"You should shower," Gabriel said. "Take your time. We don't have to go back right away."
"Yeah," Hayley murmured. She gave an almost inaudible sigh as she turned away, still hugging the beach towel tight around her.
He couldn't ignore the almost desolate tone in her voice. "You don't want to go back, do you?"
Her gaze swung back at him. "What? No." She bit her lip. "I'm just a little tired, is all." She gave a small smile. "It's been a long day. But I'll be okay, I promise."
"You don't have to go back to the party if you don't want to, Hayley."
"Don't I?"
"Of course not." He frowned. "What makes you think I'll make you do anything you don't want?"
She shrugged. "It's what you hired me for, isn't it?"
He ran a hand through his hair. "Is it really this hard?"
Her expression softened. "No. Really, it's not. I'm just a little overwhelmed. I'll get over it." She walked toward the corner of the room where their overnight bags had been placed side by side. "I'll catch up when I'm done. You should go back, Edward is probably wondering where you'd gone."
She picked up her bag and carried it with her to the bathroom.
***
Sharing a bedroom with a virtual stranger was tricky— even if that stranger was supposedly your boyfriend. Hayley wasn't going to get dressed in the bedroom when he could walk in at any moment. So she hauled her bag on the marble counter beside the sink. She'd packed the usual bath essentials but a glance around the room told her she didn't have to. The cupboards were stocked with bath and shower products. The sink had four toothbrushes and two kinds of toothpaste.
She showered quickly then put on a short backless red dress. It was a good thing she had heeded Gabriel's suggestion to bring an extra outfit. Now she wondered if he suspected she would get into some kind of trouble that would necessitate having to change her clothes halfway through the party. Which she did, kind of. He probably expected her to spill ketchup all over the couture he'd just bought her or something. But if he wanted someone sophisticated, he should have hired someone else for this job, shouldn't he?
"You could see her split ends from a mile away."
As she dried her hair with the blowdryer, she remembered what that woman in the ladies' room had said about her hair. She held up the end of some strands and squinted. She didn't have that many split ends, maybe just one or two. But then her hair was rather boring. It was neatly cut but boring. She always wanted highlights but it was an expense she couldn't afford. But again, Gabriel knew what he was getting when he hired her.
She dried her hair carefully. Normally, she'd just move the blower all over her hair until it was no longer damp and then brush it. But she took her time if only to delay her inevitable return to the party. She groaned inwardly when she remembered she'd have to put on make-up all over again.
The sight of Gabriel sitting on one of the large armchairs by the window startled her as she walked out of the bathroom. "You're still here?" she said.
He nodded. "Sit down, please," he said, gesturing toward the other chair.
Her knees wobbled a little as she did as he asked. Her heartbeat sped up nervously. This was it. He was going to tell her this wasn't working. That he'd made a mistake hiring her. That she was clearly unfit for the role, seeing as she couldn't even get through one birthday party without running away or falling into the pool and ruining her brand new outfit from Dior.
"Tell me what happened," he said.
"What?"
"You said you were going to the ladies' room. Then a few minutes later my sister tells me to hurry up and go look for you at the pool. And I find you and my best friend in the water." He frowned. "Did he push you in?"
"No!" She knitted the fingers of both hands together nervously. "He fell in. And he stayed under for such a long time I thought he was drowning or something."
"What were you doing there?"
"I was coming from the house. I used the ladies' room downstairs."
"There's a bathroom outside near the party."
She shrugged. "Yeah, but it was..." She paused. "It was full."
After a long moment, he nodded but his brow was slightly furrowed as though he didn't fully understand. "I see. Is there anything else you want to tell me?"
She shook her head. There was no way she was going to tell him about the women in the bathroom. It was just too humiliating. "No. I'm fine, really. I just need to put on some make-up and I'll be ready to go."
He smiled. "You don't seem exactly enthusiastic about going back."
"No, I—"
"Hayley, it's fine." He got up. "I'll go say goodnight to Edward and tell him we're turning in early." He looked around. "Is there anything you need? A toothbrush?"
"No." She smiled and nodded toward the bathroom. "It's practically a pharmacy in there. But..." She sighed. "You shouldn't have to miss the party just because I am."
"We'll be here all weekend. I won't be missing anything." With a reassuring grin, he left the room.
Hayley leaned back into the chair with relief. A reprieve. At least until tomorrow, when she'd have to face Edward and his friends again. She bit her lip. Of course they were Gabriel's friends too. She'd have to get along with them for the next three months. Why did the movies make these arrangements seem so easy? Sure, the money was good, but you had to go to places you didn't belong. And make friends with people who despised you. There was so much ... emotional labor involved. She had no idea what it was until Jenna brought it up a few months ago. Now here she was hiding from a bunch of people who probably didn't give a shit whether she was at the party or not, feeling exhausted from the two hours she spent in their company.
She changed into her pajamas. But just as she was about to get into bed, she realized she and Gabriel hadn't discussed their sleeping arrangements. Were they supposed to get into bed together? Was he planning to...
She shook her head. No way. He had always seemed to take for granted that they would never have sex. And so had she. But then... he kissed her. In front of everyone. And not just a quick kiss — which was all he would need to show people they were truly a couple —but a long, deep, lingering one. The memory of it made her lips tingle and her heart race. Her gaze fell on the couch. It wasn't nearly big enough for someone of her height — and she was barely five-four — but otherwise it looked comfortable.
