Relent

by Rachel Schurig

  “You keep bringing up everyone’s girlfriends. You think I don’t know you’re trying to piss me off?”

  “Yeah, Cash,” Lennon says, rolling his eyes. “The one guy in the van without a girlfriend is totally trying to make you feel bad that yours went home for a few days so the kid could see his grandparents. That makes a ton of sense.”

  Cash looks like he wants to punch Lennon, logic or no. “That’s not totally true, Len,” I interrupt, and they both turn to look at me. I point up to the driver’s seat. “Benny doesn’t have a woman, either.”

  Cash snorts and Frank chuckles from the passenger seat. “He’s so ugly, no one will have him.”

  “Y’all might want to be nicer to the guy in control of the steering wheel,” Benny says in his gravely voice, and everyone laughs. I relax a little, fight diverted.

  But now, I’m thinking of Karen. And that’s not necessarily the safest place for my mind to go these days.

  “Now that Cash has his little outburst out of the way,” Daltrey says, turning to Reed. “Why hasn’t Paige planned something for everyone to do? I was fully expecting at least an organized casino crawl or something. Or, like, a visit to a slot machine museum.”

  Reed glares at him before his expression turns sheepish. “She actually did mention something. I was supposed to ask you guys about it…”

  Everyone laughs and the mood seems to lighten a bit more. For once, one of Paige’s silly activities might not be unwelcome. The idea of spending an entire day alone with Karen is both exciting and terrifying. Which pretty much explains exactly how much trouble I’m in right now.

  I woke up in New York to find her spot on the couch still warm, but completely empty. The disappointment surprised me. Had she left in the night? I didn’t know why, but I really hated the idea.

  I spent a lot of time trying to figure out that feeling over the last few days. I thought about it while we had breakfast together in New York. I thought about it while we flew into Vegas. And while the guys performed the night before, even though I had plenty of work to keep myself occupied. I was still trying to make sense of it as I followed them from interview to interview all morning. Yet I’m no closer to figuring out what’s going on in my head when it comes to Karen. But I do know that it isn’t just the heat that’s bothering me.

  Benny pulls up to the front of our villa, and the guys push each other to get out of the van. Will booked us into a villa rather than rooms on the Strip. I figured he was trying to encourage the guys to take it easy—like that was going to happen. Now that these interviews are over, they’re free until their second show tomorrow night. I have a feeling they’re going to take the whole “What Happens in Vegas” thing to a new level.

  The villa is pretty sweet, though, despite its distance from the Strip. There’s tons of room and an amazing pool in the back. I’m more than a little relieved to not be spending the night on the bus—a little distance from Karen seems pretty important right now.

  I stop by the van to confer with Frank and Benny about the schedule before following the guys into the villa. The brief conversation has me distracted—at least that’s how I defend myself when I nearly run straight into Karen in the foyer. “Hey,” she says right before I walk into her. She reaches up to grab my arms, steadying me, and grins. My stomach drops. “Watch where you’re going much?”

  “Sorry,” I say, taking a step back, both relieved and disappointed when she drops her hands from my arms. “Totally distracted.”

  “It’s okay. How were the interviews?”

  “Fine. And the boys managed not to punch each other in the van.”

  She laughs. “Glad to hear it. So you’re free now! What are you going to do with yourself?”

  “Reed said Paige is planning something for tonight?”

  “You know Paige. She wants everyone to go out. Gambling, a show, lots of booze. Basically, your typical Vegas night out.”

  I’m feeling a little more at ease, now that I’m getting used to the power of her smile. Talking to Karen was usually easy. It had been ever since I saw her in the bar at the lodge. So these days, it’s a strange feeling, to be tongue-tied and awkward around her.

  “Sometimes typical Vegas is pretty great.”

  She smiles again, this time taking a step closer, and my breath catches. She brushes a hand against my arm. “I’m looking forward to it.”

  It takes me a moment after she leaves to shut my gaping mouth. Was Karen just flirting with me? Without anyone around to watch? What did that mean?

