The Meeting (Part Two)
1512 Words
∞∞∞
The moment I got home, I collapsed face-first onto my bed.
Finally.
Peace.
Silence.
My bed.∞∞∞
I closed my eyes.
Then immediately opened them.
Oh, s**t.
Tonight.
Isabelle.
Going out.
I sat upright so quickly I nearly gave myself whiplash.
“Wait.”
I reached for my phone.
There was just one tiny problem.
I hadn't asked where we were going.
“I'm an idiot.”
I quickly opened our messages.
Me: Hey Isa.
Her reply came almost instantly.
Isa: Yeah whatsup?
Me: Where exactly are we going?
There was a brief pause.
Isa: Oh. We're going to Orion.
I frowned.
Me: Huh?
Isa: It's this new club that opened downtown. My boyfriend brought me there last week.
I stared at the message.
A club.
Wonderful.
Me: Oh okay.
Isa: Remember “dress sexy as hell.”
I rolled my eyes.
Me: Okay I will.
I tossed my phone onto the bed.
Then stared at my wardrobe.
I had approximately forty minutes to make myself look like someone who actually knew how to have fun.
This was going to be interesting.
≈
Half an hour later, approximately half my wardrobe was scattered across my bedroom floor.
I stood in the middle of the mess with my hands on my hips.
“I really need to get new clothes.”
I picked up one dress.
No.
Another.
Absolutely not.
Another.
Why did I own this?
I finally gave up and grabbed my phone.
My hero.
Pinterest.
I typed:
Outfits for clubbing.
And voilà.
There it was.
A cherry-red mini dress with a slit running up the left thigh.
My eyes widened.
“Oh.”
I smiled.
“That'll do.”
I slipped it on and stared at myself in the mirror.
The dress was definitely shorter than what I normally wore.
Definitely tighter.
And definitely something Isabelle would approve of.
I curled the ends of my hair for some extra bounce, applied my favorite red lipstick, pressed my lips together, and made a little pop.
I looked at myself again.
“Okay, Eliana.”
I grabbed my bag.
“Tonight, we're having fun.”
I waited in the kitchen, drinking water while scrolling mindlessly through my phone.
Then I heard a car outside.
I rushed to the window.
Isabelle's Jeep.
“Finally.”
I grabbed my bag and hurried outside.
I didn't know it then, but sometimes you have to let things happen the way they're meant to.
Because some nights aren't just nights.
Some nights are the beginning of something.
And I had absolutely no idea what this one was about to become.
All I knew was that I wanted to get completely wasted.
∞∞∞
The moment we pulled into the parking lot of Orion, I knew Isabelle had chosen wisely.
Blue neon lights illuminated the entrance, casting an almost electric glow over the crowd outside.
The bass was so loud that I could feel it through the pavement.
People were standing around outside smoking and vaping, and there was so much smoke floating around that I was genuinely surprised nobody had developed asthma on the spot.
Isabelle looked at me.
“Ready?”
I stared at the entrance.
“No.”
She laughed.
“Come on!”
She grabbed my hand and dragged me inside.
The moment we entered, the music swallowed us.
Lights flashed across the room.
Bodies moved everywhere.
The air smelled like perfume, alcohol, smoke, and something distinctly masculine that I couldn't identify.
I barely took three steps before I accidentally bumped into a guy.
“Sorry.”
I looked up.
Big mistake.
His eyes immediately traveled over me with a kind of shameless lust that made my skin crawl.
Then his hand moved toward my waist.
I slapped it away.
“Don't.”
He laughed.
I looked him up and down.
“Seriously?”
He opened his mouth.
I didn't wait to hear whatever stupid line he had prepared.
I walked away.
“Disgusting.”
Isabelle laughed.
“Eli!”
“What?”
“You didn't even let him talk.”
“I didn't need to.”
We finally reached the bar.
I ordered a Dirty Martini.
Isabelle ordered three tequila shots.
I stared at her.
“Three?”
“Two for me. One for you.”
“Why?”
She shrugged.
“Dom.”
Ah.
Dom.
Her boyfriend.
Or whatever the hell they were calling themselves this week.
Their relationship was currently hanging on by a thread.
And by currently, I meant it had been hanging on by a thread for months.
She downed the first two shots almost simultaneously.
I stared.
“Isabelle!”
“What?”
“You're insane.”
She pushed my shot toward me.
“Drink.”
I rolled my eyes and swallowed it.
The tequila burned all the way down my throat.
Sweet torture.
“Ugh.”
Isabelle laughed.
Before I'd even finished my martini, she checked her phone.
Her entire expression changed.
Then she grabbed my hand.
“Let's dance!”
I stared at her.
“I don't know how.”
She blinked.
“Neither do I.”
I laughed.
“Then why are we going?”
“Because nobody here knows that!”
Before I could protest, she dragged me onto the dance floor.
Then—
My favorite song came on.
I'm Good (Blue) by David Guetta and Bebe Rexha.
Isabelle squealed.
“Eli! It's your song!”
I shook my head.
“Uh-uh.”
She pointed at me.
“You are dancing.”
“I didn't say that.”
“You don't have a choice.”
The upbeat part started.
And suddenly we were screaming the lyrics at the top of our lungs.
I laughed until my stomach hurt.
For once, I wasn't thinking about work.
Or my father.
Or my nonexistent love life.
I was just—
Free.
We danced until my feet hurt.
Isabelle was on what I was pretty sure was her fifth or sixth drink by then.
I'd lost count.
Then the DJ switched to Bruno Mars.
24K Magic.
I stared toward the DJ booth.
“This DJ literally has my entire Spotify playlist.”
Isabelle laughed.
Eventually, nature called.
“I need to pee.”
She waved me off.
“Go!”
I started looking for the bathroom.
Unfortunately, I was apparently incapable of reading signs after a few drinks.
I wandered toward the back corridor.
It was dimly lit.
Too dimly lit.
The walls were dark, and the further I walked, the quieter the music became.
I slowed.
“This looks like where shady businessmen make deals that get people killed.”
I laughed nervously.
Then shrugged.
“Whatever.”
I saw a door.
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