What If

3. A Flip of the Eggs

I glanced at the clock radio again. We were about an hour away from Atlantic City and Lydia had fallen asleep in the car. When I saw her up close in the diner, I was stunned how beautiful she was. She had shoulder length dark brown hair, hazel eyes, and a slender body.

I had no idea what she was doing on that bridge, and I wasn't going to pry. It was her business. I was surprised when she accepted to come with me. But deep down, I was hoping she would. With the anniversary of my parents death coming up, the idea of making a new friend and getting out of the city seemed like a good distraction.

I was growing tired of the same routine. I just needed a change. I loved my job, loved my apartment—but money didn't get you everything. My friends were also loaded, so they never wanted to do anything 'normal' people did. Just last week, I asked one of my best friends if he wanted to see a movie. He thought I was kidding and laughed. Then he asked if I was ill when he realized I was being serious. That's also the main reason I didn't want to go to the Hamptons. I'm tired of the same fucking crap. And CRAZY Amy.

"Be careful, son. Money changes a person." My father told me that after I sold my first software product. I could  still hear his voice in my head, clear as a bell. I respected my father and I tried every day to be the man he was. He would definitely not have liked my car, that's for sure. Hell, I didn't even like it. It was a gift from the head of Microsoft. An attempt to bribe me to merge with them.

I glanced over to Lydia in the passenger seat. She didn't have a bag or anything with her. She was going to need some clothes and other stuff at some point. We would have to take care of that once we got to the casino. That, and food. I was fucking starving.

As if on cue, she started to stir in her seat. She rubbed her eyes and stretched in the small space. She looked momentarily confused by her surroundings. She glanced at me and jumped, putting her hand to her chest.

"God! You scared me."

I grinned at her. "No, Sean. Remember?" 

She let out a small laugh. "Yes. Yes, I remember." She rubbed her hand over her face. "Sorry about that."

"No worries."

She let out a long breath and leaned forward to look through the windshield. "Where are we?"

"About twenty minutes from the hotel."

"So, what's the plan again? I mean this was your idea."

I kept my eyes straight ahead as I answered. "Well, once we get to the suite we can eat some food. Then I'm going to crash for a few hours. We'll take it from there."

"Sounds good to me."

When we arrived at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, I pulled up to the valet parking. We got out of the car and Lydia let out a low whistle.