[July 2007, Night] "You're backing out?!" Nathan responded, surprised. "You gotta do what you gotta do, but you're the reason why we're going to Vegas in the first place...Eileen is going to be PISSED!"
"Nathan," Jane answered assuringly, "you two will be fine. You have each other, and besides, you know some of the people that are going..."
"Yeah, I SORTA know 'em. But Eileen doesn't know anyone! She's gonna freak when she finds out."
"Yeah. I'm not going to tell her until the day before."
"But it's five days away. You're supposed to room with her. She's not going to be happy!"
"Nathan! You'll be fine! You've been seeing her for what, two months now? This is the weekend you can make it official. You don't need me there third-wheeling it - this weekend can be all about you two."
Nathan paused for a second. "I guess. Still, would've preferred to have you along for the ride."
Jane laughed in response. "You're being silly. Have fun!"
five days later....
The partygoers at Caesar's Palace were packed like sardines in a tin can. No one seemed to mind, however, as there were more than enough drinks and beautiful people to keep an eye on. Nathan, Eileen, and their group of just-acquainted friends had just arrived, and were making a bee-line for the nearest bar. After weaving through the clusters of drunk boys and girls, they finally made it and started taking shots of tequila. Eileen turned to Nathan to politely excuse herself while she went to talk to some of her newfound friends.
Miriam, the only person Nathan knew well on this trip, made her way to Nathan, who was busy asking the bartender for a coke.
"So, is that your girl?" Miriam asked once Eileen was out of earshot.
"Uhhh," said Nathan, unsure of how to respond. "We've been seeing each other for a few months now. So, sorta?"
"She's cute," Miriam responded enthusiastically, before taking a sip of something red from a glass tumbler. "So are you two official or what?"
Ah, ain't that the million-dollar question? Nathan asked himself before responding, "Not yet." He took another look at Eileen, who was busy making chit-chat with Herbert and Gary, Miriam's friends from back home. She was nice enough, Nathan thought, but he knew things weren't going to plan. If you pressed him, he'd admit that there was no spark. No chemistry. Throughout the day, he had forced himself to laugh at her jokes, seem interested in her comments, and in general make Vegas as fun as possible for the both of them. But deep inside, he knew the reason behind their stilted conversations and the many, awkward silences. She could possibly be the dullest person on Earth.
Still, he thought, it was only Friday. Perhaps he was being too hard on her. People take time to open up. Tomorrow could be better and who knows? Maybe they'd finally "click" and turn the corner! Eileen returned, with Herbert and Gary in tow, and the group cheered and downed their drinks before making their way to the dance floor. They began to dance, undulating their hips and flailing their arms awkwardly to loud and syncopated electronic beats.
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the next night...
Nathan and Eileen arrived at Tao, the Bellagio night club, where Miriam and the rest of the group were already negotiating a table with the club promoters. After a few minutes, they gained entrance and were seated at their table. The wait staff soon brought over chilled bottles of Grey Goose, chasers and dozens of shot glasses, all waiting to be filled and emptied.
They began drinking, and after a few shots, were eyeing the dance floor. Sensing that this a good moment, Nathan put on a big smile and walked over to Eileen, who was nursing a cup of vodka and making small talk with Miriam.
"Hey Eileen, wanna dance?"
"Not now. Maybe later?"
"Ok then."
A bit dejected, Nathan turned and sat down next to Gary, one of the guys he befriended on the trip. "Let's have another drink!" said Gary cheerily. As Gary poured Nathan another shot, Nathan looked over at Herbert, who was drinking by himself in the corner. A shifty fund manager, he had been eyeing Eileen all weekend long. He was a nice enough guy, but irritated Nathan by hitting on Eileen while everyone else knew better not to.
A minute passed before Nathan noticed Herbert walking over to Eileen. He asked her to dance, and surprisingly, escorted her onto the dance floor a few moments later.
Everyone else looked over at Nathan with the look of "Oh shit!" in their eyes. Stunned, Nathan just shrugged and took another sip from his glass. What the fuck, he thought. He continued to make small talk and chat with some of the others. An hour had passed, and yet, Eileen had not returned.
Nathan decided to pack it up for the night. Despite protests from the group, Nathan couldn't help but excuse himself and leave.
Upon reaching his hotel room, he threw himself into bed. Ugh, why am I here? he asked himself. He was furious and could not sleep. Minutes turned into hours, and soon, he received a phone call at 4 in the morning. It was Eileen.
