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Chapter One
Aria
“Where on earth have you bought me?” I looked around the sleazy nightclub with a mixture of fear and disdain.
“Hot Tuna, the hottest nightclub in Virginia Beach, apparently,” Zoey yelled in my ear.
Lily flipped her blonde hair and wrinkled her nose. “It looks like this could go either way. I see a whole lot of sleazy-looking folks in here. But hey, sometimes that kind of thing can be fun.”
I played with the dangly sleeves of my floral and black, off-the-shoulder top. “If you say so.” Sleazy people made me anxious.
Zoey wrapped her arms around my shoulder. “Don’t worry, Aria, we have your back.”
Lily grasped my hand. “Might I mention how hot you look tonight, by the way.”
I flashed her a half-hearted smile.
“You should listen to her because she’s right, you look great,” Zoey said, wagging her finger at me.
That was okay for them to say. They were both hot and had probably never endured years of bullying due to their size.
Lily was the kind of perfect beautiful you would see in glamour magazines and she loved to follow all the latest trends. She always looked flawless, but was also the nerdiest and had a job as a historian and curator at the Brooklyn Museum.
Zoey was the fun, kooky one. With her amethyst-coloured hair and her job as a journalist for an indie magazine that reported on all the latest trends, bands, and entertainment in New York, she was always up for a party.
Even when we were on summer vacation in Virginia Beach, she was up for a party. Hence our visit to this Hot Tuna place.
One thing I could say about both of them was in the month I’d already lived here, they’d helped bring me out of my shell a lot. I was the newbie in their little group—the newest roommate—but it felt like we had all been friends forever.
As for me, I had spent my whole life with body issues and low self-esteem. My school years had been nightmarish, and had only gotten worse when I was the first girl in my year to develop huge breasts and a round arse. I was also the tallest one for most of the school, until a couple of the boys grew to something like six foot three after puberty. The only time I’d ever felt free was when my mother and I travelled to New York to visit her sister—Aunty Bree—and my cousins Kida, Claire, and Willa Marks. I vowed to Kida that I’d come back to New York for college. Unfortunately, I didn’t quite make it for college, but I was, however, Brooklyn Animal Hospital’s newest, part-time junior employee. It was a five-month probationary position, and I hoped I would prove myself worthy of a permanent job by the end of it.
It was a pity Kida and Willa had both moved away from the city now. But Claire was still living in Brooklyn with her husband, Ryan, and their adorable four-year-old daughter, Eloise.
Plus, I had my awesome roommates.
The music that was playing was so loud, it thumped through my body. It was shitty, but it still made me want to dance. I moved my hips to and fro and closed my eyes for a moment. When I opened them again, I was suddenly friendless.
Where had Lily and Zoey gone?
I scanned the room and noticed Lily flirting with a guy at one of the tables. Then I saw Zoey wave me over to the bar. I pushed my way through the crowd, bumping into a couple of guys along the way.
“Sorry, excuse me,” I mumbled.
With a yelp, I tripped over my own feet and was headed for the floor in the most embarrassing way possible. Before I ended up sprawled on the sticky, alcohol-covered vinyl tiles, someone caught me by the hand and pulled me back to my feet. I fell against a muscular chest and stepped back with a gasp. “I’m sorry,” I said again.
The guy didn’t let my arm go. “Are you okay?”
I was suddenly mute. For some reason, my voice had abandoned me and all I could do was stare at the hot specimen of a man who’d come to my rescue.
He scratched his thumbnail over his stubbled beard and drew his eyebrows together. “Ma’am?”
“Yes. Fine. Thank you.”Way to come off sounding like an idiot, Aria.
“You’re sure?”
I nodded.
“Okay. I’m going to let you go now.” He did and when I stumbled again, his hand flew out towards me. I caught myself and held up my hand to stop him. With a deep breath, I turned away and with my head held high, I joined Zoey at the bar.
