Chapter 455 - One More Round

Chapter 455: Chapter 455 - One More Round

Drinking the night away sounded horrible to Roxie. Who wanted to be bloated and hungover at a wedding?

Besides, she’d already had more than enough on the boat, and after her confrontation with Zac in the hallway, she’d returned to her suite with a headache and a strong desire to spend the rest of the night in bed.

Unfortunately, Angela had other plans.

"Come on, Roxie. Kyle said everyone’s going to the pool. We can stay for an hour and leave if it’s boring."

"You said that last night, and we got back after midnight."

Angela was sitting at the vanity, applying another coat of lip gloss. She glanced at Roxie through the mirror and smiled. "We enjoyed the evening, though."

Karen emerged from the bathroom, adjusting the straps of her dress. Roxie smiled, relieved that at least she had Karen on her side. She was practically the grandma of their group, and considering she’d been sober for ten years, going out drinking wasn’t exactly her favorite activity.

"Karen, tell her we’re staying in."

"I actually think going would be relaxing. Angela has a point. You can always come back early if you’re tired."

Roxie stared at her. When her eyes met Angela’s, she noticed the familiar glint in her friend’s expression, and her lips curled into a smile.

"Are you trying to meet someone down there?"

Karen gave her a stern look. "Socializing with our old classmates and building connections. It’s important for banking."

Roxie laughed. "Sure, sure. Whatever you say. I’m sure that’s exactly what you’re planning to do tonight."

"Some of us actually find networking useful," Karen answered before turning toward the wardrobe.

Angela was already grinning, and Roxie laughed when their eyes met again. Maybe the evening wouldn’t be so terrible after all.

The poolside gathering was already lively when they arrived. Kyle and Kendall had arranged a private evening party for their guests in one of the hotel’s poolside areas. Small tables surrounded the seating area, drinks were being served from a nearby bar, and several people had gathered around the pool while music played through the outdoor speakers.

Some guests were swimming, although most had changed into casual evening clothes after the boat excursion. Roxie was relieved. She’d spent enough time in the water for one day, and the thought of washing and drying her hair again was exhausting.

She spotted Sean near the bar, talking to a couple of men. He smiled when he noticed her and raised his hand.

"Your admirer’s here," Angela whispered.

"He’s not my admirer," Roxie whispered back, smiling as she waved.

They continued toward an empty table, but Angela was already looking at her with interest. "Could’ve fooled me. You agreed to a date back home, didn’t you?"

Roxie bit her lower lip. "Something like that."

Angela gave her a knowing look, but thankfully, Karen spotted an available table before she could ask anything else. They sat down, and a server brought their drinks a few minutes later.

Karen took a sip of her drink before looking at Roxie. "Can I ask you something?"

Roxie glanced at her over the rim of her glass. "What?"

"Are you trying to make Zac jealous?"

Roxie nearly choked. "What? No! Where the hell did that come from?"

Karen shrugged. "Sean is handsome, but you’ve had models and actors trying to date you before, and you barely gave them a chance. I’m wondering why you’re suddenly interested."

Roxie put down her glass as Angela leaned forward, looking increasingly interested.

"Wait. Are you?"

"I’m not!" Roxie insisted, but Angela crossed her arms and gave her a serious look.

"Roxie, messing with Zac is one thing, but if you’re actually still affected by him, that’s a problem."

Roxie rolled her eyes. "Zac and I are done. That was years ago."

Karen looked her straight in the eye, and Roxie immediately wanted to squirm. Ever since high school, Karen had possessed an irritating ability to make her confess things. After entering the business world, she’d apparently perfected it. Now, even when Roxie had nothing to confess, she somehow felt guilty.

"And you’ve never had a serious boyfriend after him," Karen pointed out.

Roxie crossed her arms and leaned back. "Are we seriously going to talk about that? What about you two? Haven’t we all been single for ten years?"

How dare they question her love life when neither of them had managed a relationship lasting longer than a few weeks?

Karen’s expression remained unchanged, but Angela laughed. "She’s right, though. I like looking at men, and that’s enough for me. Most of them aren’t worth the trouble."

