Something About You

Chapter 8

I smile a grin, "I need some socks too please."

She grabs a hat, a light jacket, a purse, throws the purse over her shoulder, puts on a pair of shoes, and follows me out the door.

"I could be a serial killer and you just invited me into your room you do realize that?" I look at her.

"And look at us now. You're wearing my clothes and showing me your city. Plus, I can read people well."

"And?"

"You're genuine. I can pick up on that. Good people are hard to find and something about tonight clicked that there's something about you Parker. I'm eager to know more." She pauses, looks at me and then looks down the hallway.

I smile again as we get inside the elevator. I press Casino and look to her in the corner of my eye. The doors open, and I guide her to the right. The casino is starting to dim out a little, but we can hear people yelling at the table games. We walk towards the end of the casino to large glass doors that lead to the sidewalk along the strip. I open the door for her and feel much more at ease.

It surprises me we're able to walk out and about like this. No bodyguard, just us two. She doesn't put her hat on and isn't looking down. She's fixated on our surroundings. Bright lights everywhere and a much smaller crowd of people versus during the day. If there was a time to see Sin City, this was it.

We walk down to the Bellagio where the notorious water show takes place. I stop us when it seems like we're in the center from one end to the other. She takes off her jacket and is wearing a red tank top. My eyes gaze at her entire body as she wraps the jacket around her waist.

"The show times change throughout the day." I look at my phone and disregard the twenty something texts from the girls. "3:18. I say it goes on at 3:30."

"Have you lived here your whole life?" She pulls her hair around to one side of her head.

"Up until I left for college in Reno. I've got a year left there, just here for the summer."

"Then where?" She's genuinely interested in everything I have to say.

It seems as if my dad was right, celebrities are just people. Normal people who would like normal conversation over people constantly taking pictures of them.

"I'm not really sure. Kind of scares me thinking about moving my life somewhere new. Scary, but also thrilling." I want to talk about her. "Did you always want to be an actress?"

"Ever since I was a kid. I knew I wanted to be in entertainment whether a talk show host or on TV somehow. I enjoy getting emotions out of people. Any emotion; happiness, sadness, anger, or even just getting them to laugh. I love doing that but honestly, it's not what everyone thinks it to be. There are a lot of perks and fun things about my life but it's lonely and frustrating a lot of the time." It seems I'm pulling the emotion from her. "People will say whatever they want about you and others believe it. I don't pay attention to the news anymore, I can't for my sanity's sake; and I'm careful who I surround myself with. Most people just want my friendship for their benefit."

"You kind of get the best and worst of everything sometimes." I try to empathize.

"Yeah I do." She looks at me then looks down; her fingers are intertwining with another.

"From a normal person's point of view who has only known you for a few hours, I think you carry yourself well. And from the interviews and talk shows I've seen, it seems you don't really care what anyone else thinks apart from the closest people to you. That's my hunch." I try to be more empathetic, but I really don't know what it's like.

I can tell it's been a long time since she's had a good, heart-felt conversation with someone without an alternate agenda.

"I'm not bad at reading people either. To me, it seems you only keep a few people very close to you, and not even they know your deepest secrets and thoughts." I look out to the water and feel her eyes locked onto me. "You seem very honest and straightforward, but I have a hunch there's also a layer to you no one really sees." My eyes drift back and meet hers.

Her mouth opens and she's about to speak when the lights flicker and the music for the water show begins. We turn to face the water, no one near us. I've seen this water show a few times before so as Claire is watching the aquatic performance, I am watching her; trying not to be too obvious, I turn my head at an angle to watch the show but to see her too.

Her eyes light up and a smile comes to her face as she becomes mesmerized by the water in tune with the music. "This Kiss" by Faith Hill is the upbeat melody swaying our bodies back and forth. I can't say that I've seen anything more beautiful or intoxicating before. The water display is just background to me as I follow her eyes tracing the bursts of water, her hips swaying, and her hands on the stone railing getting closer to mine.

She must have seen me staring in her peripherals because she looked at me and looked back at the water.

"It's beautiful!"

I don't turn to the water, I stay tuned in to her and nod, "Mhm."

It was one of those cheesy movie moments, but this wasn't acting. This was real. Everything in Sin City became background noise the moment we locked eyes in that club. I had never seen the city, sober at least, this time at night with a stranger I just met and yet, it's the best experience I've ever had.

The song was just about over and so was the show. This moment seemed like it was a perfect ending to a perfect night, but I wasn't ready to let Claire go.

"How about we take a drive to my side of town?"

"Absolutely." She didn't hesitate. "I'll call my driver."

"This late in the night? I just figured a cab."

"Edan won't mind at all, he's the best." She pulls her phone from her purse and calls him to meet us in valet where I was dropped off with my friends earlier that night.