“He’s just Luke; nerdy awkward Luke. What can we get into tonight?” I asked.
“How do you feel about the casino?” she asked. “We could play the penny slots or something.”
“Sounds good to me. Anything to get me away from that damn dinner,” I said.
“Come on. I’ll show you where the casino is.”
We made our way to the elevator and took it up to the casino floor. There were card games and slot machines, dice being rolled, and roulette being played. There were flashing lights, the music was cranked up and members of staff walking around in tuxedos and brightly-colored costumes.
But when I turned a corner to explore the place, Luke was standing at the other end of it, staring back at me.
“Ana,” I said as I backtracked. “Ana, where are you?”
I looked around, trying to find my best friend.
“Are you fucking kidding me? Where did you go?” I asked.
“I’m right here. Don’t get your panties in a—”
Her eyes fluttered over my shoulder, and I chanced a look behind me.
“Is that motherfucker following us?” Ana asked.
“I don’t know. I really don’t,” I said.
“Come on. Let’s weave through some aisles and then dip into the elevator,” she said.
Ana took my arm, and I went wherever she led. We bobbed and weaved, getting completely lost in the maze of lights and sounds. We timed it right and stepped into the elevator just as Luke came out of the casino.
He turned and looked at me as the elevator doors closed.
“Fucking creep,” Ana said.
“Ana,” I said, giving her a look. “Stop, he’s totally harmless.”
But then, the elevator doors shot back open. Luke smiled and stepped in, allowing the doors to close without pressing a button. I could feel the irritation coming off of Ana in waves and I was silently willing her not to say anything.
“I’m not feeling very well,” I said.
“You wanna go back to the room?” Ana asked.
“Yeah. I think this is a room service and rest kind of night,” I said.
“Allow me to escort you back. I want to make sure you’re okay,” Luke said.
“Oh, you don’t have to do that,” I said as I looked behind me.
“Really. If something happened to you or something, I’d want to be there to help,” Luke said.
“Look, creep. She’s got it. Okay? Just go away and stop following us,” Ana said.
I shot a look toward Ana, but she shot me one right back. The elevator door opened on the fourth floor, and Ana dragged me off and down the hallway.
“What are we—?”
“Shut up and keep walking, okay?” she asked.
The elevator doors shut behind us, and I turned around. No one was there, not even Luke. And I sighed with relief as Ana dragged me over to the stairs.