Page 49 of Rival Desires

The thumping music in the background made it hard to hear her, but I had a feeling she’d be shouting even if she was in a library. I’d seen her tipsy before, but this sounded like she was full-on hammered.

“Seriously?” I couldn’t resist playfully poking at her, especially since she had the power to dispel the lingering darkness that had been clouding my mind. “So, who are you then?”

“I’m me!” she exclaimed, her voice brimming with joy.

Her response made me chuckle. “Ah, I see. So you’re not you, you’re me?”

“No, no, no,” she corrected, giggling. “You’re you, and I’m me.”

“Got it,” I replied, grinning. “So tomorrow, you’ll be you again?”

This conversation was off the charts, like the silliest I’d ever had with anyone, and trust me, I’d been through some doozies. Rylee went quiet, and I could hear two others in the background, so I figured she was with her girlfriends. I knew I had no business prying, but I was relieved not to hear any dudes in the mix.

After a solid minute of cricket chirps on the other end, I piped up, “Uh, Rylee? You there?”

Her voice filtered through, sounding like she’d stuffed a sock in her mouth. “What? My phone’s talking. Who’s this?”

I bit back a laugh. If only I could record this for later for my own amusement. “It’s Cory,” I replied, sounding as casual as possible.

“Why’d you call me?” she asked, blissfully unaware of the fact that she was the one who’d dialed my number.

“I didn’t,” I reminded her, trying to keep the smirk out of my voice. “You called me.”

A few seconds of silence passed before she finally said, “Oh! Right, I called ‘cause we’ve got questions.”

“We?” I asked, half-dreading another round of “Who’s on first.”

“Me, Mallory, and Nat,” she replied like I should know all her friends on a first-name basis.

Their voices in the background were as loud as a pack of hyenas, meaning they were probably having the best time ever.

Great. I could picture it now. The three of them perched on barstools, slurring their words and spilling their drinks. Classy.

“Are you guys drinking alone?” I asked, trying to sound like the responsible one for once.

Rylee replied, “Of course not. We’re with each other.”

I sighed. “I meant...” I bit my tongue before I could say anything else. “Never mind. Just tell me where you are.”

“I’m here,” she slurred, as if that was at all helpful.

“Rylee!” I used my I-mean-business voice. “What club are you at?”

She stuttered out a name I recognized, and thankfully, it was only a twenty-minute drive away.

“All three of you, stay put at the bar. Don’t leave with anyone. I’m coming to get you.” Before she could protest, I ended the call, already dreading yet also anticipating the circus I was about to join.

“Oh fuck,” I groaned, standing up and checking my drink. Thankfully, I hadn’t been chugging it and had some food in my system, so I grabbed my keys and headed for the elevator.

My mind was laser-focused on getting to Rylee and her friends before any shenanigans ensued, and I almost stepped out of the elevator before it was fully open. That’s when I bumpedinto someone soft and petite. My hands shot out instinctively, catching them by the shoulders.

“Cory,” the voice registered before anything else, and I knew it was Becky.

“Hi,” I gave her a half-hearted smile. “Oops, sorry about that.”

“No worries; it’s all good.” She flashed a bright smile, lingering in my bubble even after I let go of her shoulders. “Actually, I was kind of hoping to run into you so we could chat.”

I had to interrupt before she got carried away. “Sorry, Becky. Not now. I’ve got some friends I need to catch up with, and it’s kind of urgent.”

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