Chapter 24 Together but separate
“Do we pretend we don’t know each other?” Leah asked while she and Gabe packed for their bachelor and bachelorette parties in Las Vegas. “Like, what if we run into each other?”
“I think Kyle and Shira planned everything so that wouldn’t happen,” Gabe responded. Gabe’s best man and Shira had worked together to plan their separate parties on the same weekend in Las Vegas. While the couple would be flying together from New York, they would be staying on opposite ends of the strip.
“Do you know what Kyle’s plans are?” Leah threw the new white dresses she bought for the weekend into her suitcase.
“Drinking?” Gabe laughed. “If I know Kyle, he didn’t make many plans other than consuming the most amount of alcohol. I’m sure Shira did a much better job.”
Shira had been planning as though this weekend was more important than the wedding. Over the last few months, she called Leah, sometimes multiple times a day, with cryptic questions like, Do you prefer the Renaissance or Medieval period? Or have you had any specific food cravings? Or what size underwear is the most comfortable? Sometimes the questions were texted at random hours in the middle of the night when Shira was up with Evelyn.
Leah gave her the most honest answers and tried to figure out exactly what Shira was planning.
“No need to go overboard!” Leah told her sister, while secretly excited for the most over-the-top party.
“Please!” Shira responded. “I am not even planning this for you anymore! This planning is for me! I need something in my life that doesn’t revolve around sleep, poop, and bottles.” Single motherhood wasn’t easy for Shira. Even with help from Savannah, Shira still struggled with taking care of Evelyn and herself. But she had lost all her baby weight and more. Partly because Savannah always agreed to take care of the baby if Shira was going to the gym. It meant that Shira sometimes went to the gym for hours at a time, just to get away.
“Smile!” Leah said to Gabe while they were closing up their suitcases. She held her phone out for a selfie showing their packed bags and Gabe in the background. Later, she would write something about their trip for her Instagram followers and make a reel about it, but for now, it would go on her story as a sneak peek.
“Is everything we do published online now?” Gabe asked after smiling for the picture.
“Everything,” Leah said with a smile. “What can I say, my fans need to know!”
“That’s too bad because I wouldn’t want your fans to see this!” Gabe stood in front of Leah and pushed her down on the bed. He climbed on top of her and started kissing her neck. “I guess I should stop if your fans are going to see this.”
“Don’t stop,” Leah responded. “I can keep some things between you and me.” She melted under his touch, his lips sending tingles throughout her body. She pulled his body closer to hers until they were one, with no space between them.
They had time until they needed to be at the airport, so they took that time to enjoy every inch of each other, as though their upcoming weekend apart would be everlasting.
When there was no more time to spare, they quickly got dressed and rushed to the subway to JFK where Shira and Kyle were already waiting and wondering where the couple was.
“You’re the last people to check in for the flight!” Shira exclaimed when they got to the check-in counter. Shira had been there hours early, which was because she was afraid of missing her train, and not because she was eager to leave her daughter behind.
“But we made it!” Leah assured her. They checked their bags and went to the gate where a few of their other friends were already waiting.
“I guess it’s time to say goodbye to each other,” Leah said to Gabe. “From now on we are just two separate people having separate parties on the weekend.”
They kissed and hugged and Leah went to her friends while Gabe went to his.
“That Kyle is kind of cute,” Shira noted. “We’ve been texting about plans for months and I had no idea what he looks like. He probably thinks I am such a hot mess.”
“You are sort of a hot mess,” Leah responded.
“I am, aren’t I?” Shira giggled. “Maybe he’s into that.”
“Not you too!” Leah said. “You know he’s a goy!”
“I’m not going to marry him!” Shira said.
“That’s what I said too and now look where we are.”
The girls laughed and greeted Leah’s other friends. Maya was there, as was her high school friend Sarah and a few of the other girls who had come to the bridal shower a few months ago. Leah’s college roommate who still lived in Boston would meet them in Las Vegas along with two more of their friends. In other words, it was quite a large bachelorette party.
Once they landed in Vegas, Leah turned on her phone to see that her Instagram story was doing well—she had lots of likes and a few responses wishing her a great party. The girls hopped in a minibus that Shira had organized to drive them to the MGM where she booked a block of rooms. Leah hadn’t seen Gabe since the airport in New York. Even though they were on the same plane, so were hundreds of other New Yorkers heading to Sin City for the long weekend. Leah might have caught a glimpse of Gabe at baggage claim in Las Vegas, but it was barely a glimpse and she was focused on updating her stories and enjoying her friends.
