"Oh my God. I'm so nervous. What if she hates me? What if she thinks I'm weird in person? She's only ever met me over the internet. It's easy to look cool on the internet."

Ellie's leg bounces up and down as she stares ahead at the house in front of them—the house that supposedly belongs to her longtime internet friend, Ali. It looks like any other house. Except it's Ali's house. And it's in the middle of Las Vegas, a long way away from Seattle.

"El, you worry too much," Cooper says with a laugh. When she doesn't say anything, he reaches over, placing a gentle hand on her knee to stop it from bouncing. His touch alone is enough to send her entire body into a frenzy. "You'll be fine. Let's go."

Ellie nods but still hesitates in opening the car door. Finally, she's out and her feet are carrying her towards the front porch of the house. She takes a moment to observe the architecture, fascinated by the way the warm colors of the house seem to mirror their surroundings. It's something she's often noticed while travelling, the way things seem to all fit together as if they've agreed to some particular theme.

"You plan on knocking any time soon?"

She glances away from the red-toned dirt that lays scattered across the yard and directs a glare at her travelling companion. "I'm preparing myself."

"Prepare yourself a bit quicker. I'm ready to hit The Strip."

"You are the most impatient fuc—"

"I can tell that was going to be a great insult, but let me stop you right there," he says, leaning forward and knocking on the front door before she can protest. "I've only got so long, El. You know? The cancer and all."

The door swings open a moment later and a pair of thin dark arms are thrown around Ellie's shoulders in an instant. She stumbles back at the impact but is quick to regain her balance and wrap her own arms around her friend in a tight embrace. When they pull back from the hug, Ellie has to blink multiple times to remind herself it's real.

"Oh my God," Ali says, her hands on Ellie's shoulders as she stares intently at her face.

Ellie brings a hand up to her cheek and a laugh leaves Ali's lips before she's pulling Ellie in for another hug. As her chin rests on Ali's shoulder, her eyes catch Cooper's. He's smiling down at the pair, his arms crossed in front of his chest as he watches the moment play out.

"Ali," Ellie finally says, inching back slightly to break off the hug. "This is Cooper."

She turns her back to Ellie, and then her arms are being thrown over Cooper's shoulders. He looks taken aback by the sudden contact, unsure what to do with his arms as they dangle lifelessly by his sides. Eventually, he brings them up to complete the hug.

When Ali turns back to Ellie, she raises her eyebrows suggestively. "Thank you for bringing her here, Cooper. You're a good boyfriend."

"Oh. He's not—"

"I am both boy and friend," Cooper interjects. "And it wasn't any trouble. We're happy to be here."

"'We.' That's cute," she says, letting out a dreamy sigh. "Well. Let's not waste any more time. I'll just run and grab my bag and then we'll be off!"

She sends Ellie one last excited smile before making her way back into the house. Ellie turns to Cooper, distaste spread across her face. He smiles knowingly while a look of fake innocence gleams in his eyes.

"Boyfriend? Really?"

"Like I said, I'm a boy who is your friend," he says, laughing as if he's the first person to ever think up that joke. "Besides, how else was I meant to get a girl I've never spoken with to trust us coming down here? It made the most sense for your boyfriend to be planning a surprise for you."

"I've spoken about you before. She knows that we're just friends."

Cooper laughs as he leans back against the side of the house. "Well it didn't take much convincing. I guess we're friends turned lovers."

"So prostitution is legal here?" Cooper asks for the third time, glancing down at the ground as they walk along countless discarded flyers for 'Cheap Women.' Ellie nudges his side, eager to get his attention away from the flyers. As soon as his head is up and facing ahead once more, a truck with a photo of a naked lady on the side drives by.

"It's not actually legal here. But just outside of Vegas, yes. It's legal," Ali answers, swiftly dodging a man in a shirt with vulgar words spread across the front of it.

"Not exactly a family-friendly place, is it?" Ellie mumbles.

Ali laughs, bringing a hand up to push her hair away from her face. "They call it the adult Disneyland. Though I don't particularly like that name because it suggests adults shouldn't go to Disneyland. If someone even tries to stop me from getting on Splash Mountain, all hell will break loose."

A laugh takes over the whole group. Ellie looks ahead, amazed by her surroundings once more. Everything is huge. They type of we've-been-walking-towards-the-same-building-for-a-mile-even-though-it-looked-like-a-five-minute-walk huge.

"Does this all get to be a bit much?" Cooper asks, looking up at the sky in an attempt to see the top of the fake Eiffel tower. "I feel like the excitement of it all would wear off pretty quickly."

