Rugged Guard - Jason Collins Page 0,65

I felt Parker stir beside me, his body shifting closer to my own on the bedsheets.

“Are you awake?” Parker’s voice was small as he asked the question. “If you’re not, don’t say anything.”

“I’m awake,” I murmured, my eyes still firmly closed. “What’s up?”

“Do you think they have Advil? In the shops downstairs? In the hotel?” Parker’s words came out broken apart, his tone cracking as he spoke. “I was just—I feel like shit, Derek.”

“One too many rainbow cocktails, huh?” I sighed. “Me too.”

“Do you think you could go pick some Advil up for us?” Parker rested his head on my shoulder. “I would go myself, but I’m afraid that if I try to stand up, I’m just going to fall right over.”

“You probably would,” I replied. “And yeah. I can go. Did you want something to drink, too? Maybe a vodka tonic?”

“Very funny, Derek.” Parker groaned. “Fuck. Don’t even talk to me about alcohol right now. I swear, if I think about it too long, I’m probably going to throw up.”

Going downstairs was a mistake.

Despite it being early in the morning, the hotel didn’t seem to care, nor did any of its patrons. The casino section was already up and running, with flashing lights and ringing noises blaring from every slot machine. And there was already a noisy line at the buffet too, as excited families chatted about their plans for the day, while children ran up and down the halls.

I’d never been more thankful to own a pair of bar-branded sunglasses in my life as I made my way through the crowded casino floor, all in search of one of those shops Vegas hotels typically had downstairs, the ones where tourists and travelers could pick up something Vegas-y to go, whether that was a tumbler or souvenir keychain or a bag of M&Ms.

I felt a smile spread across my face as I finally spotted just the kind of store I was looking for.

I happily stepped inside the store, grateful for the silence of its aisles. It didn’t take me too long to find some Advil and a few bottles of water, and I brought them up to the register as soon as I’d grabbed the items.

But as I set my items down on the counter, my eyes going up to the cashier’s own, I felt a lump form right in the middle of my throat.

“You?” I asked, quickly looking around the desk, checking its surface for any sign of plant life or greenery.

“Yep. It’s me.” The same woman from last night, who’d been working behind the counter at the chapel, shot me an annoyed glance. “Who are you again?”

“Sorry,” I apologized. “We… met last night. I came into the chapel—”

“Right. After everything was already closed.” She nodded as she took my items into her palm, soon scanning them and placing them in a bag. “Sorry if I came off like a bitch last night. I just get so frustrated working there, you know. There are so many couples that—” She seemed to stop herself as she shook her head. “You know what? I should just shut my mouth. I don’t need another Yelp review calling me out by my name for bad customer service.”

“What were you going to say?” I pressed. “About the couples? At the chapel?”

“You don’t want to know.”

“No. Trust me. I do.”

“Fine,” she relented as she waved a hand. “But if you get pissed off at me, you keep that shit to yourself. Don’t spread it around online or tag me on Twitter.” She took in a deep sigh before she spoke again. “I was just going to say that there are so many couples that come in there and it’s super fucking obvious they have no idea what they’re getting into. They think they want to get married, just because they’re in Vegas. Well, whooped-de-doo! Everyone wants to get married when they come to Vegas! It’s supposed to make you feel that way, like you’re falling in love, like you’re only a few minutes away from winning a million bucks. But it’s not real. And if you get married under that haze…”

“The marriage isn’t real either?”

“I don’t know.” She shrugged. “I just think the odds are against you.”

“Aren’t they always?”

“Just don’t do anything stupid, all right?” she continued, nodding at the register. “That’ll be twenty bucks, even.”

“Twenty bucks? For a few bottles of water and Advil—”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah. Welcome to Vegas, pal,” the woman interrupted before she blew a bubble with her gum. “If you’re