Page 88 of Finding New Dreams

“I’m not gonna puke,” I muttered through clenched teeth.

I closed my eyes and breathed deeply through my nose. Eventually, the churning subsided. Grabbing a water bottle from the cooler, I downed that and a few ibuprofen tablets.

Sarah passed out soon after, and Carter had to carry her to their room. Hunter came to pick up a sleepy, smiling Chloe.

I watched them go with a sigh.

After washing my face and brushing my teeth, I crawled into my bed and said goodnight to Gina who was sitting cross-legged on her bed, glaring at her phone as she typed. Probably Matteo.

I picked up my charging phone.

Rose: Goodnight, Flynn. Sweet dreams.

A minute later, a knock sounded on the door. Half-asleep, I waved at Gina to get it. Sarah or Chloe must’ve left something.

Gina opened the door and murmured to someone on the other side. Someone with a deep voice.

“Rose,” she whispered. “It’s Flynn.”

I bolted upright, smoothed my hair, then threw on a large sweater over my tank top and shorts. Gina winked as she went back to her bed. I opened the door wider, and there he was, leaning against the door frame. His hair was loose around his face, and his eyes looked sleepy.

A tender smile lifted his lips. “Hey, beautiful. Just wanted to say goodnight in person.”

A warm glow bloomed in my soul, like dancing fireflies. “I’m glad you did.”

He shifted upright and gently cupped my face in both his hands. “Sweet dreams, Rose.” He laid a soft kiss on my forehead.

“Sweet dreams, Flynn,” I whispered.

He was gone before I could think anything else. That’d been real, right? I daydreamed a lot, but that was amazing.

Shaking my head, I shut and locked the door. I flopped back on my bed, smiling.

“Oh, Rosie,” Gina said with a sigh.

But I didn’t hear if she said anything else before I passed out.

The next morning, after eating at a mind-blowing breakfast buffet and exchanging more than a few long looks with Flynn, the group separated for the day’s activities.

I fell into a world of hot towels, soothing hands, and lazy pampering. My body practically shone with relaxation and cleanliness.

I barely had time to wonder when we should start getting ready for casino night before Chloe marched us back to our rooms. We changed and grabbed a delicious dinner at a café around the corner from the casino hotel.

Precisely an hour and a half before Casino Time, we went back to the hotel to get ready. We curled and crimped our hair, did each other’s bold, fun makeup, and slipped into our gorgeous costumes.

We laughed and made faces as we took about a million selfies and group pictures.

“Time to go!” Chloe announced. She waved her phone. “The guys are waiting for us by the casino entrance.”

We crowded around the mirrors for a final hair and makeup check then hurried out the door.

My heart rose to my throat as the elevator sank to the lobby. Dozens of other casino-goers in their finest flapper and Prohibition-era formal wear streamed toward the casino entrance.

But one group of men stood out.

Our guys wore hats, suspenders, slacks, and shiny shoes. Louis had added a bowtie. Owen chewed on the end of a fat, fake cigar. Hunter and Carter wore button-downs and vests, looking like they should be carrying newspapers under their arms. Wyatt wore a white jacket over his shoulders. And Flynn…

He’d slicked back his long hair and trimmed his facial hair to leave his dark sideburns and a close-cut mustache and beard. His outfit was all black except for white suspenders, and he’d rolled up his shirt sleeves, exposing tan, muscular forearms and the beaded bracelet he always wore.

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