When we managed to walk through the crowd without pausing a lot and exited the casino in one piece. Abby looked much lighter once we were out, asking whether we could watch Bellagio Fountains show. I'd rather prefer hitting a club to see the nightlife, but it was relatively early yet, and I didn't know if they would let us in. I looked older than my age and I relied on the fact that in Vegas the rules were less strict—or so I hoped.

By the time we were out, the sun started to set behind the buildings, rendering Las Vegas twilight. The fountains were nearby so we decided to take another walk instead of heading to the car. I burned down all my extra calories today and my body was wearing down slowly. All I wanted was to enter a pub and have a drink.

We waited for twenty minutes for the show, and the view was really pleasant. The Bellagio Hotel was a wonderful building, indeed an epitome of art, and when the lights turned on as it got darker, it looked like the Sun of the city itself. You could also see the fake Eiffel Tower on the other side, looking just as beautiful. I finally glanced at Abby to see her watching her surroundings in matching awe, speechless, and her eyes like stars shining in the dark. Perhaps, Vegas was only beautiful with her in it, putting the glam of Bellagio Hotel to shame.

Neither Las Vegas nor any building within was able to make my heart beat as she did.

My thoughts sank under the waters of the fountain when the show started, and the waters rose from the ground up to the sky. We watched the show breathless, possibly the most interesting thing I'd had seen today. When Abby took her photo and motioned me to take a selfie with the show in the background, I hugged her close and captured the moment.

Enchanted by the show, we walked to our car in silence. As she nested herself under my arm, her body temperature was keeping me warm. We should have found a place to spend the night before it was too late. "Maybe we should first book a room," I voiced my opinion.

"Yeah. We can drive to the north though, we haven't seen it there yet."

"What's there to see?"

"I want to visit the Neon Museum before it closes. It's a collection of old neon signs of Vegas, and it's absolutely beautiful—I mean, at least it was on the internet. Then, we can go back and rest."

"Nah," I replied. "I want to see the nightlife."

"Really, George? Do you really think they will let us in? As you may have figured out, Vegas is for real adults—not for the species like us sandwiched in between."

Unlocking the car, I looked down at her and handed her the keys. "I'll pay the charge and come back." She kind of seemed annoyed by my ignoring her comment but she didn't add further. I'd done my research online and it was likely to find a place we could enter by our fake IDs. After paying the charge, I returned back and called shotgun.

Once she started the engine, she threw me a look and said, "We're heading to the north. End of." Then, she pressed on the accelerator in such an aggressive way that made me sway back in my seat. I was going to tell her to slow down but decided to let her be for the night.

We parked in front of the museum about twenty minutes later. It was 8 PM and there was only half an hour remaining till the closing. "We're just in time," she said as we bought two tickets before we entered.

The museum was indeed about those abandoned neon signs. There were really fancy ones among them, so the idea was really cool and original. As we walked around the signs, there weren't many people left now, as it was nearing the closing time. Abby was examining each with full interest, showing me some of her favorites along the way. I really liked the huge purple four-leaved clover. It really looked great. And my second favorite would be the Sahara one. When I asked her which one topped for her, she said, "Sassy Sally."

That sign was perhaps the most outstanding one. "Is this a message or something?"

"What message?" She asked, chuckling at my question. "Am I even sassy? I'm not. I wish I was savage a little, you know."

"You can be savage when you want. I mean, what you did to Roy was fucking savage. So, sass runs in your veins. All you need to do is let it go." My mention of Roy quite surprised her, and I could guess that she thought I wasn't keen on the topic. Well, I used to be so jealous of him, but things turned differently in the end. He gave me his blessings—in a weird way—so I made peace. "Would I want you to be sassy with me? No. I like you the way you are. Cute, innocent and always making innuendos."

"I'm not making innuendos," she corrected me. "You get them the wrong way."

"You sure you don't want me to get them the wrong way though?" She let out a huff and started walking ahead. "You're so into me," I yelled, quickening my steps. "Thank heavens I figure out what you're trying to say with your indirect comments."

"You're really a pain in the ass," she said, turning around to face me. Contrary to her words, she was smiling wide at me. I sped up to walk beside her and we saw through the exit together. I didn't dare ask her what was awaiting us next. I just wanted to find a convenient place to stay and have a drink somewhere not too crowded.

We found somewhere across the street that seemed to offer good service with a friendly owner. He gave us a room on the top floor, which he said it had good scenery out there, and even gave two coupons for free breakfast in the morning when we mentioned road-tripping through Route 66. He found it bold for two people our age and advised us to keep that youth fire within us. Well, he was friendly, but he was also a motormouth.

"Gosh, I thought he wasn't going to shut up," Abby groaned as we ascended the stairs. The only shortcoming was that we had to climb up five floors on foot. "I really wanted to die when he started telling about his youthful adventures. Like dude do you really think we care? I don't understand elderlies. They love mumbling about things and then they call us disrespectful."

"He seemed lonely," I reasoned. I grew oversensitive about elderly people since I lost my grandpa two summers ago. "Besides, his stories weren't that bad, huh? Yeah, okay, he was over-talkative, but we've got free breakfast."

"Yeah, that's the only thing that makes up for this shit." By the time we reached the top, I was surprised that it didn't leave me breathless. Our room was at the end of the corridor and as the man said, it had a magnificent view up here. Suddenly the idea of hitting a pub came less appealing. Having drinks over here would be much better.

"Do you think we can get some alcohol from the oldie?"

"Probably but that means more stories and no. I'm totally not down for that."

