Chapter 16 #2
“I can do that.” I scurry over to the phone on a table next to the couch, and dial room service.
I place an order for the beer flight we have on the menu.
It has eight different bottle variations, four of each kind.
I have to assume something in the mix will be what he likes.
I tell them to rush the order and to place it on the house account.
When I turn around, I’m startled to find Luc just a few feet behind me, arms crossed over his chest, staring at me.
“What?” I wonder out loud why he’s looking at me like he is.
“It’s weird.” He cocks his head analyzing me further. “Seeing you like this. Feeling like it was just yesterday. Remembering every single detail of you. The time we spent together.”
He shakes his head and begins to pace. “I was so fucking pissed at you.” He stops, glancing my way. “You fucking broke me.” He chuffs. “And now I find out that it’s not because you ghosted me, but because you were in an accident.”
He shrugs, one hand scraping through his unruly hair. “I’m not sure what to do with that now, knowing you don’t remember not only me, but everything that happened between us.”
“I’m sorry.” I breathe out. “I wish I remembered. You have no idea how much.” I take a few steps toward him, stopping a foot away.
“I’m really sorry that you got hurt.” I shuffle in place, trying to calm the nerves that have my pulse racing.
“You said that what happened between us was different? Special?”
He nods, a slight grimace darkening his otherwise handsome face. “It was.”
“How did we even meet?” I press, needing to have answers to questions that have plagued me for over a year. “I don’t even like rock music.”
A burst of laughter erupts from him, the smile lighting up his face making my heart skip a beat. I can certainly understand how I would have fallen for that. “What’s so funny?”
“Let’s sit.” He strolls over to one of the sofas. “Is this okay?”
“Sure.” I follow suit and sit in an arm chair that’s angled so we’re facing each other. I still don’t know this man, even though we have a shared history, and being on the same couch doesn’t feel quite right.
“What has your friend Briana told you?”
“You know Briana?” I’m shocked at this revelation.
“Not really.” He leans further back into the couch, crossing his arms. “But it’s how we met. Kind of.” His face breaks into a wide smile as he recalls the memory. “Your friend came to our after party at Caesars, at the suite we were staying in, and you were with her.”
“God, I can’t imagine how she talked me into that.” I murmur, knowing Bri probably held something over my head to convince me.
“Yeah,” He chuckles. “That’s the vibe you gave off at the party too. It was pretty clear you didn’t want to be there. I actually went in pretty hard for the kill when I first saw you.”
He scrapes a hand down his face, the expression a bit sheepish when he continues. “It was obvious you were out of your element. Wearing a cute little red skirt, chucks with bobby socks. It’s not the usual outfit of choice for our fans.”
I frown, knowing exactly which skirt he’s talking about, because it’s still hanging in my closet. And what was wrong with chucks? I have to wear heels all day at work. Chucks are comfy.
“Anyway.” He continues, his lips tilt up in a small smile.
“I was a dick. Kept taunting you every time I ran into you.” His eyes shift up to meet mine.
“From the first second I saw you, I thought you were gorgeous. But I also knew I was not someone you would even consider, and that kind of pissed me off, so I went on the offensive and just tried to wear you down.”
“Well, you somehow ended up having sex with me, so something must have clicked.” I state, wanting to know more.
“That was a complete accident.” One side of his mouth cocks up, one of his legs moving to cross over the other, his hand resting on his knee.
“What, you tripped and your dick just accidentally fell into me?” I arch a brow in defense.
“See?” He gives a small shake of his head. “This is what I love about you.” He wags a finger in my direction. “You have absolutely no fear when it comes to me. You don’t give two fucks that I’m famous, then or now.”
“Well, if you were Morgan Wallen, I probably wouldn’t be so cocky.” I confess, which causes another burst of laughter from him.
“You may have mentioned him a couple times while we were together, and it was along those same lines actually.”
We assess each other quietly for a few seconds, both of us lost in our own thoughts that the silence has afforded us.
“Do—”
A hard knock, followed by a loud voice, “room service” interrupts my question. He stands before I’m able to, striding to the door, tugging it wide, allowing the delivery to be wheeled into the room.
I stand when I recognize the waiter, making my way over so I can sign the slip. “Hi Colin.”
“Oh, Miss Anderson.” His cheeks flame a deep red, like he’s caught me doing something illicit. “Didn’t realize.” He stammers out.
He hasn’t. But I’m sure finding me in a room with a man, one who is devastatingly good looking, and famous to boot, probably has his imagination running wild.
I attempt to put his thoughts to rest. “Colin, this is Mr. Sarris. He’s a guest of ours. We’re discussing other room possibilities for upcoming stays.”
Colin nods profusely. “Yes ma’am.” Eyes popping wide when he glances at Luc, recognition now obvious. “Nice to meet you.” He manages to stutter as he continues to gawk.
“You too, man.” Luc chuckles and nods. “Thanks for the beer.”
“You got it.” He grins, like he just delivered a trunk of gold instead. “You just let me know if you need anything else.”
“Good bye, Colin.” I dismiss him, holding the bill folder out in front of me. “That will be all.”
“Sure, sure.” I watch as he fumbles to get the door open, then backs out, bending at the waist, bowing to us both like we’re royalty.
It doesn’t even phase Luc. He rifles through the selection of beers until he finds one he likes, slides it out of the ice, and twists the cap off. He turns to me as he’s about to take a drink, pausing when his eyes capture mine.
“What?” He lowers the bottle.
“Nothing.” My eyes narrowing. “I can’t imagine what it must be like to live like that. Everyone knowing who you are.”
“You get used to it.” He takes a long guzzle, shrugging when he’s done. “You got to see that firsthand the day we hung out.”
He points the bottle in my direction. “You were really good at finding places where no one gave a shit who I was.”
“I still don’t understand why we didn’t exchange our contact information.” I wonder out loud again as I walk back toward the chair, twisting to check if he’s following. He is, and we both settle back into the places we were in before room service arrived.
He takes another swig from the beer, his focus fixed completely on me. My skin prickles from the intensity of his stare.
“You had these rules.” He takes a swig from the bottle, a smile appearing as he recalls and explains. “No personal information. If we decided we liked each other, we’d exchange numbers when we said goodbye.”
“Except we never got to say goodbye.” I realize. “Will you tell me everything, Luc?” I practically plead, desperation bleeding through my request. “Please, I need to know what happened between us in those two days.”
His head moves up and down, it’s slow, but it’s there. His reply to my request. A breath swooshes out of me in relief, until his next sentence.
“I will, but there’s something I want from you first.”