5. Lily
Waking up,I move in the bed, but Ryan”s arms are tightly wrapped around me. “You”re not going anywhere, Lily.”
I laugh. “I”m just going to the bathroom.”
“You promise?”
“Yes.” I roll over and kiss him. “Back in a minute.”
I climb out of the bed and use the bathroom before crawling back under the covers. Ryan gets out and goes into the bathroom after me. While he”s in there, his phone beeps with three messages one after the other. Someone clearly wants to get his attention.
I roll over to make sure it”s not Jess or Rory that needs my attention. I can only see the front screen as he has it password locked.
My heart drops when I see:
Alicia:
Hey, when are you coming back?
Alicia:
Do I need to come down there and kick your ass?
Alicia:
Ryan, ring me back, I miss your voice.
I hear the toilet flush, and I roll back onto my side of the bed and wait for him to crawl in behind me. I”m not sure how I feel. Is Alicia another woman? Should I ask him about her? No, he will know I”ve been snooping. I don”t know what to do, and my first thought is to run. What if he has a girlfriend back home? Shit.
“Hey, babe, your mind is whirring there, I can hear you thinking.” He rolls me so that I am flat on my back, and he is propped up on his side looking at me. His hand sweeps my hair off my face. Then he leans down and gently kisses me. I want to cry; it feels so perfect, but is he really mine?
“Do you have a girlfriend back in Vegas?” I ask, gingerly.
“No, Lily. I haven”t been able to look at another woman since you walked out on me. You”ve consumed my thoughts.”
“You consumed mine, too.”
He climbs over me, and then I”m lost in Ryan for the rest of the day.
Two weeks later.
“Babe, I”m coming out to Vegas tomorrow. I can”t wait to see you.” He went home the next morning, and then he flew down last weekend to see me. I have two days off, so I am flying out to Vegas to spend them with him. I”m excited, and I can”t wait to see where he lives, and maybe he can show me more of Las Vegas and not just the Strip and the tourist areas.
“I can”t wait to hold you. I fucking missed you, Lily.”
“Me too.”
“I”ll give you my address. I can”t collect you from the airport as I have a meeting. I tried to reschedule it, but they wouldn”t listen. Sorry, beautiful, I wanted to be there for you.”
“It”s fine. I might get time to have a wander around before you come home. You told me there”s a coffee shop beneath where you live.”
“Yeah, they serve the best coffee ever.”
“How will I get into your apartment?”
“I”ll leave the key with Sid. He”s the doorman. He”ll let you in. I told my assistant that I don”t want any meetings in the two days that you are here so we can see everything and spend time together.”
“Sounds good to me.”
We talk for hours, and then I say, “I need to go to sleep, and I”ll see you tomorrow, Ryan.”
“See you tomorrow, beautiful.”
We hang up, and I roll over with a smile on my face. It doesn”t take me long to fall asleep.
I get up in the morning, get ready, and take a cab to the airport. When I get there, they tell me that there is an earlier flight that was delayed and asked if I wanted to jump on that one because mine is oversold, and it would help them a lot. They offered me compensation too, so I took it. At least I won”t be hanging around the airport for a few hours.
The flight is perfect, with no turbulence, except a little on the way down to Vegas, but that”s because of the hot air and the thermal pockets. When I get out at the airport, I grab a cab and give him Ryan”s address.
I pay the driver and get out, smelling the sweet smell of ground coffee beans. I”ll grab a coffee as soon as I”ve dumped my stuff.
When I walk inside, I see an older gentleman. “Hey, are you Sid?”
He nods his head. “Yes, I am, ma”am, how can I help you?”
“I”m here to see Ryan, and he said he was leaving you a key. He lives in P1.”
The old man smiles, and his face wrinkles. He looks like he smiles a lot. “Yes, Lily is it?”
I nod my head. “Yes, it is.”
He hands me the card key. “Take the elevator to the top floor, and then it”s on your left. Have a nice day, Miss Lily.” He smiles, and I like him; he”s pleasant and very welcoming.