"The view is pretty so I thought we could stay here instead of hitting a pub." She considered the idea, looking outside with her hands resting on her hips. Then, she let out a sigh and turned around to hold my gaze. "We should try our chance at a club or something. We can drink a few and come back here."

To avert risk, I checked the places nearby and found a decent pub a few blocks away. As we walked down, I told Abby about the stuff the bouncer could ask us. "Let me do the talking, okay? You'll most likely panic and give us away."

"Why does he even ask about our astrology signs?"

"To control if your birthday matches."

"Fuck, that's smart. So, that makes me a Taurus." She suddenly paused. "What if he asks about the most outstanding feature of the sign?"

"Abby, he's not interviewing us—he's just making sure we aren't lying. He might not even ask this stuff, okay? They are usually dumb enough to buy that." She nodded though she didn't seem at ease with this sudden knowledge.

When we arrived at the pub named Clandestine, the bouncer had stopped us and asked about our identities as expected. He eyed carefully, looking between the cards and us. Then, he asked the zip code and I answered fluently. He didn't seem convinced, taking his time, so I tried to give him reverse psychology. "You think we're giving you a fake?"

That surprisingly worked on him as he handed us the cards and ushered us in. "I'd not buy that," Abby said as soon as we were at a safe distance, the music pounding from a distance. "Seriously? That was risky."

"I'd done this before, and it never fails."

Inside, it was full of people and the music was at full volume. We quickly sneaked to the bar, and I whispered to Abby's ear: "How does tequila sound?"

"Too strong," she replied.

"Go hard or go home," I yelled, ordering us two tequila shots. When the bartender handed us the drink, she took her time with it and watched us drink it down first. It burned my chest in the wake, but I always liked that feeling. I was already feeling buzzy after one shot, but it was totally what we were there for. Then, I watched her drink down and grimace before she quickly bit into the lemon.

"Another round?" She nodded hesitatingly. Then, came the second shot and zoned out was the world. She gave up after third, and I could only last till five—but in the wake of shots, I was definitely drunk. I relied on my stamina, but nothing worked against this. I felt it hitting my head so hard.

Abby suggested that we went back to the hotel and enjoy the view. Since the music was pounding in my ears and making me queasy, I went along with her. We purchased two bottles of beer, left the pub, and walked back to the hotel.

Once outside, my ears were adjusting to the silence. My head was spinning. It hit me harder than I'd thought but I was still stable enough to walk. Abby looked much soberer than me, even assisting me on the way and carrying the bottles. "You shouldn't have drunk the last two," she said, once we stood in front of the hotel once again. "You think you can climb the stairs?"

I nodded lazily as we walked inside. To our luck, the owner wasn't present at his desk, so we quickly sneaked upstairs. Abby carried the bottles as I forcefully lifted myself up with each step, counting down the stairs up to the top. I didn't understand how she could look so sober after three shots for someone who wasn't used to drinking but she was just fucking good at everything. She was a goddess.

As we went inside, she shut the door with a kick and set the bottles on the side table. "Maybe we shouldn't drink more," she said worrisomely. "You're tired; just nod off."

"I'm fine," I said, though it was hitting me harder slowly. "Let's watch the scenery." She didn't protest as I walked to the small balcony and sat on the bench. It looked pretty beautiful out there, you could see the buildings in Shift from afar, standing with glory. She plopped down beside me soon, taking a sip from her beer. When I looked at her, she handed me mine and I saw she changed into something more comfortable.

The night wind fanned over my head and awakened my senses a bit. I was going to wake up with a massive hangover, but it was the last thing I wanted to think about at that moment. As Abby extended her legs forward, her bare legs shone under the moonlight and made it hard for me to ignore. "I don't want to be Abby tonight," she suddenly started, and I angled my face to see her. "I want to be someone who's bolder, someone that can speak her mind. I want to be someone who won't be leaving in three days. I don't know...I want to be anyone but myself."

"What would you do if you weren't Abby?"

"I wouldn't be insecure and overthink stuff. I wouldn't be afraid of taking the first step. Because I would know what I want and what you want."

"You have nothing to be insecure about. You're smart, beautiful, and witty. You're wonderful as you are—as Abby." She looked at me in disbelief. I didn't know what I could do to make her believe but I loved her. I slowly pushed a strand of hair behind her ear and touched her lips with my thumb. "What I want is pretty simple." Her eyebrows knitted in confusion. "I want you."

Though I thought it was the most obvious thing in the world, she looked at me like I grew two heads for a while. Then, she kissed me. When my head started spinning again, it wasn't because of alcohol. I pulled her up from the bench as she wrapped her legs around me and carried us back inside with all the energy I'd suddenly fueled up in my body.

As I dropped her on the bed, I couldn't keep my balance and hovered over her. My brain was shut down, only driven by my instincts. She had to tell me to stop—she would at some point. I remembered our night in the car as she reached for the hem of my t-shirt and pulled it over my head in a heartbeat. I was afraid of things developing out of control and doing things she would regret in the morning, but I couldn't back away.

I kissed her harder, tasting the tequila on the tip of my tongue, and inevitably slid down when she straddled me. It was hard to stomach that the only thing that separated us was layers between us. When she moved against me, I let out an uncontainable moan from the back of my throat. "Abby," I managed to whisper against her lips. "Do you want to stop?"

When she pulled back a little, holding my gaze, I prepared myself for the worst. "No," she said, at last, her voice thicker than usual. "I want this." She cradled my face and pulled me closer. "I love you."

Her eyes were the fire that melted my heart down. When we kissed again, gone was the uncertainty, questions, and timidity. The rest was a haze that was going to be remembered for the rest of my life. The best night.

They say what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas, but this was going to stick with me forever.

***

❤️

Sev xx