"Exactly!" Roxie pointed at her before turning toward Karen. "How about you? Have you been hiding someone in that black heart of yours for ten years?"

Karen calmly put down her glass. "Someone like yours? No."

Roxie’s mouth fell open. "Oh, you bitch!"

Angela burst out laughing while Karen simply took another sip of her juice, looking entirely pleased with herself.

"What’s got you three so serious?"

Mason appeared beside the table, his eyes moving between them before settling on Karen. He gave her a small smile.

"Hey."

"Hey," Karen answered, and Roxie noticed that her expression softened almost immediately.

Well, well.

"Care to join us?" Roxie asked.

"Sure." Mason pulled out a chair beside her, placing himself close enough to join their conversation. He asked Karen about her work, and within minutes, the two were discussing something about business investments.

Roxie looked toward Angela, who was already looking back at her. They exchanged a smile.

Oh, Karen was going to regret that comment about her love life.

It wasn’t long before Kyle and Kendall joined them, followed by several other guests who pulled chairs around the table.

Kyle was already laughing when he suggested a game. "How about Never Have I Ever? Since most of us are adults with questionable judgment, this should be entertaining."

Angela immediately started clapping. "Oh, finally!"

Roxie turned toward her. "Why are you so excited?"

"Because I want to know what everyone’s been doing."

Roxie shook her head, laughing. A moment later, Zac arrived with Olivia tucked against his side.

She looked away before he could catch her staring. She’d managed to forget about their argument for most of the evening, but seeing him again brought back the uncomfortable memory of his hand around hers.

Wonderful. Now she had to spend the next hour pretending that hadn’t happened.

Roxie glanced at Karen, then at Mason.

An opportunity.

"Mason, can you switch places with me? I’d rather sit closer to the way out in case I need the bathroom."

Mason looked at her, apparently trying to figure out why she’d suddenly decided to move, but Roxie maintained her most innocent expression. She wanted to mess with Karen, although she wasn’t heartless enough to make Mason an unwilling participant in her little scheme.

"Sure."

He stood and switched seats with her, taking the chair beside Karen.

Perfect.

Roxie settled into her new seat, feeling rather pleased with herself, until she looked up and saw Zac sitting directly across from her, with Olivia practically hanging on his side.

Fuck.

Of all the seats she could’ve chosen, she’d managed to put herself right in front of him. And now, if she tried to move again, she’d look ridiculous.

She could already feel her ears getting hot. Roxie refused to look at Zac or Angela, who was probably laughing at her from across the table. Instead, she concentrated on Mason beside her as he resumed his conversation with Karen.

Wonderful. She’d tried to set up her friend and somehow ended up embarrassing herself.

Kyle raised his glass and explained the rules. Anyone who had done the activity mentioned had to take a sip of their drink.

"Alright, let’s start with something easy. Never have I ever lied to get out of a date."

Several people immediately drank. Angela, Roxie, and Karen all raised their glasses, grinning at one another. They’d spent years using each other as excuses to escape unwanted dates.

Kyle shook his head before looking toward Mason. "Your turn."

Mason thought for a moment. "Never have I ever sent a message to the wrong person."

Nearly half the circle drank.

Kyle turned toward Kendall with a grin. "Sweetheart, drink."

Kendall glared at him. "I never did that."

Kyle leaned closer and whispered something in her ear, and Kendall’s face immediately turned bright red.

"Kyle!" She punched his arm while he burst out laughing.

Roxie was instantly curious. "What happened?"

Kendall sighed and reached for her drink. "I once sent his mom a message meant for Kyle."

"Tell them what it said," Kyle encouraged, still grinning.

"No. And Kyle, I swear, if you finish that sentence, there won’t be a wedding tomorrow."

Everyone burst out laughing as Kendall reluctantly took a sip. Roxie tried asking again, but Kendall refused to explain, even when Angela joined the interrogation.

The next few rounds went quickly. Several people admitted to sneaking into concerts without paying and lying about their age to get into nightclubs, which started an argument between Angela and Karen about something they’d done in college. Roxie remembered enough of that night to know neither of them was telling the whole story.