"Oh, yeah," Ali says with a shake of her head. "Locals tend to avoid The Strip. We stay on the outskirts of it."

It's then that Ellie notices Cooper's shallow breaths. When she looks to him, his forehead is sheened with sweat. She reaches for his wrist and his eyes shut momentarily before he looks at her. "Are you okay?"

He smiles, though she can see the tiredness in his eyes. "Yeah. I'm good."

"Are you sure? Do you want to rest?"

"No. It's fine. Let's just get to The Venetian. I'll rest there."

"We're probably a twenty-minute walk away from The Venetian," Ali cuts in, sounding unsure of herself. "It's okay if you want to rest here."

"I'm fine."

"Cooper."

"Ellie. I'm fine," he says, his words indisputable. It's clear that he doesn't want to keep discussing it, so she lets it go against her better judgment.

As promised, they arrive at their destination a long twenty minutes later. A sense of relief washes over Ellie as she no longer has to make small talk while her attention is really focused on Cooper's clear exhaustion. When they get to The Venetian, the first thing she does is find a place to buy some water.

When she returns to Ali and Cooper and hands them each a bottled water, she's sure to give Cooper a look of disapproval. The same sort of look you'd give your child when they're acting up. Though Cooper is a grown man, and as far as she knows, did not come out of her womb.

"The Venetian is my favorite hotel here," Ali says, twisting the cap off her water before bringing it to her lips.

Ellie finally takes a moment to look around, once again astounded by her surroundings. The thing that takes her most by surprise is the gondola attraction in the middle of everything. When she turns back to Ali, she simply smiles and nods, as if she's already caught on to what she was thinking.

"I'm going to go find a restroom," she announces slowly, tapping the table once before she's rising from her chair and sending a wink in Ellie's direction. "It may be a while. Have fun you two."

Confused, Ellie watches her retreating figure. Ali turns around, a smile forming on her lips when she sees Ellie watching her. She draws a little heart with her pointer fingers before blowing a kiss at her and continuing on her way.

"Why do people on this road trip keep telling us to have fun?" Cooper asks, taking a sip of his water.

Ellie breaks her gaze from the spot she'd previously been staring at. "Well I think Ali thinks she's giving us some romantic alone time. You know... since you're my boyfriend and all."

A wide grin spreads across his lips. "Well, babe. What do you want to do then? Make out on a gondola? Lick gelato off each other's naked bodies? The possibilities are endless. We're in Italy."

An unladylike snort comes out of her. "We're in Vegas. Not Italy."

"You lack imagination, Wilde."

"I just have an appreciation for reality."

He rolls his eyes, whacking her across the arm with his water bottle. "Okay then, babe. We're in Vegas. Should we snort cocaine off each other's naked bodies instead? Is that more appropriate to the location?"

"If you call me babe one more time, the only thing you'll be able to snort are the pain meds in your hospital room."

Rather than looking scared, as she'd hoped, he simply looks amused as he says, "Kinky."

"All the photos of naked women are getting to your head."

"I've only got eyes for one girl," he says, his voice dropping an octave lower.

Chills run down her spine at the intensity of his words. When her eyes meet his she's met with a familiar emotion—one she's seen a lot of lately but hasn't been able to decipher. She opens her mouth to speak but closes it immediately after, all words seeming to fail her.

Cooper finally cracks a smile. Leaning back in his seat, he tosses his water bottle into the air before it easily lands in his hands. "Because I'm a faithful boyfriend. And I just so happened to get into a relationship earlier today in case you've forgotten. I hope you haven't, because that relationship sort of involves you."

Her shoulders relax as the playful mood returns. She takes note of the way this keeps happening, these brief moments of intensity that are quickly broken by some witty joke. It's almost as if neither of them want to address what's really happening. Because to address what is happening would be to address their real feelings—feelings that lead to uncertain outcomes.

"We can drop the whole dating thing. Ali won't care that we're not dating. I'm pretty sure she's already very aware of the fact that we're not really together."

His bottom lip juts out into a pout. "You don't like being my girlfriend?"

Hearing the word 'girlfriend' on his tongue does something to her, something she wishes it wouldn't do. She gulps, her eyes following the outline of his lips as she attempts to speak. "I just don't see the point in lying."

"God. Breakups suck," he says, bowing his head down and leaving them in silence for a solid ten seconds. He finally raises his head, a bright smile replacing his frown. "All better. El, I've got to tell you about this girl I was dating. She was the worst."

