Reese didn't get much of a chance to be mad at her brother once she got to the house; she'd been planning on asking just what he'd been thinking when he hadn't sent anyone to pick her up, but as soon as she opened the door, and was tackled by him, all the anger she'd been carrying with her dissipated almost instantly.

     She met his soon-to-be-wife, a tiny blonde woman, lovely company but exhausting after being in the same room as her for more than an hour. She was also a complete health nut and had been bragging all afternoon about how she had gotten Reese's brother to lose ten pounds in the last three months before the wedding.

     After the exchanges, hugs, and introductions were over and done with, Reese excused herself and retired to her room for the evening. She unpacked what little she was allowed to bring in her tiny suitcase, shoved her clothes in the empty dresser, and slipped into the bathroom for a shower.

     She relished in the cold water, feeling a day's worth of sweat and dirt slip off her body and swirl down the drain. It was already so hot here, Reese knew with utmost certainty that she wouldn't be taking any hot showers the rest of the week.

     Once she decided she was as clean as she was going to get, she stepped out, reluctantly shutting off the cold water and pulling a towel around herself. Even the bathroom was humid, and Reese could feel beads of sweat mingling with the water on the back of her neck. She toweled herself dry, slipped on cotton shorts and a tank-top (which was about as much as she could handle in the heat of her room. The next best thing would have been to just walk around naked, but for obvious reasons, that was out of the question), and threw herself onto the freshly made bed.

     Reese loved hotel beds. They were so crisp and cold when you first got in, and if you came back after a few hours around town, they would magically make themselves so you could experience them all over again.

     She knew she should get up. Maybe go for a run to get her blood moving, or pull up her latest storyboard, which she'd neglected for far too long. But she was so comfortable... and her bed was so soft...

     In fact, she'd been enjoying the cool mattress so much, that she found herself slipping into a state of drowsiness. It's well-known that once you're in that state, it's almost completely impossible to keep your eyes open, and eventually, you are forced to give in; which was exactly what Reese did.

***

     She hadn't let herself give Tom much thought the next few days -- they were all about relaxation before the wedding rush took over entirely, but now, laying in her bed, aimlessly flipping through the crap TV channels, she let her mind wander back to the magazine she'd found in the cab. To their pleasant conversation and how he'd helped with her bag.

     Why would he even want to talk to someone like her? He must be so important, she thought, wouldn't he have better things to do than make conversation with an insignificant stranger?

     She'd initially wanted to look him up -- maybe figure out what movies he'd done, but once she'd sit down at the computer, she'd be overcome with a wave of guilt. It felt intrusive -- if he had wanted her to know, he would have told her on the plane, it was as simple as that. Still, curiosity burned inside her, sitting in the pit of her stomach, as hard and as stubborn as rock.

     With an impatient sigh, Reese flipped off the TV and rolled over onto her side. They were supposed to go out later that night, which was, at least for Elliot and his fiance, their last free night before the tsunami of wedding guests, paperwork, and decorations hit them. Amy, Reese's almost-sister-in-law, had organized for them to go to some late night club, or rave of some sort in a couple of hours. In all honesty, Reese wasn't big on parties; huge crowds just exhausted her and, if anything, made her feel claustrophobic -- but she reasoned that this week was all about her brother, and if he wanted to go to a party, then she would let him drag her to a party.

     Reese had been dozing in her room most of the day, watching the sun sink lower in the sky. It was the most peace she'd gotten in a long time; living in LA, working the night shift at a bar (which was by far the busiest time of the whole day) could become very chaotic very quickly.

     A bleary glance at her phone told her it was about 6:00 p.m, and, instead of forcing herself up or making any effort to salvage what little time she had left in the day, she buried her face further into the sweet smelling pillows, letting her phone drop onto the bed beside her.

     If it weren't for the muffled knock on her door that came no more than five minutes later, Reese probably would've stayed like that the rest of the night. When she made no move to get up and answer, her guest merely stormed inside, letting the door bang into the wall upon entrance.

     "Reese! What do you think you're doing, still sleeping?"

