Page 55 of On the Way to You

“Of course we’ll give you the employee discount. That brings your total down forty percent. Oh, and,what do you know— that dress just happens to be off our clearance rack!”

They all just watched me, their flawless smiles surrounding me in the dressing room, and it was all I could do not to fall apart. I didn’t know whether to cry or hug them all, but I settled for the latter, whispering a thank you in Antonio’s ear.

“My pleasure. Now, go fix that hair and get your face done, and show thatfriendof yours what you’re working with.”

It was late by the time I got my hair and makeup done and changed into my new clothes. My palms were sweaty as I texted Emery, asking him where he was, and when it took him almost twenty minutes to answer, I started to panic at the thought of going all out only to end up partying by myself.

But my phone eventually lit up with his name. He’d gone down the strip, but was on his way back to the club inside our hotel. Marquee.

I sighed a breath of relief that I wouldn’t have to find a cab — or worse, walk down the strip. I’d already walked Kalo when I got back from the mall, but I wanted to wait a while before making my way down. No way was I showing up before him. So, I sat on the edge of the bed, completely dressed and ready, petting my dog.

So cool.

When I’d managed to burn another twenty minutes, I checked my reflection one more time in the mirror.

The dress fit like a glove, just like it had in the store, and my fingers played with the gold chains of the choker as I took in the whole ensemble. I’d picked up a black clutch to match at the last second, and I held it in the hand not touching the chains. My hair was curled in soft waves that fell down my back and over my shoulders, and my glasses were tucked in my toiletry bag, leaving my eyes bare for the first time in years. I had fake lashes and more makeup than I even knew existed on my face, courtesy of Mac, and even though I looked completely different, I didn’t feel weird.

I felt beautiful.

I wondered how many girls experienced this every day when they looked in the mirror as I slipped the hotel key into my clutch, letting the door click softly shut behind me. My eyes studied the rhinestones on my flats as they carried me to the elevator, my hands fiddling with my curls. I was anxious to see Emery, to see his reaction to me. Maybe he wouldn’t care — after all, he’d been attracting drop-dead gorgeous women his entire life. But maybe he’d see what I did. Maybe he’d see the girl he kissed under the stars in Colorado, the girl waiting for him to tell her what the hell was going on in his head.

It was like playing a game of chess where none of the rules I’d learned applied anymore. There were new pieces, new movements, new strategies — and I had no idea how to play. All I could do was watch and learn from my opponent, which put me at a steep disadvantage.

The club was inside the hotel, the entrance located on the second floor, and the line was wrapped around the thumping dome that surrounded it as I rounded the hallway that housed the elevators. I stepped up to the back of the crowd, forcing a shaky breath and holding my clutch in both hands as I waited.

A group of girls in front of me was laughing when I approached, all of them visibly drunk, but after a moment, I noticed them whispering to each other, their eyes flicking to me every now and then.

More specifically, to my leg.

I stood as tall as I could, trying to ignore them and keep my eyes trained on the bouncers checking IDs at the front. It was working until one of them turned to me, blinding me with a smile so bright against her bronze skin I almost squinted.

“Sorry for staring,” she said, a thick Spanish accent curling the words, and I was surprised by the sweet tone of her voice. She was still giggling with her friends, but still, I waited for the insult, for thebless your heartkind of comment that would come next. She only shook her head with awe in her eyes as she gave me another once over. “We just can’t stop talking about how amazing you look.”

“Me?” I nearly choked.

She laughed, the other girls succumbing to another fit of giggles. “Yes, you. That dress is stunning, and your hair… I wish I could get mine to look like that.”

“Seriously,” one of her friends added. “It’s so shiny. Like a shampoo commercial.”

More giggles.

I blushed. “Thank you, but all credit goes to the hair place across the strip. This mess is usually in a braid,” I said, running a few fingers through my curls.

“Mine is usually in a messy bun, so I get it,” the first girl said. “Well, anyway, you look awesome. See you inside?”

“Sure,” I said, and I couldn’t fight the smile creeping its way onto my face once she turned around again.

Lily once told me there’s nothing more genuine than a compliment from a drunk girl, and I held onto that as the line moved forward. My confidence was still roughly the size of a pea, but they’d made me feel as good as when I’d looked in the mirror upstairs. Maybe my leg wasn’t the only thing people saw, after all.

The line moved quickly, and before I knew it, I’d had my ID checked and I was ushered inside. My nerves were on high alert when I handed the bouncer my fake, but he barely glanced at it, seeming much more interested in my attire than my age. I was inside before I could put my ID away again, but it wasn’t a club I found on the other end of the door.

It was a concert.

Bright neon lights flashed, rays of green and purple stretching across the crowd on the dance floor and bouncing off the walls in the back. Dancers lined the railings on the left and right of the dance floor, each of them wearing platinum wigs and glowing makeup, dressed in nothing but what appeared to be black underwear and bras as they danced in time with the beat of the electronic music.

The bass thumped through me and my heart rate accelerated with it.

How the hell am I going to find Emery in here?