The corners of her lips tug upwards slightly. "Oh, was she? Well, she had to put up with you. That's a feat for anyone."

"It's almost like you want to hurt me."

Ellie lifts her shoulders, letting him know nonverbally that she's unconcerned by his statement. She pulls her phone out of her pocket and begins typing away.

"Who are you texting?" He asks curiously, attempting to peer at the screen.

"My new boyfriend."

"You waste no time, do you?"

She chortles at the appalled tone to his voice, as if they've really just broken up. Hitting send on the message, she tucks her phone back into her pocket. "I was letting Ali know that one, we're not together. And two, she can come back because we don't need any romantic alone time."

He makes a tsk sound before shaking his head slowly. "And things were just getting good."

"So I told you guys already, locals avoid the strip," Ali says, being sure to yell over the booming bass of the party. "This is where the real action is!"

Ellie squeezes past a group of girls screaming as they gather around a phone. The atmosphere in here reminds her of why she hates house parties so much. They're crowded, they're hot, and you can't hear anyone. But still, she tries to paint on a brave face for Ali. This is her world. Her people. She wants to at least try and see what it's all about.

"I promise things get more fun once you've got a few drinks in your system," Ali reassures. "You guys drink right?"

"Cooper actually—"

"A drink would be great," Cooper says, his loud voice easily cancelling Ellie's soft one out.

"Great!" Ali cheers. "I'll be back in a bit then!"

Ellie turns around, eyebrows furrowed as she stares up at Cooper. He avoids her gaze, staring directly over her head and observing the partygoers. When he doesn't acknowledge her, she finally tugs on his shirt.

"What are you doing?"

He looks around, a dry laugh passing his lips. "Partying I think. Am I doing it wrong?"

"You know what I mean, Cooper," She groans, grabbing hold of his wrist and dragging him over to an empty space near the wall.

"El, we're at a party. In Vegas. Loosen up a little."

She frowns as she studies his blank expression. "You said that you're not supposed to be drinking with your treatment."

"I'll be fine. A few drinks won't kill me this one time." A girl in a tight pink dress walks past them, tripping in her heels and falling into the space between them. Cooper grabs hold of her arm, steadying her and helping her carry on her drunken way.

"That's what drunk people do. Do you really want to do that?"

Cooper sighs, tossing his head back and training his eyes on the ceiling above them. After a moment of decompressing, he reaches for her purse. She doesn't object, she simply watches him curiously as he digs through it and pulls out a pen. Bringing his palm up in front of his face, he begins writing away. Finally, he turns his hand around so she can see it.

"Full Vegas experience," she reads.

"Just pretend it's another slip from the jar," he says, dropping his hand back down to his side. "This might be my only chance to go to Vegas, El. I want to experience it the way it's meant to be experienced. Now. You can either get drunk and have a good time with me, or you can sulk. The choice is yours. But my mind is already made up."

Ellie stares back at him silently, contemplating his ultimatum. As if on cue, Ali returns with the drinks, cheering and holding them out in their direction. Cooper grabs hold of his, his eyes locking with Ellie's as he takes a sip. She hesitantly reaches out for her own cup, glancing down to inspect its contents before she looks to Cooper once more.

"When in Vegas," he says, a hint of a smile playing at his lips.

"When in Vegas!" Ali cheers, holding her drink in the air.

Ellie looks down at the red cup in her hand once more, wiggling it slightly and studying the way the alcohol moves within it. As she inches the cup closer and closer to her lips, she mumbles a quiet, "When in Vegas."

"I feel, great. Tony the Tiger doesn't even come close to feeling as great as I feel right now," Cooper says with a drunken laugh, swinging his legs back and forth as he walks along the sidewalk. "Fuck Frosted Flakes! If you want to feel great, you should drink some vodka!"

Ellie's laughing so hard that she stumbles into the building next to her. Pulling her purse up to her chest, she glances over in Cooper's direction with a look of amusement. "I always liked Fruit Loops better."

He stops walking, standing directly in the middle of the sidewalk and staring at her with his mouth agape. "Fuck. Yes. Ellie! We should go get some fruit loops! Right. Now."

With her eyes half open, she stops walking, standing directly across from Cooper and placing her hands on his shoulders. He leans into her touch, a lazy smile strung across his lips. "Where can we get fruit loops?"

"I don't know," he says with a hiccup, looking around at the buildings that surround them. "Everything is so big here."

She looks up at the building next to them, nodding her head in agreement and dropping her hands from Cooper. "We can go on a fruit loop date when we get home."