I get in the elevator; my nerves are jumping, knowing that I am going to see where Ryan lives and that I will see him later today. I have a few hours to kill until he finishes work. I bet it”s not long since he left for work. I should have asked Sid.
The elevator stops at the top floor, and I step out. Left is P1, and I walk toward it. I slide the key card against the sensor and open the door. Wow, it”s beautiful and so much space. The windows are floor to ceiling, and I can see the cityscape. I can”t wait to stand outside on the balcony and look at the views.
I move away from the door and see the kitchen. I leave my bag and look around; I desperately need a coffee.
“Hey, Ryan, is that you? It”s not like you to forget something.” I hear a female voice coming from down the hall. I step out so she can hear me.
“Oh my God, we thought you were coming later this afternoon. Lily, right?”
This woman is beautiful, so much more than I ever will be. I”m gobsmacked. “I”m assuming you”re Alicia, right?” My voice is low, my teeth are clenched, and I am trying to stop myself from crying.
“Yes, that”s right. Did Ryan mention me? That”s not like him. He”s a very private man.” She stands in front of me, blocking my way. She”s doing up her shirt, so I”m guessing she stayed overnight.
Trust me to fall for a man who is a cheat and a liar. I asked him if he had a girlfriend in Vegas, and he said no.
“Clearly. Well, you see him later, please let him know that I was here, saw you, and put the rest together myself.” I turn and grab my bag and march over to the door.
“Sorry, Lily, if you think he”s going to chase you then you”re wrong. I”ve known him a long time, and he would never give himself fully to one woman. You”re better off knowing that now and not when you”ve been together for months.” She turns on her heel and walks into one of the rooms and closes the doors. I quickly leave the apartment and grab the elevator, which is still on my floor.
When I get out at the bottom, Sid looks confused. “What”s going on? Are you not staying?”
“No.” I hand him back the key card that was still in my hand. “Ryan is not the kind of man that I want to be with.”
He hands me a tissue as he can see the tears in my eyes. “Why don”t you go to the coffee shop and sit down. Don”t run away from him. Ryan is a great guy, and I don”t know what happened when you went upstairs, but don”t just walk out on him.”
“Well, maybe he should have taken out the trash when he left instead of leaving it there for me to see.” I turn again and walk out of the door. Walking down the road, I stop at the coffee shop and after ordering, take a booth at the back. I don”t want Ryan or Alicia seeing me this miserable.
I don”t know whether to go home or to stay in a hotel here and drown my sorrows in alcohol and gambling. Not that I really like to gamble, but I could do with alcohol right now. I decide to stay; I have a flight home in two days, so fuck it.
I grab a cab and ask them to take me to the Bellagio. Fuck it if I”m staying here. Then I”m doing it in style, and it will help me to forget about Ryan. It”s the last place anyone will look for me because of the cost.
Grabbing my phone, I call Alison.
“Hey, didn”t expect to hear from you today,” Alison says as she giggles.
“There was another woman in his apartment, Alison. I”m such a fool. Why the fuck did I fall for his charm?”
“I don”t believe that, Lily. He came here to see you, and you guys didn”t come up for air. You spent the whole weekend in your place.”
Grabbing a cushion, I pull it into me as I lean on the bedhead. “I know, I”m just someone he used for sex.” I smack the cushion as the tears slide down my face.
“I”m staying in Vegas, I”m at the Bellagio, but you can”t tell anyone, especially Jess or Rory, because I”m sure IF he decides to go looking for me then he will contact them.”
“Babe, do you want some company?”
“No, I need to do all my grieving this weekend, and then we don”t mention him again, right?”
“Deal,” she says. “I have to go and book the pre-wedding dinner for the Michaels, but I”ll talk to you later. Love you, Lily.”
“Back at ya, Alison.” We both hang up, and I lay on the bed and fall asleep, right after turning my cell off.