36

Emma was laughing so hard that tears were falling down her cheeks. She couldn’t have explained what it was that made her laugh so hard, but something had started a full-on giggle fit and she couldn’t stop it. Meanwhile AJ, who was also giggling although not as hard, ran to the bathroom before all of the soda that they’d been drinking all night came back to haunt him in a bad way. A knock on the door interrupted their giggling and Emma got up from her spot on the couch to answer it.

She peeked through the peephole and when she saw who was on the other side of the door she opened it, still laughing. “Hey…”

“Hey, yourself…” Nick laughed with a smile. “I didn’t expect you to open the door. I did come to AJ’s room didn’t I?”

“Yeah, he’s in the bathroom trying not to piss his pants…” she laughed and started to tear up all over again. AJ meanwhile yelled something from the bathroom that neither she nor Nick understood but Emma laughed heartily over. “Come on in…”

Emma showed Nick into the room and locked the door once again before taking her spot on the couch and changing the channel on the TV. AJ joined them after a flush was heard and as soon as he walked into the room Emma began laughing all over again. AJ shook his head at her and nodded at Nick, “What’s up?”

“Nothing, I just got bored in my room… I thought I’d stop by and see what you were up to.”

AJ threw a piece of popcorn at Emma, “Just telling stories that apparently make Emma laugh until she cries…”

Nick watched Emma wipe her eyes with her fingertips and smiled, “I guess so…”

Emma took a deep breath and tried to stop laughing then took a drink of her soda from the table. She then looked at her watch, “You boys ever dance? You know, when you’re not paid to?” Both men nodded and mumbled some sort of yes answers and then laughed. Emma rolled her eyes but smiled, “Such conversationalists you are… Anyway, let’s go dancing.”

“Now?” AJ and Nick asked together.

“No, in four days… Yes, now. It’s not even close to being closing time for most places, come on…” She stood up and looked at her hair in the mirror hanging above the desk in the suite. She ran her fingers through it and then tugged at the hem of the vintage tee she had on. “Come on…” she groaned when she turned around and both Nick and AJ were still sitting down.

“We’d have to wake up security…” Nick said and shook his head. “Billy would kill me if I called him in the middle of the night because I wanted to go dancing. Plus, it’s our last night here. Tomorrow we’ll be in Vegas… we can go dancing tomorrow.”

Emma rolled her eyes and looked at AJ, “Are you going to be that lame too?”

AJ laughed and shrugged, “I don’t know… I…”

“Oh for crying out loud… I know you two are famous,” she said making quotation marks with her fingers in the air. “But you’re also adults. We sneak out the back door, grab a cab, go to a club, and come back before security wakes up. Or are you too scared to go out alone?”

AJ rolled his eyes and stood up, “You don’t have to be mean…” He smiled and checked himself in the mirror before turning to her. “I’m good… let’s go. Come on, Nick.”

“Do you have any idea how much shit we’ll get if something happens and we end up having to call security?” Nick asked with a sigh from the couch.

“Do you know how whine-ass you just sounded?” Emma asked with a giggle and AJ chuckled while tying his sneaker. “Come on, Carter. You know you want to…” She shot a “sexy” face at him and when he didn’t move she shrugged and looked at AJ. “Fine, we’ll leave him here…” She slid her arm through AJ’s and waved to Nick as they walked toward the door, “Don’t wait up…”