38. Chapter 38

Sid awoke with a strange pain in his back and intense throbbing in his head. He pried one eye open, and as the room gradually came into focus, he realized that he was lying on the floor.

With a groan, he slowly pulled himself to his knees and attempted to crawl into the bed.

His hands hit something hard and cold. He forced both eyes open but struggled to make sense of what he saw.

There was a bicycle in his bed.

The front wheel was bent, and a handful of loose wires dangled below the top tube. At the sight of the bike's missing control housing, he vaguely remembered riding along the Manutai cycleways. The power assist hadn't been working, and he'd gotten thirsty. He must have stopped somewhere for a drink. Apparently, he'd had a little too much.

He stared at the bike in his bed and admitted that maybe he'd had a lot too much.

His head throbbed, and the events of the previous night were still hazy in his mind. He struggled to remember what he had done. Hopefully the bicycle in his bed was the worst of it.

He was relieved to find himself still fully clothed. But why was he wearing a tuxedo?

Sid groaned and buried his face in the sheets as the events of the night before flooded back into his mind. Dancing with Jayna at the ball. Their fight by the fountain. His wild ride through the streets of Manutai.

He groaned as the all-too familiar mix of anger and embarrassment settled over him.

He had known better. Despite her generous heart and enchanting singing voice, he had known better than to let himself fall for that beautiful red-haired gold-digging climber.

She was just like Crystal. And he had fallen for her anyway. He allowed himself to be lured by her siren's song, and she dashed him against the rocks.

He was such an idiot.

Sid slumped against the bed and closed his eyes. Any minute she would come crawling back, apologize, and ask him to give her another chance.

But he'd already gone through this with Crystal, and he knew how it would end.

He had a responsibility to get her home, but he couldn't face the thought of her in his Aurora. That was where he had first realized there was more to his feelings for her than basic physical attraction. He'd have Emmaline buy her a commercial ticket and…

Emmaline.

The weight of her betrayal threatened to crush him. It hurt almost as badly as his stupidity with Jayna.

He would have to take care of Jayna and her situation himself. But he needed a shower first, and maybe some coffee.

Yes, definitely coffee.

Sid ran through his options as he tried to wash away his humiliation in the shower. He remembered that the hotel's concierge service had proven to be effective and discreet. They could help him out.

But since he had no desire to stand in the lobby and explain his dilemma, he sent a message, as soon as he was dried off, asking for a concierge to come to his room. Then he dressed quickly so he would be decent by the time they arrived.

He had just pulled on his pants when there was a knock. That was fast. He rushed to the door as quickly as his muddled head would allow and flung it open. "Thanks for coming. I…"

Emmaline stood just outside his room. His surprise at seeing her left him at a loss for words.

"We need to talk," she said.

The simple, clichéd declaration snapped him out of his stupor. "I think you've done enough damage," he growled.

Emmaline looked pensive. "If you'll give me the chance, I'd like to try and undo the damage."

He shook his head. "It's too late for that." He started to close the door, but Emmaline caught it with her hand.

"Obsidian, please…"

Anger broke through the haze muddling his mind, and the only thing that kept him from yelling at his former assistant was the knowledge that video of a hallway row would undoubtedly end up on the Myst. Trying to avoid yet another public scene, he grasped her by the wrist, pulled her inside the room, and let the door slam shut.

"You want to undo the damage? Fine. Go back in time and stop this whole mermaid nightmare from happening. And if you can't do that, then take Jayna to the airport and buy her a ticket home. Then buy yourself a ticket to anywhere you want, and just get out of my life."

Emmaline stiffened, and then let out a sigh. "I can't do that."

"Of course you can. I'll give you the money. Then get that gown from her and sell it while video from last night is still racing through the Myst like wildfire. Put the money towards the Realms employee buyout so I can get rid of that stupid park as soon as possible."

Emmaline shook her head. "I can't take Jayna to the airport because she's already gone. She flew out this morning. And for your information, she didn't keep the gown. Or the u-suit. And it took a decent chunk of the prize money to buy her ticket home. The only thing she's taken from you is a broken heart."

Sid narrowed his eyes. "How do you know all this?"

Emmaline's brow furrowed in concern. "I went to the airport to try to stop her from leaving, and she said she sent everything back."

"Really? So where is the gown? The u-suit? Where are all the other clothes you bought for her with my money?"

Another knock sounded at the door, startling them both. "Maybe that's someone bringing the stuff now," Emmaline said.

Sid rolled his eyes. "No, it's a concierge. I asked them to come take care of sending Jayna home, but apparently that won't be necessary."

He opened the door, and his heart leapt. He and Emmaline had both been right. A hotel concierge stood in the hall with Jayna's gown, shoes, and u-suit.

He stared at the dress, and an ache filled his chest. Jayna had looked so amazing in that dress, and he couldn't help but remember how thoroughly captivated he had been by her the entire evening, until…

"Ms. Cooper asked me to bring these to you," the concierge said, interrupting Sid's thoughts. "But you were out when I brought them last night. I apologize for not having sent them up this morning, but we thought it might be best to wait until you called for them."

Sid took Jayna's things and glanced at Emmaline, the confusion still raging in his mind. He'd been so certain that Jayna was just like Crystal, using him to improve her fortunes and then throwing him into the void.

Yet the evidence he held in his hands filled him with doubt. If he was wrong about her being a gold-digging climber, what else had he gotten wrong?