A quick check of the closet revealed an extra comforter and sheets. She carried them to the couch and made a bed. She settled under the comforter, her lower legs dangling over one end of the couch. It would have to do. Turning on her phone, she pulled up Instagram.
This was her nightly ritual, going through her news feed. It was Paris Fashion Week for men's wear and she did like looking at the photos and videos of the runways and red carpets. But it was the women's images that she enjoyed the most. Especially the French models in their carefree yet stylish outfits, barely any makeup on their perfect faces and hair expertly mussed as though to say, "Why, yes, I woke up like this." Hayley sighed contentedly, feeling relaxed for the first time all day.
A few minutes later, she found a photo posted by Francisca Bahiense, a Brazillian model. She had her arm around two female friends and it looked like they were at a party. The lantern lights and fountain in the background looked naggingly familiar.
"Partying with @EdLam999 in California #EdLam27"
Hayley sat bolt upright. Holy shit. Francesca was here. Actually here. She was right now partying by the beach with Edward and... Gabriel." Hayley looked around. Gabriel had been gone for twenty minutes now. Maybe he changed his mind and decided to stay at the party after all.
She swallowed the lump in her throat. Why wouldn't he, though? Why would he want to leave the party early just because his girlfriend — fake girlfriend— was a clumsy, pool-jumping weirdo? Why, indeed, when there were women like Francisca and her friends who looked like they could go on having fun all night? Despite her better judgment, Hayley clicked on the hashtag #EdLam27.
There were ten photos so far. Not a lot, and she didn't see anyone she recognized apart from Edward. She dragged a fingertip down the screen to refresh the page. An eleventh photo appeared.
It was Gabriel. The photo was a selfie, taken by a smiling woman whose head rested on his shoulder. Cold gripped Hayley's chest when she recognized the woman in the picture. One of the women who were talking about her in the bathroom, the one in the lamé pantsuit.
I guess that's one way to say goodbye, Hayley thought. She tapped on the account name to see who it was. Her name was Zenia C. according to her profile info.
Zenia's been looking for you. She keeps asking me if I was sure you were coming.
Hayley swallowed. Oh, so this was who Zenia was. An old friend? An ex-girlfriend?
A future girlfriend, maybe?
The knock at the door made her nearly jump off the couch. Shit. Gabriel was back. She locked her phone and dropped it on the couch as she got to her feet.
The man who was standing outside the door when she opened it wasn't Gabriel. A tall, wet blond grinned down at her. "Could I use your shower?"
"Uh... yeah, sure," she said, motioning for Reinheart to come in. "Your room doesn't have an en suite?"
"I'm staying at a hotel about a couple of kilometers down the main road," he said. "I'd rather not drive back like this." He stepped inside the room and looked around. "Where's Gabriel?" His gaze narrowed on her. "And why are you dressed like you're going to bed?"
"Because I'm going to bed?"
He looked over her shoulder. "You're sleeping on the couch?"
Oh fuck.
"I.. uh..." Hayley blinked, her brain scrambling for a plausible explanation. "No! I mean, I'm not going to bed yet. Just hanging out on the couch, checking my phone for messages." She winced inwardly. God that sounded stupid.
But Reinheart just shrugged. "I'll be quick," he assured her before stepping inside the bathroom.
After ten minutes, he emerged in a fluffy white bathrobe, rubbing a towel over his wet hair. "May I use the intercom?" he said,
"Sure," Hayley said, trying to look casual sitting on the side of the bed. She'd removed the sheets, comforter and pillows off the couch and stashed them back in the closet. If he noticed, he didn't say anything.
"Hi. Yes, you can come pick it up now," he said into the white cordless phone then returned it to the mount on the wall. At her confused expression, he said, "I'm having my clothes washed."
"Oh." Right. He wasn't staying in the house, so he probably didn't bring any clothes with him. "Do you want to watch some TV?"
He rested his hands on his hips, frowning in thought. "I'm actually hungry." He picked up the phone again. "I'm having some food sent up. Do you want anything?"
She shook her head.
Nodding, he put the receiver against his ear and pressed a number. "Yes, could you send up a hamburger or something? With fries?" A pause. "Yes, that's fine. Thank you."
When he replaced the receiver, a thought occurred to Hayley. "You didn't drive here drunk, did you?" she said carefully.
He smiled. "Your concern is touching." He tossed the towel over the back of one of the armchairs and plopped down on it. "I'm alive, aren't I?"
"That was still really dangerous, Reinheart. You could have hit someone."
Grinning, he put a hand over his chest. "I promise you I didn't hit anyone or anything. And I will sober up before driving back. Now will you stop looking at me like my sixth-grade schoolteacher?"
She wrinkled her nose. "Is it a girl?" she said.
"A girl?" He raised an eyebrow.
"The reason you're drunk."
He barked out a laugh. "Of course it is."
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
This episode is up a week early, yay! I hope you enjoyed it, loves! If you did, please don't forget to hit that star icon to vote ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Episode 17 "A Beast in the Dark" will be up on December 6. If you'd like to read ahead, episodes 17 to 20 are available through the site below (please type the URL on your browser):
https://anselacorsino.com/rs
Episode 17"A Beast in the Dark"
Episode 18 "No Turning Back"
Episode 19 "Negotiations"
Episode 20 "Clarity"