Meet Me at Midnight

05 | Hello?

Stella

I stare at the screen, torn between throwing my phone across the room and answering it just to see what he could want now.

"Who's that?" Grace asks, leaning over to peek at my screen.

"No one," I say, shoving the phone back into my bag. "Just someone I'm trying to avoid."

Her eyes narrow, and a knowing smirk spreads across her face. "Nick?"

I shake my head in a silent dismissal. Her smirk only spreads further, if that's even possible.

"No way, Stella. You're not dropping a bomb like that and expecting me to just let it slide," Grace says, her smirk only growing.

"I mean it, Grace. Let it go," I say firmly, taking another long sip of my drink. But Grace doesn't know how to leave well enough alone.

"Oh, come on! You and Nick clearly have some unresolved... tension. The least you could do is tell me what's going on so I can live vicariously through your drama."

I glare at her, my pulse quickening at just the mention of his name. "There's no drama. He's just... annoying. That's it. End of story."

Sarah perks up, suddenly interested in the conversation. "Wait, what about Nick? Did something happen?"

"No," I say quickly, a little too quickly.

Sarah tilts her head, narrowing her eyes. "Don't lie to me, Stella. I saw the way you two looked at each other earlier. Spill."

I groan, pressing the heels of my hands into my temples. "Why is everyone so obsessed with Nick? He's a walking disaster. You should be thanking me for keeping him out of our hair this weekend."

Sarah grins mischievously. "Oh, so you have been spending time with him."

"That's not what I meant!" I snap, but the damage is already done. Both Grace and Sarah exchange knowing looks that make me want to scream.

Just as I'm about to lose my mind, my phone buzzes again in my bag. I glance at it and see another text from Nick.

Nick: Where are you?

Nick: We need to talk.

I shove the phone back into my bag, but not fast enough for Grace to miss it.

"Is that him?" she asks, her eyes wide with excitement.

"None of your business," I mutter, but my face is already betraying me, burning hot under her scrutiny.

"Oh my god, it is him!" Grace squeals, practically bouncing in her seat. "What does he want? Are you going to meet him? You have to meet him!"

"No, I don't," I say firmly, crossing my arms. "In fact, I'd rather chew glass than talk to him right now."

"Liar," Sarah sings, sipping her cocktail with a smug look on her face.

Before I can argue, the limo screeches to a halt, and the driver announces that we've arrived at our next destination.

"Where are we?" I ask, peering out the window.

"You'll see," Sarah says with a sly grin, grabbing my hand and pulling me out of the limo.

We step out onto a bustling street lined with neon signs and booming music. It takes me a moment to realize where we are.

"No," I say, shaking my head. "No way."

"Yes way," Sarah says, practically dragging me toward the entrance of a massive club.

"It's the middle of the day!" I protest, but my words are drowned out by the pounding bass as we step inside.

The club is already packed, the dance floor teeming with people in various stages of drunkenness. A giant disco ball spins overhead, casting colorful lights across the room.

"Welcome to Sarash's infamous Daytime Bachelorettes Gone Wild party!" Sarah announces, throwing her arms in the air like she's just won the lottery.

I want to kill her.

Before I can escape, a server appears with a tray of shots. Sarah grabs two, handing one to me.

"To the bride!" she cheers, and the group erupts into a loud, drunken chant.

I down the shot, hoping it'll numb the growing anxiety in my chest. But as I lower the glass, I spot someone across the room who makes my blood run cold.

Nick.

He's leaning casually against the bar, looking completely out of place in his denim jacket and smirking at something the bartender just said.

"What the hell is he doing here?" I mutter, more to myself than anyone else.

Grace hears me anyway. "Who?" she asks, following my gaze. When her eyes land on Nick, her face lights up with delight. "Oh, this is about to get good."

"No," I say, grabbing her arm. "We're leaving. Right now."

"Are you kidding? This is fate!" Grace says, yanking her arm free and giving me a little shove. "Go talk to him!"

"Absolutely not. Why is he even here? Aren't they supposed to be on a boys day out somewhere?"

But it's too late. Nick has already spotted me. His smirk widens, and he pushes off the bar, making his way toward me like a predator closing in on its prey.

"Stella," he says smoothly, his voice somehow cutting through the noise of the club. "Fancy seeing you here."

"Wish I could say the same," I shoot back, crossing my arms, shooting a glare in Sarahs direction. Something is fishy and it has Sarah written all over it. She shrugs, smiles and dances off disappearing into the crowd.

He chuckles, completely unfazed. "Relax. I'm not here to ruin your little party. I just wanted to... catch up."

"Catch up?" I repeat, arching an eyebrow. "Since when do we have anything to catch up on?"

His expression softens, just for a moment, and I hate the way it makes my heart skip a beat.

"Since earlier," he says, his voice low enough that only I can hear. "You can't tell me nothing happened back there, Stella. Not after the way you looked at me."

My breath catches, but I quickly recover, glaring at him. "You're delusional."

"Am I?" he asks, stepping closer. I groan inwardly, already bracing myself for whatever chaos he's about to unleash.

This day just went from bad to worse.

The music thumps around us, lights flashing like it's midnight when it's barely even evening. Nick watches me with that look that always makes my skin heat up for all the wrong reasons.

"You didn't answer my texts," he says, his voice low and steady.

"I didn't want to," I answer flatly, trying to stay calm.

His mouth twitches like he wants to smile, but he doesn't. "I'm not messing around, Stella. Not this time."

I fold my arms across my chest, holding onto the only thing keeping me grounded. I roll my eyes, refusing to give him the satisfaction of a retort.

Nick steps closer, and this time, there’s no smile. Just heat simmering under the surface. "You didn’t imagine it," he says, voice dropping low. "You felt it. So did I."

I hate how easy he makes it sound. Like he’s daring me to deny it. Like he knows I can’t.

His phone buzzes, slicing through the moment. He glances down, a quick flick of his eyes and when he looks up again, there’s something sharper in his expression. Something that makes the room feel smaller. Hotter.

"What is it?" I ask, hating how desperate my voice sounds.

Nick just smirks, slow and wicked before slipping his phone back into his pocket like it doesn’t matter.

"Nothing important," he says. He lingers for a beat, close enough that I can smell the clean bite of his cologne. Close enough that I’m sure he can hear the pounding of my heart. Then, without another word, he turns and strolls back toward the bar like nothing happened. Like he didn’t just tear the floor out from under me and leave me standing there, breathless.

Grace materializes at my side, her mouth already open. "Did he just—?"

I don’t let her finish. I don’t need to.

Because I heard it too.

And now there’s no pretending I don’t know exactly what Nick wants.

Or how badly I want him to make me chase it.