There would be nowhere to hide.
20
MIKI
IVY
I slipped Miki’s glass into her outstretched hand and sipped my margarita while scanning the room.
The vibe was good.
A group of girls in their early twenties sat opposite us wearing colorful flower crowns, go-go boots, and daisy-shaped sunglasses. They were enjoying a ’70s-themed bachelorette party. To the left, a rowdy group of guys—all built like linebackers—laughed enthusiastically as they clowned around.
The DJ, a hipster with bright violet hair, was going hard, pulling out a stack of ’90s remixes, modern pop hits, and some hypnotic Afro-House. As she transitioned to a new track, the vocals engulfed the room.
The girls from the bachelorette party screamed and swarmed the dance floor, followed by the linebackers, grinning wildly.
“Let’s dance!” I cried over the music after I downed the last of my drink. “This is too good to miss.”
Miki nodded, grabbing my hand and pulling me toward the dance floor. Miki danced, her hair fanning wildly, as we sang along with the rest of the crowd. We threw our hands in the air, the drop hit as the bass coursed through my body.
I let the deep beats travel through me, my head thrown back and my body rocking in time to the music. For the first time in months, I didn’t feel penned in. I swung my arms to thehypnotic rhythm as if the door to my cage had been flung open and I was running free.
The crowd flowed along to the pounding drumbeat, which eventually shifted into a chart-topping chorus. Everyone sang along until the music abruptly cut out. A few voices carried on into the silence before dissolving into hoots of laughter. The music kicked back in.
Laughing, Miki put her hand on my shoulder. “I need a drink,” she shouted over the music. We wandered over to the bar and shouted our order to the bartender.
“What an epic night,” I said, taking my glass. “I haven’t felt this good in forever.”
“It’s been ages for me too,” she said with a small shake of her head. “Way too long.”
Cheers and whoops of laughter blasted from the dance floor, and we turned to see one linebacker trying to do a handstand. He face-planted, then his friends tried to haul him back onto his feet.
“Someone’s had one too many,” I said with a giggle as I checked the time. “Let’s get out of here, or it’ll be tomorrow already.”
Miki laughed. “Sounds good.”
“Back in a sec,” I said, dashing to the restroom.
Miki was shoving her phone into her clutch when I returned a couple of minutes later. “Great timing, the Uber’s about to arrive.”
As we hauled ourselves into the back seat, we laughed about the night, agreeing we’d drunk too much and brainstorming where we might go next time. We were still laughing as we pulled up in front of the studio and made our way unsteadily up the stairs to the front door.
Miki fumbled with the lock. “I can’t open it.” She giggled as the keys slipped out of her hand.
We both bent down to pick them up and collided as we tried to stifle our chuckles. “Shh, or we’ll wake the neighbors!” I whispered too loudly and almost dropped them myself. “Here,let me try.” Finally, after fiddling with the key, the door swung open.
“Hallelujah!” Miki snickered. “I thought we’d have to sleep in the laundry room.”
“Imagine the neighbor’s face if he found us asleep in there.” We burst into laughter.
Our standoffish neighbor worked the night shift and had a habit of doing his laundry before the sun came up. Still giggling, we stumbled inside as I kicked the door shut behind me with the back of my foot.
“I’ve had such a great time today. I love hanging out together. We have so much fun,” Miki said.
“I had a good day too. Ahh, my head’s spinning!” I flung off my shoes and flopped down onto the bed. “We drank too much.” I rested my eyes for a moment to steady my lightheadedness—
Miki clapped her hands, and my eyes flew open. “I can’t believe I’ve almost finished my massage diploma. Soon, I’ll have my qualification. Then I canfinallyquit working at Sizzling Hot.” She jumped to her feet and did a victory dance.
