Page 88 of What I'm Looking For

As I perch on the couch, she puts her feet up on the coffee table. “Tell me about the wedding. I love a good wedding. I want to make a real wedding dress someday. I’ve done a few for shows. What was your cousin’s like? Empire? Princess?”

I answer Deb’s seemingly endless list of questions about the wedding dress, the bridesmaids’ dresses and even the flowers. Finally, I’m able to wrap up the conversation.

“I’m going to look for Will. If I don’t see him, I’ll call later.”

“He’s had a long couple days—he worked on the film overnight again after helping out at the theater all day.” Her lips purse. “He might be taking a nap.”

“Okay, I’ll check in his room.” When I stand, another guest instantly takes my spot on the couch. “See you later.”

Paddling upstream through the crowd, I make my way down the hall. Holding my breath as I edge past a group of smokers, I finally arrive at Will’s door, which is closed.

I knock softly. “Will?”

The music is too loud to hear an answer. I carefully turn the knob and ease the door open, not wanting to wake him if he is sleeping.

It’s dim enough that it takes a moment for my eyes to adjust. I slip inside. Just as I ease the door shut behind me, I hear a moan. A female-sounding moan. I squint. Bodies, not one but two, shift on the bed. My heart pounding, I step closer. Unfortunately, I can now see clearly. The picture is not a welcome one. Will’s on his back, his arm around a half-dressed woman. The beautiful blonde I’d politely ushered in the back door.

Callie.

WILL

My eyes fluttering open, swimming up to the surface of consciousness, I’m still halfway holding onto a very strange dream. Something to do with a couple of teens in our kids’ program getting married and I’m supposed to officiate, but there was a problem with them carrying swords?

Letting it go, I take in the darkness of my room. My clock says 7:25. A.M. or P.M.? And what day is it? Memories slowly drift to the front of my brain. Coming back to my room in the middle of the party, desperately in need of my bed. Shoving earplugs in my ears and drawing the blackout curtains. I guess I finally got some sleep.

My bladder says the nap was a long one, but when I swing my legs off the side of the bed, a noise behind me snaps my attention to a sheet-covered form huddled by the wall. Did Kate come over? I close my eyes again, but I don’t remember seeing her at the party.

I don’t think I had much to drink, but my brain’s still fuzzy, so it’s a struggle to remember everything that happened over the weekend. Friday’s night of shooting the film hadn’t been enough, so we’d been at it again Saturday night. After getting home at five this morning, I got a couple hours of sleep before Deb and Pam started clanging around with party prep. So over the whole weekend, I got about six hours of sleep. The party started at noon, I had a couple beers. Sometime in the early afternoon, I was falling asleep on the couch mid-conversation with someone, so I came back here to take a nap.

Kate must’ve come over at some point and climbed into bed with me.

Quietly throwing on some clothes, I duck out to the bathroom. The party’s still going on, though it seems to have wound down. The hall isn’t choked with people, anyway. Maybe I’ll wake Kate her favorite way.

Back in my room, I quietly shuck off my clothes off again, ready for some good old-fashioned makeup sex. When I lift the sheet to slide back in bed, however, the head of hair revealed isn’t straight and brown. It’s wavy and blonde.

What the fuck?

A whimper, and the body turns over.

It isn’t Kate.

It’s Callie.

What. The. Fuck?

“Callie! What are you doing here?”

She moans. “Stop yelling at me. Ugh.” She rolls over and pulls the sheet over her head.

“Callie. What are you doing in my bed?”

“I don’t know. I came to surprise you, but you were asleep. I was tired so I joined you.”

“Well. You need to go. Now.”

She yawns and stretches and the sheet drops, revealing her naked torso. “Are you sure? We could fool around.” She reaches out, trailing a finger down my thigh. “You’re looking pretty yummy right now.”

I step back and throw on my clothes. “No, thank you, Callie. I’m seeing someone else.” I think. I’m not sure what’s happening between us but I’m not getting into that right now. “I’m leaving the room. When I get back, you need to be gone.”

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