to discuss what I didn't do. I'm still working here, you know?" Although I sound calm, I wish I could tell her to fuck right off for calling so many times. “I just wish you’d told me you were leaving. I went by your house, and with you not answering, I got worried,” she says her tone frail, but manipulative. I don’t want to provoke her, but my expectations need to be clear. "When we ended things, we agreed that time apart was necessary before we can work towards friendship. We need space to heal without our emotions confusing the situation." I explain as she breaks down, her sobs cutting through the line. I bring my hand up to mask the grimace that, I'm sure, has overtaken my face. “I need space Amanda.” I reveal more harshly than I intend, and I hang up before she can spit out another word.

I head out of my room to grab some coffee, and Corey jumps, losing his balance as he stumbles back. Did he have his ear against the door?! “You don’t associate yourself with my behaviors, huh?” he teases, playfully swinging and punching the air like a nosey fly buzzing around a pile of shit. “Were you eavesdropping on my conversation, you dickhead?” I joke, trapping him into a headlock as he squirms. “Maybe a little,” he says quietly after managing to escape. “Damn dude, I can’t believe she’s still pressed about this. Just block her number and move on.” Corey sighs, searching my face for an explanation and I brush past him, heading with desperation to the coffee maker. I add water and a filter, and sprinkle enough french roast for the both of us. "I want to be understanding of her pain, you know? It only ended because she wants more than I'm ready for." I mumble while turning it on. Corey takes a deep breath and pats me on the back before grabbing two island themed coffee cups from the cupboard. "I guess I never really understood why you stayed with her for so long. You could do better dude! And besides, you weren't even in any of the videos." He sets the intricately decorated cups down on the granite counter, and turns to me with a stern expression. "Its not like you're out here fooling around or anything either!" He chuckles and in that instant I freeze up. Lena’s chocolate eyes infiltrate my mind, and I now feel like the world's biggest hypocrite.

The coffee pot sputters, making an unusual clicking noise before leaking out onto the counter. Corey groans in disbelief before unplugging it from the wall. Did I set that up right? “What the hell?” he complains as he rubs his temples in frustration. "For what we're paying, nothing in this damn suite should break!" I nod in agreement wih him. Normally this kind of thing wouldn't bother me, but I need caffeine to rid myself of the headache coming on. “No sweat bro, let’s go to the buffet. Not only do we need coffee, but we could both use a decent breakfast.”

Lena

Jasper is gone. I remember him mumbling something about golf as I was falling asleep, and frankly, I’m glad he’s not here right now. I rub my eyes and reach for my phone to check if the girls are up yet. Jasper must have put it on the charger before he left this morning. The clock reads 10:02 a.m., and that means the buffet is still serving breakfast, thank the heavens! I send out a group text while stretching between the lavish sheets. Katie is the first to respond with a “DOWN! Absolutely famished!” while Jordan takes a few minutes to reply, and when she finally does, it’s only sick and crying emojis. The girls suggest meeting up in 15 minutes, so I start getting ready.

I wash my face, brush my teeth, slip into my bathing suit, then pull on a pair of jean shorts and my favorite loose fitting anime tee. I apply brown mascara to brighten my eyes and dab on my go to ph lip gloss, the humidity will probably melt off anything else I put on anyway. I fluff my hair, but decide against brushing it. The curls are still holding their bounce from last night, and though they are a bit frizzy at the roots, it doesn’t look half bad. I slip into flip flops before grabbing my clutch and room key. As I make my way to the door, I feel a fretting flutter in my stomach. With a loud sigh, my mind is sucked into a cyclone of vivid images of last night. Of Chase. I hit my head against the door gently, but hard enough to shake any remaining sleepiness from my bones. I throw my fists into the air and curse the universe! WHY?! Why couldn’t I just forget it all?! I exit the suite, making sure to slam the door behind me and stomp melodramatically down the hallway toward the buffet, craving both a distraction and much needed nourishment.

Katie and I sit with our full plates, giggling at Jordan, who is struggling to find anything edible for her weak stomach. Day one was deemed an official success, and we are having a blast retelling the details from yesterday. Katie is munching on her fruit salad when I turn to Jordan, who looks like she is going to pass out, to ask her about our rushed exit. "By the way" I say in Jordan's direction while biting on a piece of crispy bacon, "what the hell happened to you last night?" Jordan- in her oversized hoodie and sweats, lifts her sunglasses to reveal red, puffy eyes and disheveled fake lashes. Katie quickly snaps a pic, and I laugh hysterically as Jordan practically leaps across the table to take the phone from her hands. "Don't you freaking remember me telling you?! That asshole I danced with all night, had a fucking girlfriend!" she states angrily. "We were making out next to the patio, and this bitch came running at me with a 6 inch stiletto in her hand!" I cough, almost choking on my bacon and Katie, who is not amused, replies with a simple, "well that's what ya punk ass gets Jord!", before slicing and stuffing a pancake from a different plate into her mouth. Jordan and Katie continue going back and forth about who was right and wrong while I wipe away tears from laughing so hard.

“Speaking of making out,” Jordan says, eyeing me swiftly, “that fine specimen you were dancing with last night? Chase again, was it?" I pause, my fork pierced with scrambled eggs sitting mid air. "If I remember correctly, I caught you two getting pretty close to, you knowww...” Katie gasps, dropping her fork to look at me with wide eyes. “Wait,” she says in disbelief, “you danced with Chase AFTER I left?! Oh my gosh, why didn't you just go back to your room!?” The corners of my mouth twitch as I open it to speak. The ladies lean in closer: a death glare from Katie and an excited spark from Jordan. Polar opposites they are. I throw my hands up in defeat! “I don’t know, guys!” I start with a flinch. “I think it was the absinthe, or the alcohol, or… UGH! He asked me to dance, and for some reason, I didn’t say no." Katie rolls her eyes, and Jordan claps like a seal awaiting her hearty fish dinner. "I didn’t want to go back to my room that early, and technically, I didn't DO anything wrong.” A devilish grin spreads across Jordan’s face. “Notice she didn’t say ‘couldn’t’ or ‘shouldn’t,’ just that she ‘didn’t’,” Jordan says, lifting her eyebrows up and down suggestively. I laugh nervously and swat her arm, while Katie starts her usual righteous rant. "A bachelorette party doesn’t give anyone a free pass to cheat." Jordan sips her water slowly, mocking Katie's statement with her hand puppet.

"I'm not going to cheat on Jasper," I say timidly as we stand up from the table. I shift awkwardly, running my hand through my knotted curls while Katie and Jordan exchange a solicitous look. There is a moment of silence before Katie sulks. “Fine, we’ll let it go for now,” she announces nonchalantly before shifting all her focus back into today's plans. Jordan and I lock eyes as I huff a sigh of relief, and we exit the dining hall. As we head toward the elevator, Katie pulls out her trusty island pamphlet, pointing out all the local tourist spots. “I say we try ziplining! Jordan suggests, while Katie shakes her head fervently. “How about the ruins?” she throws out and Jordan groans. “Always something historic and hella freaking boring with you!" She whines, tapping her foot excessively. "Len, what do you think?" Katie ponders as the elevator dings. I shrug, shifting my focus to the opening doors, and I have no more than a second to collect myself before locking eyes with Chase, who is standing on the other side.

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