The minibus had a few bottles of champagne in the back, so the girls immediately started drinking and fawning over Leah. “I can’t believe you’re getting married!” “You’re so lucky Gabe is so great!” and “Who would have thought that we’d all be here for this?” were just a few of the sentiments that were repeated over and over on that short drive.
In the hotel lobby, Shira checked in and then brought over the keys to hand out to the girls. “Shit,” she said right after saying that she, Leah, and Maya would be sharing the first room. Shira was looking over Leah’s shoulders at the hotel entrance and before Leah could grab the room key, Shira was storming toward the doors. “What the hell are you doing here?”
It was Gabe, Kyle, and the rest of their group. “How did you get here so fast?” Kyle responded. It took us forever to get cabs. “What are you doing here?”
“You’re supposed to be staying at Ceasar’s Palace!” Shira responded. “And we got here fast because I ordered transportation in advance!”
“I thought you said you were staying at Ceasar’s Palace,” Kyle said. “You said we should stay at MGM.”
“No, that’s not what I said.”
“I am pretty sure it is,” Kyle said.
“No.”
Kyle shrugged. “Well, we booked here. Too late now.”
“You have to stay somewhere else! You have to leave! Leah and Gabe cannot stay at the same hotel!” Shira was now screaming at Kyle in the lobby.
“Shira, it’s OK,” Leah said, putting a hand on her sister’s shoulder. “It’s a big hotel, we can avoid them. It was a silly mistake!”
Shira tsked and rolled her eyes. “Kyle, you suck at planning!”
“I never pretended that wasn’t true.” Kyle let out a big guffaw. “But you told me to stay at MGM and that you were staying at Ceasar’s Palace.”
Shira shook her head. “I’ll find the text messages about this, you’ll see!” She pulled out her phone and started scrolling.
“Shira, it doesn’t matter, let’s just have fun, c’mon,” Leah beckoned her sister back to their group where all the girls were staring with eyes and mouths wide open. Shira huffed a little more but then continued handing out room keys and all the girls went to the elevators to find their rooms and freshen up. It was still mid-day and their first stop was the pool. Leah put on a white bikini with ruffles on the back that looked almost like a veil.
“Adorable,” Sarah commented when they were lounging under a canopy on the side of the pool. A waiter came by with pitchers of sangria.
“I don’t believe this,” Shira said, eyeing the other side of the pool, where another waiter was passing out beer to Gabe and his party. “This is a disaster.”
“Ignore them!” Maya insisted. “Who cares? Your attitude is ruining this party more than Gabe’s presence.”
“Ruining this party?” Shira yelled. “I planned this party to be perfect!”
“So chill out and enjoy it a little!” Maya responded. “Cheers!” Maya drank her sangria.
“So tell us more about Gabe!” one of the girls asked and Leah happily obliged.
“You know, good for you,” Sarah said after Leah told them all about what an amazing guy he was. “I’m sure it was, like, really tough to decide to marry him. And I’m sure it’s hard, but good for you for following your heart.”
“Thanks,” Leah responded, although she knew Sarah well enough to know that comment was a little patronizing and not really a compliment.
“I mean, I could never do what you’re doing, but it’s great you’re so open-minded,” Sarah continued. “And it doesn’t hurt that you’re, like, getting famous for it! That’s so amazing.”
Leah nodded. “I’m going to jump in the pool,” she said. It was at least 100 degrees outside but felt like 200.
“I’m coming with,” Maya said. The girls dunked their heads and waded around in the water. Leah glanced up at Gabe a few times. He was laughing with his friends, drinking a beer, and showing off his tight runner’s body in his royal blue swim trunks. He caught Leah’s eye and gave her a wink before looking back at his friends.
The girls spent the rest of the afternoon alternating between swimming and drinking sangria until Shira notified everyone that it was time to shower. “We have some games to play before dinner!” she said. “Everyone meet in mine and Leah’s room at 8!”
The boys were still at the pool, some of them appeared to be sleeping, while others, like Gabe, were still drinking. Leah gave Gabe a small wave, which he acknowledged with a slight head tilt. Leah kind of liked that they were in the same hotel. It was kind of nice to be apart but also so close together.
“We need to hurry and shower!” Shira urged her away from the pool. Leah nodded and went up to their room to get ready for their first night out in Vegas.