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“Wait,” I blurted out. “Are you going back to his place?”
“Yeah, it’s closer.”
“Text me his address. And then again when you get home.”
Riley snorted like I’d lost my marbles. “What’s got into you? You never used to fuss over us like this.”
I kept my smile in place, determined to not let Riley see anything was wrong. I’d kept what had happened from all of them. My brother, Leo, only knew because he was the one I’d called for help.
Even he didn’t know the full story.
It wasn’t that I was ashamed of what had happened. Logically, I knew it wasn’t my fault.
But I didn’t want my friends’ pity. I didn’t want them to question which of my smiles were real and which were fake. I just wanted to be Matty around them. The happy-go-lucky, never lets the world get him down, Matty.
Both Ethan and Lucky had stopped dancing and were watching us too. “Can’t I just be concerned about my friends?”
A large hand fell on my shoulder, making me jump about a foot in the air. “Everything okay?”
I twisted around, relief flooding me when I saw Dimitri. Lucky’s dark-haired boyfriend might have looked scary with all those piercings and tattoos, but from seeing him around Lucky, I knew he was a complete softie.
“Everything’s fine,” I said brightly as Dagon, Lucky’s other partner, appeared on my other side. “Riley’s leaving.”
“Matty was asking him to text us with the guy’s address, and again when he’s back home,” Lucky added, looking at Dagon pointedly.
Dagon turned his charming, lopsided grin on Riley. “That shouldn’t be an issue, right?”
Riley’s eyes seemed to go unfocused for a second. I blinked rapidly, rubbing at my own eyes. No, I must’ve been imagining things. He seemed fine now. “Of course not. I’ll send you those messages, Matty.”
We all said goodbye and returned to dancing. Dagon grabbed Lucky around the waist with a growl, pulling him tight to him. Dimitri covered his back. The three of them exchanged kisses. I couldn’t help but watch them wistfully out of the corner of my eye.
I wouldn’t have that. And unlike Riley, I wouldn’t be leaving the club with a one-night stand any time soon.
Regardless of how much I needed to get laid.
But that was okay. I had Ethan. The light danced over his freckles as he happily belted out the chorus to “Vampire” by Olivia Rodrigo.
I went to grab his hand, planning on twirling him around, but before I could, a tall blond wrapped his arms around him from behind.
My heart sank as Ethan squealed and greeted his boyfriend by sticking his tongue down his throat.
I continued dancing for a few minutes more, but it was hard to find my enthusiasm when I was surrounded by hot men making out.
Something that should probably turn me on was just a reminder of how alone I was.
“I’m going to get a drink,” I announced to no one in particular.
Ethan was too busy whispering in his boyfriend’s ear, but Lucky’s head popped up like a meerkat. “Shit. Sorry, Matty. Didn’t mean to get carried away.”
Both his boyfriends were backing up, sheepish looks on their faces. I waved at them, giving them a smile to show there were no hard feelings. “No, you guys carry on. Honestly, I just need a sit down and a drink.”
Lucky looked like he was about to protest, but I was away and slipping through the crowd before he could. I was sure either Dagon or Dimitri would recapture his attention. I didn’t need anyone worrying about me. It wasn’t their fault I was single and alone.
I was used to it.
There was one empty stool before the bar. I slid onto it and waited for one of the bartenders to notice me. Normally, Lucky would be behind the bar, but thanks to the degree he’d recently started, he’d cut back on his hours.
With no one paying me any attention, I let my smile drop. Why was it so hard for me to make a connection with someone? Even before the…incident, I hadn’t managed to make it past a third date with a guy.
