Page 103 of Pretty Obsessed

"So, every morning."

"You can't possibly have time every day." I could tell he liked the idea more than his defense let on.

"I'm going to make it. Maybe it will make New York seem less far away."

Twenty

River Wade

The next couple of weeks were brutal. They dragged. Between holding Iris up and trying to spend as much virtual time with Emory as possible, they burned me. Left with nothing by the time we boarded a plane to New York, I would have been itching to get to a club to fill my needs had Emory not existed. I’d never been burned out this fast either. Was it because of missing him? Or the weight of Iris on my shoulders?

I couldn’t tell. But I was happy to be on my way to see Emory.

After a twelve-hour flight, the last thing I wanted to do was go to my own party. Either on purpose or not, Emory didn't land until eleven, over an hour after I was due at the club. He wouldn't be at the hotel until close to midnight, preventing him from being coerced into joining me. He said it was the only flight with open seats and I trusted him. Maybe the universe was telling me not yet. Be patient. The time will come. Our time will come.

I didn't like it.

Even after a nap, I didn't feel like going out.

"Your stylist sent over a few things for you to try on."

"Is that what you're wearing?" I asked, eyeing Iris.

"I wore this on the plane, even I'm not that much of a hobo," Iris said like he’d ever looked like a hobo.

"What are you wearing?”

"Black skinny jeans and a T-shirt." He grinned at me like I'd be expecting anything else.

"I don't know, you might have wanted to spice it up today." I forced myself out of the seat I'd taken to consume as much coffee as possible and take a look at what my stylist had in mind. "You don't have any crazy surprises planned for tonight, do you?"

"You only turn halfway through your twenties once. You don't think I'd let you get away with anything less than extravagant?" He seemed lighter since getting back here. Iris loved to write, so hopefully this session help his mental health.

"I'm going to have to sit on something while people sing to me, aren't I?" Flashbacks of birthdays past filled my mind and I shuddered.

"I'll never tell," he said in singsong.

I let Iris pick my clothes from the selection: jeans and a tee with holes in it. A silver necklace and some rings. Easy enough. I didn't feel too out of place.

"My dad would have wrung my neck for paying this much for something with holes in it." I came out of the bathroom and stopped in front of the full-length mirror. Selfishly I didn't care what anyone thought but Emory. I wanted him to see the photos of me out and be dying to take the clothes off me. "What do you think?"

"Everyone's going to want to jump you, but I have a feeling only one matters.”

"How'd you know?"

"The way you look at yourself in the mirror." He ran his fingers through his hair, combing out the waves. "I have to go talk to Alexander. I'll meet you there, ya?"

"Everything okay?" I asked.

"Probably about the session and what I have planned. But who knows when it comes to Alexander?"

My gut twisted as he walked out of the room. I didn't like any of this.

* * *

"It's insane in here," Iris yelled over the din when he finally showed up.

I checked my phone. Just after eleven. What had Alexander wanted for an hour? I didn’t like it. "It's because we are all here. Think about the last time we all went out to the same place at the same time. We don’t do it all that often anymore. It's attracting like ten times the crowd."

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