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“We’re going to therealVIP section.” He holds back the curtain for me to pass through.
I start up the dark, steep staircase. It’s so narrow, there’s no need for rails. My hand traces the wall as I continue up the stairs, each bump and groove lighting up my sense of touch and sending a flutter of nerves through my whole body. I glance back at Mateo who has closed the curtain behind him. He nods, encouraging me to keep going as he takes the first step. It’s so narrow, he has to twist his shoulders slightly as he climbs. The light in this stairwell is so strange it makes me feel like I’m going to emerge in an alternate universe.
When I reach the top of the stairs, I see that we are in another smaller and much quieter area. It only has a couple of booths and a sectional of couches around a low table.
There’s only one group of people up here in the corner booth. One guy with two girls. For a moment I think that I know them, until I realize I recognize them from a recent reality show.
Mateo leads me past the couch and toward the balcony. We’re just slightly higher than Andre’s DJ booth on the other side of the dance floor. We look out across the dancers and the flashing lights. Mateo goes back to the couch and table and pours each of us a glass of champagne from the bucket next to the couch. I see the celebrities, the only other people in this VIP area, head back down the stairs. The girls glance toward us with a hint of jealousy as the guy leads them away.
Mateo clinks his glass against mine. I take a sip. The champagne is the perfect temperature. Someone must have put it here just before we came up.
“This is where I first saw you,” Mateo says gesturing with his glass toward the bar.
“Why didn’t you come and say ‘hi’?” I ask.
“It looked like you were with someone.”
He must have seen me with Andre.
“He’s just a friend,” I say. I can’t tell if it would matter to Mateo either way.
He takes another sip of champagne.
Everything seems so well organized. I have to ask.
“Is this something you do often? Find a girl and bring her up here? While someone makes sure the champagne is chilled and the place empties out?”
I’m not a fool. I don’t think that Mateo is a prince who has only ever had eyes for me and I’m the first girl he’s invited here. I’m not offended. I’m just not delusional. It’s nice to know how things really are. As adults, we should be capable of being honest with each other about what we want. But I do enjoy the vibe and the atmosphere that has been set.
“I haven’t been to this club in a long time,” Mateo replies.
“But you did used to come here?” I ask.
“Yes. Quite a lot,” he reminisces.
I appreciate his honesty. “I’ve never been to this club,” I say. “I haven’t been out in a while. But I used to go out a lot, too.”
“How come you stopped?” Mateo asks. There’s no tone of judgement in his voice. He is actually curious.
“I guess I’ve been really focused on my work. I’ve been very busy lately. I can’t even figure out how I used to have hours to spend going out.”
Mateo nods knowingly. I expect him to ask me what my job is. But he doesn’t.
Instead, I turn his question to him. “How come it’s been a long time since you’ve been here?”
“Work,” he agrees. “Responsibilities change. Desires change. It wasn’t fun for me anymore I guess.”
I nod. “What brought you back out tonight?” I ask.
“Work,” he answers again. “But I guess I’ve also been feeling a bit nostalgic.”
I nod again. “Me, too. Maybe I don’t need to go out every weekend, but there were some good times.”
“Yes, there were,” Mateo replies with a small smile. It’s the first sliver of vulnerability I’ve seen Mateo show. Somehow, it makes me feel like I’ve known him my whole life. I lean sideways into him, and he wraps his arm around my waist.
“To those sentimental days gone by,” I hold up my glass to his. “We may not have known what we were doing, but we made memories.”
“To the happy memories,” Mateo says.
