Page 86 of Cole

The Clutch glowed in the darkness. Someone had tied some kind of balloons on either side of the walkway leading to the entrance. I stopped in my tracks as everyone else headed for the doorway.

No. No. No. I couldn’t do it. I did, despite evidence to the contrary, have some shame.

“Come on,” Arianna said, linking her arm through mine and propelling me forward. “It’ll all be fine.”

“No! I’m not supposed to come here. Honestly, I’m pretty sure I’m barred for life.”

“Tonight’s my birthday, and Cole won’t say a thing. I guarantee it.”

“And if you’re wrong, you guys can watch him throw me out on my ass, so I guess that’s fun,” I muttered. My heart was beating too fast. Was it going against his fury and encroaching on his space again that was making me squirm inside? Or was it just the thought of seeing Cole again, after nearly two weeks of nothing?

Then we were walking into the bar, and the noise and excitement was sweeping over me, and I had no more time to stall.

The music was loud, something low and sexy, a beat that vibrated the floorboards and all the way up my legs. The dance floor was packed. Some of the girls were already at the bar, and others were claiming a booth with a birthday banner flying over it.

I looked around in a way I hoped wasn’t too searching but undoubtedly was.

I spied some faces I recognized from my previous visits, but not too many. Most notably, Ronnie, behind the bar. She smiled warmly when I approached.

“Wow, long time no see. I thought you were becoming a new regular, and then, zip, nada. You just disappear on us.”

“Yeah, well, your boss wasn’t really very encouraging about me coming back.”

Ronnie raised an eyebrow. “Is that right? Unusual to see the boss get riled up by a woman.”

I slid onto a barstool. “Yeah, well, I don’t think it’s a compliment. I guess I’m just that annoying.”

Ronnie laughed and lined up a long row of shots.

“Who are those for?”

“Ari’s birthday. She’s family around here, remember. Let’s get the night off on the right foot.”

“I shouldn’t drink too much,” I murmured, even as I picked up one of the shots. Ronnie clicked her glass against mine and we drank.

The tequila burned as it went down, but it gave me a comforting warmth in the pit of my belly. I took another straight away, needing that dose of sedative to soothe my jangled nerves.

“Impressive,” Ronnie murmured, looking like she wasn’t sure whether to applaud or call me a cab.

Just then Arianna came to the bar, alongside some of the other girls. They grabbed shots and urged me to do the same. Five minutes later, I’d had four shots, and the room was spinning.

“Let’s dance! It’s dancing time,” Eve said, tugging my arm.

“Ok, ok, don’t pull me right over,” I grumbled, knowing I needed to burn off a little of the booze. The last time I’d seen Cole I’d been throwing up, drugged, and now, if he came tonight, I’d be drunk. Great track record. Still, it was easier than seeing him sober and realizing that it was really over.

We danced, the playlist all of Arianna’s favorite dancing songs. Sometimes someone came up and danced against me, but they’d soon drift away. I didn’t think about looking sexy, or cool, or anything at all. I just had fun. I tried to forget that my parents were on my case about that fucking predator creep Grant in the hospital, and coming home more, and deciding what I was going to do with my life after graduating. My failed dreams slipped away, and the mess of the one relationship in my life that had actually meant something. It all fell away.

“Don’t look now, but I’d say tonight’s about to get more exciting,” Lily shouted in my ear.

I grinned at her, clinking my glass against hers. “Why’s that?”

“We have company,” she yelled, and nodded meaningfully across the crowded dance floor.

I followed her gaze, and my eyes collided with cool, assessing blue ones.

Cole stood at the bar. He was leaning one arm against it, his body turned toward the dance floor, his eyes on me.

Heat weaved through me. I could have felt self-conscious, dancing with my friends without skill or anything close to seductive moves, but somehow I didn’t. Hands landed on my hips again, and Cole straightened up. I danced away a little, but the hands persisted. I twisted to see who it was.