Hit'n Those Notes Ch. 12

"We should go," the crankier of the two women said, "The line for the club looks pretty long."

"Not to worry, darl'n, they have a couple tables reserved for us already," Wyatt said, taking the arms of the two women and starting to walk towards the club. "Come find us, Brea," he shouted over his shoulder.

Guess we're done here, I thought to myself with a chuckle. That boy is feeling no pain, for sure! I scanned the lobby again, and not seeing Blake, I headed towards one of the couches to watch for him and do a little people-watching.

Friday, March 29th, 12:11 AM

As soon as I sat down, I saw them exit the elevators and turn towards the casino. Dana was a few steps behind Tyler and Jennifer; he saw me, but the two lovebirds hadn't. I shook my head, and he replied in kind and shrugged. As much as I wanted that pound of flesh from Tyler, he and his girl deserved each other.

Nothing I could say would register, and in the long run, I didn't need any more stress before Blake showed up. Can't fix ignorance or stupidity. I pulled out my phone and texted Kaley, "Just saw Tyler and Jennifer... So in LOVE!"

Kaley: "I'm coming down there..."

Me: "Don't bother. They didn't see me, and honestly, I'm over it. It looks like she's already forgiven him. Love, f'n scary!"

Kaley: "RU with Blake?"

Me: "No, he's late! lol"

Kaley: "I'm coming down there..." She added a frowning face emoji.

Me: "I'm fine; if he stands me up, we can go do something."

Kaley: "K, but not before I track his ass down and light him up for ditching you!"

Me: "Thanks... OIC him! OK..."

Kaley: "Relax. Questions!"

I didn't get a chance to reply before he was standing right in front of me.

"I'm so sorry, couple staffing problems. I should have texted you, but I thought I could break free sooner. Have you been waiting long?"

He looked genuinely flustered about being late; did he have the same 'late' affliction as I did? I smiled to set his mind at ease.

"No, I pretty much just sat down."

Of course I'd been late myself - on purpose; had a nice conversation with Wyatt - debatable; looked around for you no less than a dozen times - did I mention I was late? Had to deal with one grumpy bitch who wanting me gone so she could hang with Wyatt; and finally I got to see a major bit of angst for me this weekend in my favorite power couple, Tyler and Jennifer. I decided not to share any of that with him.

"Okay, good... I am sorry, Brea."

Was there something about how he said my name that made me feel somehow connected? No, he's putting his heart on his sleeve, that's all. Does that mean he cares? Augh... Don't jump to conclusions. Be reserved; let him lead; that's how you'll get a read on this guy.

"I'm fine, Blake; I was just about to watch people. It looks like the audience from the show decided to hang out. You guys did a really good thing here with this competition," I said as a flushed feeling spread over my face. What is my deal?!

"Let me ask you this," he said with a boyish smirk, "How adventurous are you feeling right now?"

Adventurous? Ah, I'm not going midnight white river rafting, bungee jumping, or skinny dipping in the hotel pool - not happening. His question was intriguing, though.

"I might be up for most things, but dressed like this, there's a lot I'm not going to want to do," I said, smiling and certainly interested.

"How about people watching, but from a different perspective?"

Different perspective? Hmm... This better not be some voyeuristic crazy proposition! Okay, maybe I'm a little curious.

"What do you have in mind?"

"Do you trust me?"

Instantly, I thought of the Aladdin movie, when Ali offered to take the princess on a magic carpet ride. Where the hell did I dig that reference up from?! I studied his face while trying to decide what my answer was going to be. Yeah, I trusted him not to abduct me or have something sinister in mind. I could feel the adrenaline shooting through my system as I tried to figure out what he had in mind. Okay, I'm game, Mr. Schultz.

"What do you have in mind," I asked again, though with a hint of a smile and a raised eyebrow.

"Well," he began, "We'd have to get out of here, and it's maybe a fifteen-minute drive, but I think it's worth it."

"Okay, but what is it you want to go do," I asked, now very curious and feeling pleasantly anxious.

"People watch..." he replied.

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Author's Note:

Don't be afraid to rate this story if it's doing anything for you (you don't have to have an account to do so, and there are no prizes for most 'Rates'). If you comment, I will reply directly to you (if you have an account) or in the comments if you're anonymous, so let's chat...

If there are problems or you have criticisms you'd like to share privately, feel free to message me; I'd love to address them if I can.

I'm trying to grow as a storyteller; I'm far from perfect, so any help is much appreciated. Thanks for reading...

Rachel M. Moore