A/N: This short story was inspired by the song "Drew Barrymore" by Bryce Vine. Feel free to use this song as your own prompt, too!
Bill was having difficulty containing his excitement about the evening as he straightened his tie and grabbed the keys to his Maserati. He couldn't believe his luck that Jessica happened to be in Vegas the same time he was visiting the city for a development conference. He hadn't seen her in, fuck, like a year?
She'd been avoiding him, and he frowned at the thought. His scowl was partly from disappointment and partly from his own guilt.
Jess hated the limelight, and the limelight followed William Rhodes Wilson like a shadow. Technically, it wasn't his fault. He was just...well known. He didn't necessarily want the spotlight on himself, but it happened when you became the young, unattached CEO of a multibillion dollar development firm.
When Jess had posted she was going to be in Vegas the same time as him, he'd sent her a message asking if they could meet up. He'd wanted to see her since, well, since Seattle when the fucking paparazzi had scared her off.
At the threshold of the door to his hotel suite, Bill paused in front of the mirror and took in his form in the tailor-made suit.
Shit.
Maybe...maybe it would be best to go sort of incognito for this meet-up. His suit wasn't really negotiable as he'd grown accustomed to always wearing a suit, but he looked at the keys to his favorite car wistfully before placing them back on the hallway table and sending a quick message to his PA asking the man to arrange for a driver, something discrete and less ostentatious than his car.
A few minutes later, Chuck texted back that the car would be downstairs in 15, and Bill smiled. He typed out a quick message to Jess before he left, making sure his hotel key was safely in his pocket.
You decide where we're eating tonight?
Bill scowled when he saw that the message was read, but she didn't reply. Maybe she was going to back out? Maybe he'd scared her off again? Worrying, he hit the down button on the elevator and was about to return the phone to his pocket when it vibrated in his hand. Grinning, he looked at it to see Jess had finally replied.
Yes. No suit. T-shirt and jeans only.
Howcome?
No...fucking...suit.🚫🤵❤️
As he walked back to his hotel room, Bill sighed and texted Chuck to let the driver know he'd be about twenty minutes late. He apparently needed to change.
***
They pulled up in front of Jess' hotel, and Bill scowled. It was off the main strip a little way, although it was within walking distance of some of the famous sites. It would just be a bit of a long walk to get there. The place was older, not derelict but small and nothing like the other newer or newly remodeled places on the main drag.
Here.
He texted her. For some reason, he was feeling sweaty, so he pulled off his jacket and put that on the seat next to him as he shifted in his seat.
After a few minutes, she texted him back.
😊 Send the driver away and meet me in the lobby.
It was a good thing he really wanted to hang out with Jess. So, grinning faintly, told the driver that he was good here and hopped out, walking into the lobby as the man drove off. The window of the space was adorned with a neon "vacancy" sign, and the place was lit by harsh fluorescent lights. As for decoration, the hotel was dominated by furniture that looked like it was out of a catalog for the 1980s, but the place was tidy and smelled like coffee and cleaning solution.
The old woman sitting at the reception desk gave him the stink eye, but he smiled charmingly at her while reaching into his pocket to text...shit.
He'd left his phone in the car...and his wallet and hotel key which had been in the pocket of his jacket.
Hell, he never went anywhere without his phone, and he desperately needed his wallet. Chuck would be panicking in about five minutes. Bill should probably give the man a call at least and get him to track down the wallet.
Luckily, Bill didn't carry cash. He never needed to, and if anyone tried to use his cards, they could easily freeze them and get the money back. But, he needed to contact his PA because the man would probably send the police after him if he went MIA for a long period of time.
Just as he was about to ask the lady at the front desk if he could borrow her phone, the old elevator dinged, drawing his attention to the thing as the doors opened to reveal the woman he'd been helplessly in love with since his senior year of college.
Too bad she'd never loved him back.
As usual, her curly blonde hair was a mess, and she was wearing a bright sun dress, which she was prone to do even in the dead of winter. When her green eyes met Bill's, she grinned, and his heart stopped.
Why?
Why did she make him feel this way? He'd been with many women before and after her, but only Jess could elicit this reaction from him.
"Billy!" She said, walking up and giving him a hug. He hugged her back, resting his chin on her head and breathing her scent. She still used the same cheap perfume she'd used back in school, but for some reason, the smell always made him weak in his knees.
When she pulled back, she looked at him appraisingly before she whispered, "You still look rich, but it'll work."
After that, she took his hand, leading him out of the lobby and past the desk of the glaring old woman. Bill grinned and let her drag him along and out into the darkened parking lot. When she kept tugging him down the street, he eventually laughed and said, "Jess! Where are we going?"
His words stopped her, and she released his hand then looked at him and cocked her head to the side as if she'd just realized she hadn't told him where they were going. The streetlights made her fair hair shine as her head moved while she said, "Oh, tacos."
That's right. They were going to eat. That was the plan.
Wait. They were going to eat. He needed money. "Shit Jess. Hang on. I left my phone and wallet in the car with the driver. I need to call my guy."
She paused, scrunching up her face as she thought. "I...okay, fine. You can use my phone." She pulled off her small backpack and dug around before her eyes widened and she looked at Bill apologetically.
"Whoops. Left it in my room."
Bill nodded and pointed his thumb back in the direction of the hotel. "Maybe we should-"
She smiled, shaking her head vigorously. "Nah! It'll be fine. It's an adventure. I'll pay for your tacos."
He was about to protest, but Jess shifting eagerly from one foot to the other merely drew a smile to his lips as he nodded. "Alright Jessie. Just tacos. Then I've got to call."
She nodded seriously before she continued leading him down the street, presumably in the direction of tacos.
