Waking Up In Vegas

Chapter 16

"I know, because I've been realizing it too." I tell him in a voice above a whisper as I feel Stefan lean into me, his finger tips lingering under my chin. When he leaves a soft and gentle kiss against my lips....But, just when he pushes himself back to kiss me once more, one hand on my face. I watch him slip through my fingers and it all turns to white. Stefan disappears into the white light and I find myself face down on a cold surface, my eyes fluttering open and slowly adjust to the light. Music and drunks blabbering all around me and then it hits me hard, The cab ride, Stefan in the cab and the confessions resulting in a kiss...Was all just a dream...

"Miss...Miss...Miss! Wake up, Wake Up!" He shouts, the familiar voice of the bartender is swirling around me as I open my eyes, a cherry dark wood in front of my face and the smoke filled, drunken bar is packed with the nighttime patrons as I lift my head off of the table and look up, my hairs a mess, my head feels like it's a weighing a million pounds and the only thing that I can think of was that was one hell of a dream that I just had and it felt so..real.

"What the hell happened?" I ask, rubbing the top of my head with my fingers as I watch the guy named Eddie look up at me with a laugh.

"Well, you turned to leave. Got your stuff ready and you were already to go. But, then I told you I was going to call a cab and you refused, I called them anyway..So. I took your cell phone...which has been ringing off the hook by the way with some dude named Jake calling you. I guess while we were waiting for that cab, you decided to pass out on me and have one hell of a dream..." Eddie's voice trailed off as he watches me look up at him with a drunken & hazy look.

"Uh...yeah...It was.. But any chance..Was I saying someone's name out loud?" I asked him, my voice full of confusion as I notice the time, I've already been at the bar for the last four hours and it's already late in the evening.

"You kept saying that you loved some guy by the name of Ste-" The bartender begins to say, just as he hands me my cell phone back and I look at it.

"You know, don't finish that sentence. I have to go and call Jake. Maybe he can pick my drunk ass up! I'm sorry if I drooled on your counter." I reply to him with a smile, pushing myself off of the barstool and standing up slowly.

"Hey! I knew you looked familiar..you were on the news earlier...some lady named Ashlynn leaked a news report about you and I believe the guys name you kept moaning about...Stefan. I hope for this Ashlynn's sake that she knows who she's dealing with, Elena..." Eddie tells me, watching as my brown eyes grow and I huff out a breath.

"Let's hope because once I find out who she works for...Let's just say, she'll never be working for them again...She thinks I'm a stripper. I'm not by the way, I'm a journalist! Look, uhh..Thanks for the drinks!" I tell him, throwing a tip in his direction, picking up my things and storming out of the bar without another word and really hoping that Jake isn't too pissed off at me for ignoring his calls. But, something deep down tells me that he is..That there's a storm brewing between my little love triangle of Jake & Stefan, that I've created and for one of them, it's the end of it all.

XXXX

By the time that I find a seat on the sidewalk, sitting down on the cold concrete bench. My stomach is churning and my head is pounding harder than ever. All I can think about is that in the morning, I'm going to feel like I'm dying and once I talk to Jake about where I've been. It's going to get a hell of a lot worse for me.

I fumble with my cell phone, not even really paying attention to the contacts as I hit his number quickly, his voice is raised and agitated when he picks up and he's anger. I can tell as he speaks directly to me in a very hostile tone.

"Where the hell have you been? Elena, I just got done talking to your so called 'roommate' care to explain it to me?" He nearly yells.

"I...Uhhh..." I begin to say, my voice is strangled at the confession I'm about to make. But, something about this in the way he says 'so-called roommate' tells me that he already knows what's going on between Stefan and I. And, for one...Jake is enraged, because he found out the truth! Once again, I make a mental note to find out who "Ashlynn" works for...mostly likely this rival magazine company that Caroline has been fighting off for months now. They've been printing out stories about her and I that have been all fake for the last few months, lashing out at us, saying that we've been stealing celebrity stories that they had dibs on first. So, a result of it all we're at war with each other and Ashlynn has just found a way to throw more fuel onto the fire by releasing this fake proposal story of Stefan and I, out to the media.