Riley’s vision swirled as the pounding in her head woke her up.

“Oww. Fuck.” she commented to herself, as she gripped her forehead. 

She rolled over and propped herself up to reach for her phone. Wait...Where was her phone?

She felt around a satin sheet she did not recognize. 

“What the hell…”

Riley sat up alarmed, making her headache worse. “Oh my God…”

She scanned the foreign room and landed on her purse on a nightstand she had never seen in her entire life. Grabbing it and finding her phone inside, she noticed a text notification. 

“Fun night *laugh emoji*  You’re in my guest room. See you in the morning.”

It was from Justin. 

His guest room? Why was she- And like a flash the night started coming back to her.

The kiss, the bar, the tequila- 

She didn’t remember coming back to his place. What happened? Did something happen? 

Mortified, she smoothed down the top of her hair and texted him back.

“Justin…?”

“Morning, tequila girl...I’m downstairs...staircase to your left”

Riley sighed and did her best to redo her bun. She grabbed a mirror from her bag and did a quick check. Her eyeliner was a mess. 

“Cute, Riley...cute…” She wiped some of it away and did the best she could to make herself look normal. She was still fully dressed. GREAT sign.

She slowly made her way to the door and spotted a short staircase on the left as promised. Trying to ignore her dizziness and the fact that her head was killing her, she made her way downstairs to find him on his couch, scribbling something in a notebook.

He looked up and smiled “She’s ALIIIIVE…”

“Uh...Is there water?”

He snickered. “Yeah.” He got up and made his way to the kitchen “And coffee, but I made it so it might be trash...”

“Great. Um...I can get it.”

He laughed “Do you know where the cups are?”

“No”

“Uh huh.” He grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge and handed it to her then walked over to a small cabinet. “Go sit down.”

She watched him pour coffee into a mug. 

“Black?” he looked at her.

“Oh...Do you have cream or anything?”

“Um. Almond milk. Sugar?”

The thought of anything sweet right now now sent her stomach flipping. “No just..Almond milk is fine”

He walked over and set it down in front of her. 

“Thanks.” She felt so stupid. Her boss had just done her own job for her.

She made note of how he was dressed, which made her feel even weirder. 

Gray Nike sweatpants and navy v-neck. No socks or shoes. Katie would have killed for a picture.

“How you feeling? “ he smiled.

“Honestly like crap.” she answered 

“I bet…”

“Justin did um...what happened last night?”

He looked at her amused. “Not tacos,” he laughed and she remembered.

“Damn it.” She put the cup of coffee down and hid her face in her hands. “I’m so sorry this is...well this is embarrassing.”

“Nah. We’ve all done it. Usually not with a boss, but…”

“Justin, stop. I am. Listen, I understand if I crossed a line. This is completely inappropriate.”

“Riley, I suggested another round. Two people were drinking. Relax.”

She didn’t remember what day it was. She didn’t know if he was late to something. She hadn’t let go in months, and this is what had happened. 

Great job, she thought to herself.

Riley took a sip of coffee. “Well, I should get home. I’m sure Benji is hungry.”

“Benji?”

“Oh, sorry. My dog.”

Justin smiled. “I love dogs. What kind?”

“He’s a mini poodle mix...rescue, actually.”

“Bring him along sometime,” Justin suggested.

Riley glanced over at the notebook he had been writing in. “Why were you up?”

Justin sat down. “Uh. Just got an idea for a song.”

“You never stop, do you?”

Justin blushed a little “Not really…”

“Well. Thanks for this” She held up the cup. “And making sure I was safe.”

“Just returning the favor. Want a little tour before you go? Ya know...for when you come check in?”

Riley felt a little better after some caffeine and hydration, and nodded. “Sounds like a plan.”

************************

Riley got out of the car and made her way into the small event space . She had to admit, she was getting used to not having to take the subway. It made life a lot easier. She could see purple-hued uplighting and an arched, tree lined entryway.

Classy. Woodsy. Makes sense.

Her being there today was more of a formality. She couldn’t imagine how much she would have to do at an exclusive listening party but Justin had asked her to be there, anyway.

“You ready?” He asked when she got inside. He looked nice. Somehow, he was one of the few guys she could recall who made flannel look like an occasion outfit. Maybe it was the designer jeans he had on or the perfectly coordinated beanie. Luxury lumberjack, she thought.

“Yeah. Actually kind of looking forward to seeing what people think,” Riley answered.

“Well that makes one of us…” Justin said. He looked nervous.

“Am I gonna have to yell at you today?” Riley joked.

“Stay tuned…” he smirked.

**

The event was going well. It was so hard to tell what people thought. These industry people were stone walls. She did notice a few people moving along to a few of the tracks, though. 

Justin sat in a corner, his face giving nothing away. She made a note to keep an eye on him. 

If there was ever an opportunity for him to be in his head, this was it.

As the album ended, there were a few appreciative cheers and a clap or two. 

On to the champagne. 

Justin walked over to hand her a glass. “Well, it’s out there now.”

“Cheers, Justin,” she held up her glass and he clinked it.

He made his way around the room, turning on the charm as always. Riley quietly moved around the room, taking care of empty bottles and keeping select people’s glasses full. It wasn’t her job, but she felt awkward doing nothing.

She noticed Justin talking to someone, a woman. She didn’t look familiar, but she definitely had a presence. Her smile was bright, and her deep brown eyes matched it’s spark. Justin lingered a little as he spoke to her. Hmmm. Who was she?

**

“...So, Yeah, this is actually my first time out of Detroit. A lot to take in...New York is amazing.”

Justin smiled. She wasn’t wrong, but her enthusiasm was refreshing; new. He was taken back to the first time he had arrived in NYC, bright eyed and full of hope.

“Pretty impressive, though. You must have some pipes. All expenses paid to network?”

She blushed. “I’m alright, I guess…”

“I’d love to hear your stuff. I’ll have Johnny set it up.”

Her eyes got wide. “Oh, um. Sure. That would be great.”

“Well, enjoy the party. See you soon, Yolanda.”

“Uh, yeah. Looking forward to it,” she smiled. “Until then, Justin…”

Justin shook her hand, smiling. She was gorgeous. He really hoped her voice was, too.