"Nathan? Where are you? I was looking for you, but the guys told me you're back in your room."
"Yup."
"Hey, can I pop in? I need some water."
"Sure." he answered.
A few minutes later, Eileen arrived at his hotel room in a drunken stupor. Nathan sat her down on the bed and gave her some water, which she readily put down. Still angry, Nathan was reluctant to talk to her, but eventually gave in a few minutes later.
"Hey look," Nathan started cooly, "I just want you to know that I now know where things stand with us and that it's OK. Now I know, and I just want us to enjoy the rest of this trip."
Eileen seemed puzzled. "What are you trying to say?"
"Eileen, it's obvious. You don't really like me! And that's fine. I can live with that."
"Nathan," Eileen responded angrily, "it's not that I don't like you! But Herbert...he has connections. He can help me get into MBA school..."
"What?!" Nathan responded, more confused than angry now. "And so what? You're going to blow me off to hang out with that guy?! Why?"
Eileen answered sharply: "Nathan, you're being naive."
Stunned for a second time that night, Nathan sat there quietly. Where is this going, he wondered.
"Nathan, I'm 24 years old. I don't have time for love right now. I need to meet someone with means and start a family."
Nathan couldn't believe what he was hearing. Was this girl serious? He had always heard of girls marrying for money, but he never thought he'd meet someone who held that as her ONLY criteria. He wanted badly to tell her off and let her know what a superficial and soulless person she was. That she was doomed for unhappiness.
But he also wanted to help her see the light. She had been wronged by two guys before, who had led her on and cheated on her. She had a lot of emotional baggage, which had clearly changed her view on things.
"Eileen, look. That sounds like a TERRIBLE idea. Love should be the main reason why you marry someone. Promise me you'll marry someone that you love and that loves you back."
"Men are pigs," Eileen said hotly, "I know how guys are. I already know my husband will probably cheat on me. And that's fine. The only people I need to love me are my kids. That's where my love will come from."
"That...that's insane. Not all guys cheat! There's plenty of good guys out there! I know you've known otherwise, but you just have to believe me on this one."
"Nathan," said Eileen, now taking on a condescending tone. "You don't live in the real world. You're too idealistic to know what girls are really looking for in guys. The sooner you learn that fact, the better off you'll be!"
"I hear what you're saying. But you know that's not true. You're basing your "truth" off your own fucked up experiences, and I'm sorry but that's not reality."
Eileen and Nathan continued to battle through the night. Nathan tried heroically to set her straight, but Eileen persisted in letting Nathan know that it was he who was being childish. Soon, Eileen passed out on the guest bed. Exhausted and still in disbelief, Nathan finally went to sleep, not knowing what more he could do.
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the next morning...
Eileen woke up to find Nathan already dressed. "Hey!" greeted Eileen cheerily.
"Hey," said Nathan tentatively.
"How did I get here?" asked Eileen.
"What do you mean? You don't remember?"
"No...I remember we went clubbing and that's about it. I blacked out."
Nathan just stared back. Is she serious???. He soon realized she truly did not remember. That whole conversation...only he remembered having it. He had a decision to make - he could either give her the cold shoulder OR he could pretend like last night never happened. He chose.
"Ah, you came here and passed out on the bed. Not more than that. You said you had a good time."
She smiled. "Yeah, I think I did? I don't remember seeing you though. Where did you go?"
"Ahhh, I was tired and decided to do something else," lied Nathan. "We met up after the club. Now come on, get ready and let's go out and have lunch."
"Ok," answered Eileen. She climbed out of bed and got into her shoes. "I'll call you in...twenty?"
"Sure thing."
Eileen then exited and made her way back to her own room.
Nathan plopped himself back on the bed. He was still a bit upset, but was mostly sorry for her. He wondered what she was like before she had the two boyfriends who cheated on her. The boyfriends she loved with all her heart and now left her hurt and damaged. Still, that wasn't his fault. He wanted to be angry - after all, she made him into a fool in front of their friends. He flew out there just for her, and repaid him by making the weekend into a nightmare. But he decided that he would show her exactly what a "good guy" was capable of doing for a girl. Maybe that wasn't the smartest thing, but he didn't care. He would show her, in his own way, and say nothing.
After twenty minutes, his phone rang, and he joined her in the hall, telling her excitedly how great the Bellagio buffet really was.
"Really? You've never been?" said Nathan incredulously. "It's really good. They have Kobe beef and shrimp and...ah man. You're in for a treat!"