  Well, without almost anyone around to watch.

  “That looked pretty friendly,” Lennon says. I turn and see him leaning against the doorway to the kitchen, watching me.

  “That was flirty, right? Don’t you think that looked flirty? Do you think she saw you? Do you think that’s why she—”

  “Whoa, dude,” Lennon says, holding up both hands. “Let’s dial back the angst a few notches, okay?”

  I run my hands through my hair. “I’m freaking out here, man.”

  “Why? You don’t want her flirting with you?”

  “No! I mean, I don’t know. I just…” I trail off, shaking my head. “I don’t know what to think.”

  “You like her?”

  “Of course I like her. She’s become one of my best friends.”

  “Yeah, but do you like her like her.” He throws up his hands. “I feel like a twelve-year-old.”

  I think about how great it felt to fall asleep next to her in New York. And how confused I have been ever since.

  “I don’t know. I mean, she’s great. Like I said, she’s one of my best friends. And she’s obviously gorgeous.”

  “So what’s the problem?”

  I think she’s still in love with a total asshole. These feelings about Karen had been growing for a long time, but I’d done my best to put them out of my head. Because I knew she was still messed up about Dan.

  But what if she wasn’t? What if she was over it? How would I feel then?

  “You know what I think?” Lennon asks, pushing off from the doorframe and walking toward me. “I think you should spend your day off with Karen. With an open mind. And try to see if you can figure out how you feel.”

  “I thought Paige wanted us—”

  “That’s not until tonight.” He looks at his phone. “It’s not even noon, man. You have all day. In Vegas. I’m sure you can find something to keep the two of you occupied for a couple hours.”

  He slaps my shoulder as he passes through the foyer and to the stairs, presumably heading up to his room.

  A couple of hours with just Karen. It’s not like it’s something new. That’s basically how we’ve spent the entire tour so far. So why does it feel so different today?

  I’m still standing in the middle of the foyer like an idiot when Daisy appears from the living room. “Oh, you guys are back!” she says. She’s wearing a bright pink bathing suit cover-up that leaves her neck and shoulders exposed, her curly hair piled high on top of her head. In the few hours we’ve been gone, she already appears to have gotten some color, her skin a shiny bronze.

  “We just got here a few minutes ago. You haven’t seen Dalt?”

  “Not yet. The girls and I are hanging out by the pool,” she explains. “You should join us. The staff was about to bring out some lunch.” She grins. “Staying in a villa with rock stars is totally awesome.”

  I laugh and cross over to the stairs. “I’ll be out in a minute.”

  “Tell the rest of the guys if you see them,” she calls after me. It’s not until I’m halfway up the stairs that I realize I just had a full, albeit brief, conversation with Daisy, in her bathing suit, and it never once occurred to me how great she looked.

  ***

  “I take it you still haven’t asked her,” Lennon says, plopping down into the lounge chair next to mine with a plate piled dangerously high with food.

  “Shut up, Lennon.”

  He grins at me as he picks up his burger.
“I had no idea you were such a chicken shit.”

  “She’s having fun with her friends.”

  My gaze travels across the pool, as it has done a hundred times since I came out here twenty minutes ago, to where Karen is sitting with Paige and Daisy. The three of them have also filled their plates with food from the amazing spread the villa staff arranged for us. As I watch, Daisy turns away to offer some fruit from her plate to Daltrey, who appears to have loaded up on nothing but burgers and steak skewers. The minute she turns away, Paige smacks Karen’s leg and gestures toward the pool. Karen’s eyes flicker in my direction, and she shakes her head. Paige gestures more emphatically, saying something between gritted teeth.

  “Oh my God,” Lennon mutters next to me. “You’re both chicken shits.”

  “What are you—?”

  Before I can even finish the question, Karen slides from her lounger, making a face at Paige, who finally seems satisfied. To my surprise, Karen brings her plate and comes over to my side of the pool.

