It Happened in Vegas

Chapter IX

Elise stormed toward the elevator with Arson behind her trying to keep pace. "El, if you could just hold on a sec I can--"

"Yeah, explain. I know." Elise interrupted as she stopped abruptly right before reaching the elevator.

She turned around just as Arson was reaching for her arm. She snatched her hand back. "Don't fucking touch me Albert." She hissed.

He was taken aback by her tone, and he let his hand fall to his side. "Look, you're mad at me. I know, just let me explain." He begged.

"You keep asking me to let you explain. All I'm hearing is an explanation that you have some kind of explanation, yet, I am hearing no actual explanation. So... If you truly have an explanation, which I doubt you can formulate that is good enough for me not to smack you, I suggest you start FUCKING EXPLAINING ALREADY!" She shouted.

A door down the hallway peeked open and then closed once the action had grabbed Elise's attention. She looked around the hallway suddenly aware of her volume. She took a self note of where she was and thought it best to keep her voice down.

Arson hesitated for a while. Elise was clearly growing impatient but he had to think of something to say. He never actually had an explanation, he just didn't want Elise to walk away.

"Look, I'll answer any questions you have, all of them. With complete honesty, just please don't leave like this." Arson asked, trying his hardest to express how sincere he was.

Elise looked him up and down. She didn't answer for a long while. "Whatever, but I need a drink and you're paying for it." Elise responded, pushing the elevator button to call it up to where she was.

The door opened up to her and she walked in. Arson tried to enter behind her. "Uh, no. Either wait for the next one or take the stairs. I don't want to be that close to you." She pushed the button to close the door, and as it closed she let out a loud grunt of frustration.

He played me. He played me for MONTHS. I'm so fucking stupid to not have seen the signs. They were right the fuck there... I should have known it wasn't me! He didn't wanna have sex with me because he was fucking some --they probably had sex in my bed. My house! He could have sucked dick and came right home and kissed me. The thought made her nauseous. They were smiling in my face and playing me behind my back. Cyrus was my fucking friend. Or was he? Stupid little bitch. And Albert, I gave him a place to stay, I fed hi--

The elevator door opened and her train of thought derailed as she stepped out. She walked the short distance from the elevator to the surprisingly quiet hotel bar. It was 7 in the afternoon so the bar and hotel had been mostly abandoned by the call of the casino. The bar had only the pianist, bartender, and a few patrons at the end of the bar and in the black, leather, lounge chairs. The bar was modern and classy. The lights were dimmed and the music was bluesy. 'Seems fitting for my shit-uation', She thought.

After ordering her Jack and Coke, she charged it to Arson's room and took a sip of it.

Arson walked into the bar and sat down on the stool next to her. He decided not to make eye contact.

"What do you want to know?" He asked.

She took another drink, "How many others were there?" She asked, neither of them looking at each other.