Submission

Chapter 32

 Once Lorelei went back into the Matrixxx, she drank as much as she could. She needed something to help resist the temptation to look at her phone. She knew that when she turned it back on it would be flooded with messages from Bryan.

Lorelei could not recall how they got home, and she did not remember throwing her cellphone in the side pocket of her suitcase. She knew if it was out of sight that it would be out of mind. Unfortunately, when she woke up in the morning she could not remember where she put her phone.

Molly's groaning caused Lorelei's aching head to throb. She held onto her temple and squinted from the bright light shining in through the window. She was scanning the nightstands and desk for her phone.

She looked over her shoulder when she heard Molly scrambling to get out of the bed. She ran with her hand covering her mouth into the washroom. She got on her knees and began vomiting. Most girls would have gagged at the noise, but bodily fluids no longer bothered Lorelei after years of being a nurse.

Lorelei grabbed a glass off of the desk and dragged her feet into the bathroom. Molly was retching over the toilet. Lorelei filled the glass full of water and sat on the cold tile floor next to Molly. She handed her the glass. Molly took it with one hand while holding her head with her other hand.

"Why did I drink so much?" she asked. "How come you aren't sick?"

"Because I was not drinking everything in sight since the train," Lorelei said. "I do feel rough though."

Molly took a small sip of the water. She put the cold glass against her aching forehead. She closed her eyes before laughing.

"Last night was pretty wild," she said. "Wasn't it?"

"I mean it's not every day you get on stage with a stripper," Lorelei said.

Molly's eyes flew open and went wide. Her jaw dropped and Lorelei giggled.

"That was real?" Molly asked. "I thought it was some wild dream."

"Nope," Lorelei said. "You got up there with Carlos."

Molly raised a brow. "Carlos?"

"Yes." Lorelei nodded. "Carlos. Don't you remember? He talked to us butt-ass naked after you two danced."

Molly groaned as they night was coming back to her. She took small sips of water, afraid that she would be vomiting again.

"Did I miss anything else?" she asked.

"Bryan texted me," Lorelei said.

Molly set the glass down on the floor. She pushed her curls, which were matted with sweat, out of her face.

"Why'd he message you?" she asked. "He's in Muskoka with Anthony and their buddies."

"He was definitely drunk," Lorelei muttered.

"What does that mean?"

Lorelei sighed and then sucked in her bottom lip as she thought. She told Molly everything, but this being Anthony's friend meant that Molly had to know. She did not want unnecessary drama or tension to ruin Molly's wedding.

"He was texting me that he loves me," she said.

"Loves you?" Molly asked. "How many dates did you even go on?"

"Three," she said. "That's how I know that he is drunk."

"Let me see."

"I don't know where my phone is."

Molly gagged before throwing up again. Lorelei held her hair back and rubbed her back as her friend was sick. Once Molly had stopped, she rested her head against her arm that was propped up on the toilet seat.

Lorelei went back into the room. She checked under her pillow and her blankets for her phone. She muttered a curse as she could not find it. She picked up her suitcase and dropped it on the bed. She searched through the bag, but it was nowhere to be found.

The shower turned on and Lorelei knew that Molly must be washing all of the sweat and puke off herself.

Lorelei checked her bag again, but this time looked in every pocket. Her heart fluttered in her chest when her fingers brushed against something cold. She pulled out her phone and smiled. She turned it on, and the phone vibrated as it was flooded with missed calls and unanswered texts.

Lorelei had expected Bryan to be the one to blow up her phone. He left two voicemails and sent her three texts. She had countless messages from Jesse and she saw sixteen missed calls and three voicemails from him. The nausea washed over her as she saw the notifications. She remembered that he wanted her to text him when she got back to the hotel.

She crawled into bed and pulled the blankets up over her head. She kept herself in a cocoon of darkness and comfort as prepared to listen to what she knew would be difficult messages to listen to.

"Lorelei," Bryan's voice slurred. "I don't know what I did wrong, but I have been thinking about you a lot. Please call me back."

She saved the message to her voicemail so that she could show it to Molly.

"Listen, Lorelei," the next message from Bryan started. "I'm sorry, but you need to talk to me. I think that I could be in love with you. You need to call me back."

She also saved that message to her phone. Her heart pounded as she prepared to listen to the messages from Jesse.

"You're not answering any of my texts," he said. "Make sure to call me when you get back to the hotel."

Lorelei bit down on her lip. She was supposed to message him. Her drunk brain was so focused on Bryan that she completely forgot about Jesse wanting to make sure she was okay.

"Lorelei," the next message started. "I need you to at least text me so that I know you're safe."

Her chest tightened as she could hear something in his voice she had never heard before. It sounded like worry.

"Lorelei, I'm not going to be able to sleep until I know you're back from that club," he said. "Please, call me back."

Her hands shook as she looked at the time. It was almost eight in the morning. She wondered if he had really stayed up all night worrying. She let out a shaky breath before she dialed Jesse's number.