Real talk—Eleanor aside, Rosalind was the knockout of the crew. Face, body, vibe—she had it all, blowing those Hollywood types out of the water. The thing was, her high-class glow made Anirudh feel like a nobody, so he'd never dared chat her up.
But that kiss? It cracked something open. Hot as she was, she was still a woman—and women need a man's touch. Why let some rando swoop in when he could handle it?
"Heh, Rosalind's the real stunner here, right?" That clicked, and Anirudh finally chilled out.
"You little shit, all talk. Scram—I need the john…" Rosalind's cheeks glowed, either from the booze or a blush.
"Heh…" Anirudh stole a last peek at her killer curves as he slid by. His arm "accidentally" nudged her chest, and a jolt zapped through him…
Rosalind's glare could've cut glass before she slammed the bathroom door.
Anirudh smirked and strolled out. Back in the room, Estella, Eleanor, Aurora, and Amy were deep in a dice-and-drinks showdown. Even icy Laila had ditched her phone to throw down…
"Anirudh, get over here—I've got something," Eleanor mumbled, her words wobbly from the wine.
His heart did a flip as he bolted over…
"What's up, Eleanor?" He dropped next to her, her arm flopping over his shoulder.
" Anirudh—you met him earlier. Starts at Chicago Business School tomorrow. Amy, you're his senior—keep an eye on him, don't let anyone screw with him, got it?" Eleanor jabbed a finger at him.
"Sure thing, Eleanor…" Amy nodded, thinking, This punk's a menace—he'd be the one stirring shit, not taking it.
"And Laila, you're in his class—help him out too, yeah?"
"Gotcha, Eleanor…" Laila sighed, over it. Eleanor was trashed—some at dinner, then a red-wine bender here with Aurora and Rosalind. She was gone.
"Anirudh, school stuff comes up. You hit up Amy, alright?" After laying it on the college girls, Eleanor swung to him.
"No sweat—if anything pops off, I'll bug Amy. Chill…" Anirudh nodded hard, a warm buzz in his chest. Eleanor was hammered but still had his back—how could that not get to him?
"Cool. Aurora, let's roll again…"
"Eleanor, you're tanked—call it a night," Aurora cut in, clocking her state.
"Yeah, quit while you're ahead—you're loaded." Anirudh backed her up, tossing Aurora a quick thanks with his eyes.
"Nah, I'm vibing—gimme more!" Eleanor waved them off, snagging her glass. Aurora and the crew had no choice but to clink along…
Rosalind strutted back from the bathroom and dove in. The girls went full party mode, till even Aurora, the booze queen, started wobbling.
It was pushing midnight when they killed the last of the room's red wine. Anirudh tallied it up—eighteen bottles. He'd barely touched a drop, so they'd slammed three each. Freaking superheroes!
Eleanor was still gunning for more, but Aurora and the others shut her down. Anirudh propped her up as she staggered out.
September air hit—early fall vibes were rolling in. Chicago, hugging the Lake Michigan, got nippy at night with breezy chills. The sloshed squad stumbled out of the club, aiming for the parking lot. Seeing them wrecked, Anirudh fretted about them driving. He was about to pitch a driver when a sleazy voice sliced through:
"Well, hot damn, since when did the Royal Club score all these dime pieces? Where've I been?"