Lee stuck out their tongue, proving Eliza’s point. They reached the hotel, and Eliza was surprised at the noise levels that already greeted her ears before the doors even opened. They made their way inside and Lee beelined for the bar as Eliza looked around at the tables overflowing with people.
“How is anybody supposed to sleep at this hotel? I can barely hear myself think.” Eliza had to lean in for Lee to hear her over the chatter and music.
“It’s not even ten. Nobody is sleeping yet. The night is young,and so are we.”
“You called me old a minute ago, and I’m beginning to feel it,” Eliza said as she surveyed the far younger clientele of the bar.
The lighting was dim, and the bulbs were a fluorescent pink that cast everything in a weird glow. Eliza supposed the decor was edgy and cool, but it made her feel a bit dizzy if she looked around for too long.
“Here, let’s go find somewhere to sit.”
Lee handed her a tall glass of liquid that was possibly blue and green, but the pink lighting made it hard to be sure. Eliza took a sip as they walked around and had to admit the burst of flavours that hit her tongue were a perfect combination. After several minutes, it was clear a seat was not going to be found, and they located a spot to lean against the wall. The one drink would stay at one tonight. No seats, music too loud to talk, lights too trippy to see? None of that lent itself to a fun night out.
“Hey. Want to dance?”
The voice was loud enough to be heard over the music, and Eliza glanced at the beautiful young blonde smiling at them.
“Not tonight,” Eliza said with a firm smile.
She found it best not to draw out the conversations with a sorry or an excuse. That only led to pointless back and forth. The woman was beautiful, but not at all Eliza’s type.
“Sorry, I was asking your daughter.”
The woman glanced between Eliza and Lee before her eyes stayed on Lee’s with confidence. Eliza’s face heated at the woman’s mistake as the words caught up to her. Lee sputtered a laugh beside her.Daughter?Herdaughter?
“She’s not my…”
“Mind if I go dance, Mom?”
Eliza glared at Lee, whose teasing eyes were already roaming back to the woman’s ass as she walked to the dance floor.
“Go while you’re still breathing,” Eliza said through grittedteeth.
Lee might not have heard Eliza’s words clearly, but they got the meaning. They walked to the dance floor and Eliza gripped her glass tighter.
Daughter.
It was true that Lee looked much younger than their thirty-five years. They had often been mistaken for sisters on nights out together, with their similar chestnut brown hair, warm ivory skin, and blue eyes. But mother and daughter, seriously?
Eliza nursed her ego as she walked to the bar to order another drink. She needed one after that comment, and then she’d make her way home and eat the leftover chocolate cake that had been teasing her from her fridge all week.
“You look like someone kicked your puppy.”
Eliza glanced to the side and could barely make out the features of the stranger who had spoken. They needed to go buy regular bulbs for this place, it was ridiculous.
“Something like that,” Eliza said.
She waved down the bartender and ordered another cocktail. The effects of the first one were already kicking in, and she wondered how potent these things were.
“The real question is, why would you bring a puppy to a crowded place like this and risk it being kicked?”
Eliza shook her head but couldn’t stop the smile at the ridiculous image the words conjured.
“Didn’t you know puppies love to be blinded by hot pink lighting?”
The stranger laughed, and the sound wrapped its way around Eliza. It was a real laugh, not the half-hearted kind people at work gave to their clients’ terrible jokes all day.
“What iswiththe lighting? I was beginning to think I was in a fever dream when I went into the women’s toilets and saw that it’s hot pink in there too. I couldn’t even see myself pee.”