  “I’m out of here,” Lennon mutters, but I barely notice. I’m far too preoccupied by the sight of Karen’s long, tan limbs and the way her skin contrasts with her white bikini, which hugs her insane curves, leaving nothing to the imagination. With her blonde hair streaming around her shoulders, she looks like some kind of goddess.

  No fucking wonder I’m nervous, I think to myself, but then she’s standing in front of me, and I have to concentrate on not gaping.

  “Aren’t you going to eat?” she asks, her voice sounding strange.

  “I, um, yeah. Of course. I was just, you know. Lying here.” God, I sound like an asshole. This is Karen. Who I have spent the last several weeks hanging out with. Why can’t I form a coherent sentence?

  “Want me to grab you something?” she asks, blinking her eyes rapidly. I get the strangest sense she’s trying to bat her eyelashes at me.

  “I’ll get it,” I tell her, starting to swing my legs over the side of the lounger. Then I realize that I really shouldn’t stand up right now, not unless I want to be majorly embarrassed. “In a minute,” I add hastily.

  “Can I sit with you?” she asks, gesturing her plate toward the lounger Len vacated.

  “Of course.” My voice sounds weird, hearty and unlike me. She does the rapid eye blink thing again before sitting in the lounger next to me, and I do my best to avoid staring at her long legs stretched out against the plush white cushions.

  “Here,” she says, holding out her plate. “I grabbed two burgers. Why don’t you have one?”

  “Thanks.” I’m grateful for something to do with my hands, so I grab the burger from her plate and concentrate on baseball while I chew.

  “It’s nice out here,” Karen says. “I could get used to living somewhere this warm.”

  “Yeah, ’cause you’re not the one who has to break up the inevitable fights between the Ransome brothers. They don’t handle heat very well.”

  She giggles, more than a little shrill, a very un-Karen-like sound. “It’s a good thing they have you around.”

  “Uh, yeah. Lucky them.”

  Her strange giggle cuts off abruptly as she grabs her own burger and takes a bite. We fall into silence as we eat. I wonder if she feels as awkward as I do. I chance a glance at her out of the corner of my eye, and I’m surprised to see her frowning. Her entire body is tense, her shoulders hunched.

  “Hey,” I say, setting the half-eaten burger down on the napkin she gave me. “You okay?”

  She looks up at me, and the frown morphs into one of those breathtaking smiles. But her shoulders remain tense. “Of course. It’s so nice sitting here with you.”

  Okay, she’s definitely trying to flirt. I have no idea why, but it’s somehow coming out all forced.

  “What’s going on?” I ask, swinging my legs down off the lounger so I can turn to face her. “You’re acting kind of weird.”

  She looks like she wants to argue for a moment, but then the weird, forced smile fades and she looks a lot more like herself, sarcastic and just a little prickly. I can’t help but smile. “Paige,” she mutters, shaking her head. Then she looks up at me. “Never mind. Can we start over?”

  I have no idea what’s going on, but I’m so happy to see her looking normal again, I just grin. “Sure.”

  “Thanks.”

  “I hear Paige has some amazing night planned for us.”

  She shakes her head, smiling and rolling her eyes at the same time. Much more Karen than the giggling. “You know Paige.”

  “Do you think I can get away with wearing my cargos and a T-shirt to her little event? It’s hot as hell.”

  “Yeah. Sure. If you don’t mind her kicking your ass.”

  I sigh dramatically. “Nice clothes it is.”

  “Do you even have any nice clothes?”

  “Hey! I have a few things that are nice…er.”

  She laughs. “That’s what I thought. When we went out in New York you wore dark-wash jeans and a button-down shirt that was way too small for you.”

  “I might have borrowed that from Lennon,” I admit.

  Karen tsks, disapproving, but there’s a twinkle in her eyes that tells me she’s enjoying teasing me.

  “Maybe,” I say, watching her face carefully, “we could go out shopping this afternoon.”

  “That sounds great!” Her eyes flick over to Paige on the other side of the pool. “But I think Paige planned some stuff for the afternoon too.”

  “Oh.” I feel strangely deflated. “Did you… Do you feel like going with them? ’Cause we could, you know, do our own thing?”