"Date?"

She turns back to him, squinting her eyes as she tries to get a clearer view. "Yeah."

"Okay," he says, looking down at his shoes before turning and facing the street. Ellie watches his back for a moment, wondering what exactly he's doing. And then he turns back around, a bewildered look on his face. "We're in Vegas, El."

"I hadn't noticed," she jokes, following it up with a hearty laugh. She continues making her way down the street, focusing extra hard on the buildings they pass so that they don't miss their hotel. Cooper stumbles after her, humming some song she doesn't recognize.

They have to walk through a casino to get to the hotel lobby and Ellie finds herself pulled towards the dings and chimes of the slot machines. The bright lights grab her attention, stopping her in her path. She only continues moving once Cooper grabs hold of her hand and guides her through it all.

As they approach the lobby, she makes her way towards the elevators, only to be stopped when Cooper drags her towards the front desk. They already checked in earlier, but still she doesn't question it, following him blindly to speak with the concierge.

"Hello, Esteban Julio Ricardo Montoya de la Rosa Ramírez," Cooper says, nodding his head at the man. "We wish to speak with Zack and Cody."

A gasp leaves Ellie's lips, earning both Cooper and the concierge's attention. "Are we at The Tipton?"

The man shoots her a blank look before turning to Cooper. "You are at The Flamingo. And you are drunk. Have a nice night, kids."

He walks away from them, leaving them alone in their sorrow. Cooper turns to Ellie and sighs before guiding them towards the elevators. "I really thought that was going to work."

They wait patiently for the elevator, hand in hand. When the doors open, they step on eloquently, pressing the button for their floor and leaning back against the wall as they wait to ascend.

"Why don't they have a thirteenth floor?" Cooper asks with his nose scrunched.

"Bad luck. Most hotels don't have thirteenth floors."

"Hm."

They don't say anything for the rest of the way up. The elevator is filled by the stench of alcohol and horribly cheesy classical music. When the doors open, they step off eagerly. Cooper's hand still holding Ellie's firmly as he directs them to their room.

Ellie reaches for the hotel key in her purse, fumbling slightly as she pulls it out and slips it into the slot. The light shines green and the door unlocks. Cooper pushes it open with ease, holding it so she can follow him in. The door shuts loudly behind them, causing Ellie to jump slightly at the sound.

Cooper looks down at her with a smile, amused by her reaction. She glances down at their entwined hands, bringing them up in front of their faces so Cooper can see them too. "You're still holding my hand."

"I know," he says, not a single ounce of uncertainty in his voice.

Being honest with herself, she likes the feeling of his hand around her own. So instead of challenging him, she simply says, "Okay."

"So I guess we're not having Fruit Loops tonight," he says, his thumb tracing little circles along the back of her hand. "So what do you want to do instead?"

She shrugs, gulping as she watches him pull his bottom lip between his teeth. And then he drops his hand from hers. Just as she begins to worry about the sudden loss of contact, both of his hands wrap around her waist. Her entire body stiffens at the unfamiliarity of his hands around her.

"We are in Vegas," he says slowly, almost in a whisper. A hint of a smirk finds its way onto his lips. "And I believe my hand did say the full Vegas experience."

Ellie's eyes light up mischievously. "You want to marry me?"

He laughs, dropping his head on her shoulder and pulling her into him so that their bodies are pressed together. Her hands find their way behind his neck, tangling themselves up in the ends of his hair. He plants a soft kiss to the side of her neck, completely catching her off guard and halting any other jokes she may have made.

"Maybe," he whispers, bringing his lips up to her ear. "But I had something else in mind tonight."

Planting another timid kiss just below her ear, she feels any resolve she may have had instantly crumble away, ready to completely give in to any requests he may have. Before she can get ahead of herself, he pulls back. His eyes meet hers for a second and then they're focusing on her lips. "Is this okay?"

Deciding that she doesn't have time for words, she crashes her lips against his. The alcohol in his system doesn't help him with his balance any, but the closet door behind him does.

He takes a second to really react, but once he does, all caution is thrown to the wind.

Within minutes, their clothes sit together in a pile on the floor. His hands are in her hair and her hands are on his back. Their bodies move together as one, twisting and morphing to fit to each other's.

It's sloppy and drunk. But they're sloppy and naïve.

There's no time to think about right or wrong. No time to consider logic in this situation. There is only now, and what they choose to do right now. And right now, they choose this.

But one thing is certain. What happens in Vegas, won't always stay in Vegas.