     Oh joy, the great Amy Carson had graced her with her presence.

     Reese mumbled something that might have been an excuse, but it was lost in the mass of pillows she'd shrouded herself in, and she heard Amy give a sigh of annoyance.

     "I do hope you're not planning to waste your entire vacation sitting in your room," she snapped, walking the length of the room to the curtains. She shifted them open and the room was flooded with warm evening light.

     Reese sat up, hair rumpled slightly, fighting back a scowl.

     "I'm just enjoying having some peace and quiet for once, that's all," she shot back.

     Amy stood a few feet from the bed, arms crossed, tapping her foot impatiently. "Well, we're about to head off to a party, just a couple blocks down. You should get dressed, no time for a shower, though. Just throw on something nice."

     Right away, mom.

     "Er, fine, Amy. Just get out so I can change."

     Unbelievably, Amy stuck out her tongue, but obliged, banging the door shut behind her as she went. "And make it quick!" she shouted over her shoulder.

     Reese begrudgingly slipped out of bed and marched over to her dresser. At least it wasn't some formal event that involved makeup or heels, the whole ten miles. She figured she could get away with shorts and a form-fitting tank-top, and a quick run-through with a brush through her tangled hair. As she rushed out the door, she slipped on a pair of flats, hopping down the hallway as she finished pulling the left one over her heel.

     Everyone was waiting down in the lobby. Elliot, Amy, Cara and Jeff, a friendly couple who'd arrived just the day before and were incredibly apologetic about it, Amy's maid of honor April, and a few more of their friends Reese had not been introduced to.

     Amy clasped her hands together once she caught sight of Reese, and hurried over to the door. "Great! We're all here! Let's get going!" The sparkly crop top she was wearing danced in the warm lighting of the lobby and was actually quite blinding. All in all, she looked slightly overdone for a house party, especially compared to the simple top and jeans Elliot had thrown on.

     Reese followed the party out the door and into the warm night air, stalling behind to make sure the door closed all the way, praying all the while that no one would try to start a conversation with her. She was awful at small talk -- unless her speaking partner (if that was an accurate way to describe it?) was a full on conversationalist and had no problem taking most of the time.

     Her conversation with Tom had flowed pretty smoothly, surprisingly. He was just easy to talk to, which was a rarity when trying to make small talk. He was just one of those people that, instead of worrying constantly about what you were going to say next, it would just come to you.

     They arrived at the party ten minutes later, though it was easy to see blocks off, with the blinding, multicolored lights and pop music blasting out of every window. Reese caught glimpse of silhouettes dancing inside the huge house through the windows -- it bordered on mansion, really, surrounded by palm trees and (Amy had said) a pool. It was closed off by two huge black gates, running the entire length of the property.

     "Wow..." Amy breathed, voicing Reese's exact thoughts. "It's a lot bigger than I was expecting."

     A man stood just outside walked up to the group, his head stuck in a clipboard, probably full of names for the party.

     "Last name?" he asked, not even bothering to look up.

     "Uh, Carson," Amy said.

     He scanned the paper with his pen, pausing at the top, then gave a curt nod. "Go ahead."

     Amy gave a little squeal of delight and grabbed Elliot's hand to drag him in. Reese followed close behind, not wanting to be caught up in the mix of people she didn't know.

     Once they were through the front door, it was like a flip had been switched. The music was about ten times louder than it had been outside, the lights infinitely more blinding. Throngs of people pulsed in time to the music, sloshing glasses full of beer and wine onto the floor as they waved their arms carelessly in the air.

     Amy and Elliot disappeared almost immediately, heading in the general direction of the bar. Reese was left to stand awkwardly by the door, hands in pockets, unsure of what to do. How could they just leave her like that?

     She slipped between an intoxicated couple who were "dancing" against the wall, scrambling away as quickly as possible, face burning. If she didn't know better, she would've thought she'd accidentally stumbled upon some teenage house party... that had gotten seriously out of control.

     Reese finally made it to the counter and pulled herself up onto one of the stools. She ordered a drink from the good-looking bartender and then sat back, wondering just how long before she could leave without being rude.