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Sophie
I ascend the steps to the club, wishing I were back at my apartment. I don’t feel at all like socializing tonight, but I know I have to show my face for at least a little while before I escape home. As promised by Maureen, I’m on the list when I give the bouncer my name. I take a deep breath and step through the door, quickly greeted by the heavy smell of beer and the sound of loud music being pumped through the speakers.
Pushing my way through the hordes of sweaty patrons, guzzling their booze, tossing their hips and their inhibitions around, and making conquests for the other single hopefuls in the room, I scoff at their seemingly happy faces. One woman shoves her tongue down the throat of a man who can barely keep his eyes open. They’re desperate to escape their own realities, which are apparently too horrible to bear.
Another couple sways to the thumping beat of the music, hanging onto one another and grinning into each other’s eyes. But unlike everyone else, they look like they’re in love. I scoff at them too, but not because I think they’re being ridiculous. No, I scoff at them because I’m jealous.
I want that too.
Once I’ve shoved my way to the other end of the room, a large hand comes down onto my arm and pulls me in the direction of the bar.
“Soph! Let’s get you a drink!” It’s Nick. He tucks me into his side. “What’ll it be?”
I hate the feel of his hands on me. I’m repulsed by it, actually, but when Kai tried to get me out of the situation earlier today, did I thank him? Of course not. I reprimanded him instead. It wasn’t because I didn’t want his help. It was because I hate that I need his help. Nick is increasingly becoming a problem, but I don’t want to give Kai any reason to think I’m weak.
I start to pull my wallet out to pay for a drink, but Nick stops me. “Nope, nope, it’s on me.” He pushes my hand away. I can smell the strong stench of alcohol on his breath already.
“It’s your birthday, Nick…you don’t need to buy my drink,” I plead.
He snakes his arm around my waist and tugs me further under his arm with a smirk. “It’s my birthday, so I’ll do what I want.”
I smile lightly, trying to step away from him, but he holds on tighter.
“So, what’ll it be?” he asks again, gesturing to the bar. The bartender raises an eyebrow in my direction, waiting.
I gaze across the array of beer taps. I don’t feel much like drinking anything heavy tonight, so I decide to go with an old favorite. “Blue Moon, please.”
The bartender nods and dispenses the golden liquid into a tall glass, shoves an orange slice onto the rim, and slides it toward me as he tells Nick he’ll put it on his tab.
Nick downs the rest of his own beer and orders another, releasing my waist just long enough so I can put some distance between us.
I take a sip of my drink while he waits for his. “So, Nick, is your birthday living up to your expectations so far?”
He grabs his glass, winks lazily, and turns us both away from the bar. “It’s excellent, now that you’re here.”
I ignore his attempt at flattery. “Where is everyone else?”
“Just there.” He points to a grouping of tall tables ahead of us, where a few cast and crew mingle away from the dancefloor.
I spot Kai right away, one hand holding a Guinness and the other shoved into the pocket of his dark jeans. Maureen stands next to him, gazing up at his face while he stares blankly across the room. I’m surprised he actually came after everything that happened earlier.
Maureen tears her eyes away from him and sees me. “Sophie! You made it!” She strides toward me, enveloping me in a hug and then grasping my hands in hers. “Here, come chat with us. Kai’s being painfully boring tonight.” She rolls her eyes at him.
He ignores her, nodding politely at me before focusing on his glass and bringing it to his lips.
The thumping music plays at an unnecessarily high volume, assaulting my ears in time with the constant flashes and strobes of light. But the four of us circle around a small table with our drinks, trying to speak above the commotion. I look at the others nearby. “Where’s Brent?”
“He already left. He was just here for a bit,” Maureen responds.
Dang, in and out so quickly. I have to get Brent to teach me his ways.
Nick gulps his beer down quickly while he looks around the room with a grin. “This place is tight.” He turns to me and nudges my shoulder. “Sophie, you live here in the city. You must get out pretty often. No stranger to the club scene, eh?”
I shrug and sip my drink. “Actually, I don’t get into Manhattan much. New York is a big city.”
He seems to ignore my response, finishing his beer, and looking out at the dance floor. He sways unsteadily on his feet. It’s clear that he’s had too much to drink already. He takes my glass from my hand, sets it down on the table, and grasps my fingers, pulling me toward him. “Come, let’s see those dance moves.”
I try to hold my ground, tugging back. “No thank you.”