Mason admitted he’d once pretended to enjoy camping because a woman he was dating loved the outdoors.

"What’s wrong with camping?" Karen asked.

"Nothing. But three nights without a proper shower was pushing it."

Karen laughed. "Three nights? That’s all you managed?"

"I survived, didn’t I?"

"You sound terribly proud of yourself."

Mason smiled at her. "Would you have been impressed?"

"Depends. Did you complain the entire time?"

"Pretty much."

"Then probably not."

Roxie pressed her lips together to keep from laughing. Karen was certainly enjoying herself tonight.

A few more rounds brought up embarrassing dates and terrible decisions from college. Angela earned the loudest laughter when she admitted she’d once spent an entire dinner with a man whose name she’d forgotten.

"How do you forget someone’s name while you’re having dinner with him?" Olivia asked, laughing.

"He introduced himself once! And the restaurant was loud."

"Did you ever remember it?" Roxie asked.

Angela shrugged. "Eventually."

Karen covered her mouth as she laughed, while Olivia shook her head in disbelief.

Roxie smiled. Olivia had been participating enthusiastically all evening, and she was finding it increasingly difficult to dislike the woman.

One of Kyle’s friends raised his glass.

"Never have I ever gone on a date because my friends wouldn’t stop pestering me."

Roxie immediately drank.

Angela started laughing.

"Oh, that one’s definitely for you."

"Shut up, Angela."

Karen smiled. "We’ve been trying to set her up with someone for years."

"And I’ve survived every attempt," Roxie answered.

"Well, Sean seems nice," Mason remarked.

Roxie looked at him.

"Oh my God. Are we seriously talking about Sean again?"

Kyle laughed. "What? He’s a nice guy. I’ll vouch for him."

"Are you two going out?" Olivia asked with a smile.

Roxie smiled froze before looking at her. "Maybe. We talked about getting coffee when we’re back in New York."

"Oh, that’s nice!"

"Thank you, Olivia."

Everyone continued talking and Roxie reached for her drink.

Across the table, Zac was looking at her.

She noticed because he’d been sitting quietly for most of the game, occasionally laughing at Kyle’s jokes or answering something Mason asked him.

Now his attention was on her.

Roxie raised her eyebrows slightly.

Zac took a sip from his glass before turning toward Mason, apparently finding something else to discuss.

She looked away.

Wonderful. Now he was going to start doing that too?

She took another sip and settled back in her chair. Whatever Zac thought about Sean was his business. She was enjoying herself, and she had no intention of spending another evening trying to figure out what was going through that man’s head.

By the time the next round began, Kendall had checked her watch several times. Finally, she stood and looked around the table.

"Alright, we need to rest for tomorrow, so we’re leaving."

Kyle looked up at her. "Already?"

"Kyle, we’re getting married tomorrow at four. I want to look beautiful in my wedding pictures, and I’d appreciate having a groom who’s actually awake during the ceremony."

Kyle laughed and stood beside her. "Fine, fine. You guys can keep playing."

Kendall looked around the table again. "And try to get some sleep, please. I expect everyone to look presentable tomorrow."

"We’ll be gorgeous!" Angela assured her, making Kendall laugh as she shook her head.

After saying their goodbyes, Kyle and Kendall headed toward the hotel. Several other guests decided to leave as well, promising to see everyone at the wedding.

Soon, the table had become considerably quieter.

Roxie looked around and realized that only six of them remained.

Zac, Olivia, Angela, Karen, Mason, and herself.

Angela leaned forward with a smile that immediately made Roxie suspicious.

"Alright. Now that the bride and groom are gone, can we finally ask some interesting questions?"

Karen sighed. "I was wondering when you’d say that."

Olivia laughed. "What kind of questions?"

"The ones everyone was too embarrassed to ask while Kendall was here," Angela answered.

Mason chuckled and settled back into his chair. "Well, this should be interesting."

Roxie looked down at her drink, already regretting her decision to stay. Across the table, Zac reached for his glass, looking completely relaxed, while Angela was preparing her first question.

She had a terrible feeling the night was about to get much worse.