  Her brown eyes widen a little, so hopeful, it makes my stomach clench. “Our own thing? Like what?”

  “Well.” I clear my throat, wishing I didn’t feel so nervous. “We could go shopping, like you said. And maybe go out into the city and see some sights.”

  “I could handle some sightseeing.”

  I breathe out a huge breath, relieved, and hold up my phone to show her a travel app. “I was doing a little investigating,” I tell her. “Apparently, there’s this place downtown with an open-air shopping mall and some kind of light show. And you can go zip-lining right down the middle of it.”

  Her eyebrows go up. “In case I ever want to go into a career of zip-lining?”

  Something seems to shrivel in my chest. She thinks this is all about the Get a Clue plan. I swallow and look away so she won’t see my face. “Uh, actually, I wasn’t thinking about our chart.”

  She’s quiet for a moment, and when she speaks, her voice is hopeful. “Levi?”

  I turn to look at her, and she’s gazing at me with that same, wide-eyed look as before, like she’s hanging on whatever words I’m going to say next. I take a deep breath. “I was thinking more along the lines of…just for us. Is that okay?”

  Something in her face relaxes, and she grins at me. “Absolutely.”

  ***

  We spend about an hour at the pool. After we finalize our plans for the afternoon, I find that most of my nerves dissipate enough for me to enjoy some more lunch and spend some time in the pool, splashing Cash as much as humanly possible and playing a game of water basketball with Reed and Lennon.

  I don’t start to feel nervous again until I see Karen leave the pool and go inside. She waves at me as she goes and mouths that she’s going to get ready.

  I manage to stay in the game for another ten minutes, getting my ass kicked soundly by Reed in the process, before the nerves get too bad again and I pull myself out of the water and head up to my room. I stare at the open suitcase on my bed. What do you wear when you go on a kind of date with your fake girlfriend who you think you might have feelings for?

  In the end, I settle on my normal cargo shorts and T-shirt. It’s not like I really have any other options. Karen had been right to be skeptical about my owning anything nice enough for the evening activities.

  From the way her face seems to brighten when I find her in the hallway, I wonder if she cares much,
either way. She’s dressed in a purple sundress that shows off her newly tanned skin, her hair up in a sleek ponytail, and I have to swallow several times before I can speak. “You ready?” I ask, holding out my hand. She looks surprised but happy as she takes it.

  “So where to first?” she asks as we slide into the cab the villa staff arranged for us.

  “We’re going to Freemont Street,” I explain. “It’s downtown, away from the Strip. I guess it’s more like Old Vegas, some of the more historic casinos are in that area.”

  “That’s where the shopping is?”

  “And the zip line.”

  We ride in comfortable silence for a few minutes, and I’m relieved the earlier awkwardness seems to have gone away. “So what do you think Paige is planning?” I ask.

  “She booked dinner reservations somewhere and a show. That’s all she would tell me.”

  “She likes her surprises.”

  “You have no idea.”

  As soon as we get to Freemont Street, I know it was the right choice. The open-air mall is massive, and Karen looks like she’s in heaven as she takes in all of the stores. “This is amazing,” she says, voice awed. “I could spend all day here.”

  “We have as much time as you want.”

  We make our way down the long tunnel of shops. There’s music playing, and neon lights flash at us from every angle. Overhead, a domed screen makes up the ceiling, lights flashing and swirling across it. I can make out the zip line some hundred feet above us. Karen stops walking when a line of four people goes hurtling by far above, staring open mouthed.

  “Is that what we’re doing?” she asks, her voice a bit squeaky.

  “Yeah,” I grin, already excited. “Doesn’t it look sweet?”

  She looks at me, and I can see the nervousness in her eyes. But she grins all the same. “Scary as hell, but yeah. It looks pretty sweet.”

  We wander in and out of stores. I get the feeling Karen is trying to contain herself from shopping too much for my benefit. “You should come back here tomorrow with Paige,” I tell her. “I can get the merch table set up for you.”

  She squeezes my hand. “Maybe we will.”