The club was every bit as electric as Sheela had promised–buzzing with life, drenched in neon, and pulsing to the rhythm of bass–heavy music that made the walls feel alive. The crowd was a sea of well–dressed silhouettes, and wherever I looked, there seemed to be another handsome stranger laughing, dancing, or making effortless eye contact that lingered just a little too long. It was almost suspicious–like someone had cast only the most attractive men in town for a single night, just to mess with my recently broken heart.
But what truly stole the show were the bartenders.
God. The bartenders.
Each one looked like they’d just stepped off the cover of a fashion magazine–perfect jawlines, smirks that could ruin your whole week, and eyes that seemed to read every secret you didn’t mean to share.
I wonder if the hiring criteria was to know drinks or just to be good looking.
“It’s fun, isn’t it?” Sheela yelled above the music while grooving to it, her arms swaying like she was born on the dance floor. “It’s not bad,” I said, trying my best to groove but failing completely–not because I am a bad dancer but because I just don’t have any will to enjoy at all. Though the surroundings were sparkling with lights and beautiful faces, the flashback from the cafeteria couldn’t leave me alone. They had been haunting me the whole day. The way Rubina fed Kaiden and the way he was enjoying it. Rubina was wrong, Kaiden didn’t love me for real. If he had, then he would have resisted Rubina.
“What do you actually want?” The voice in my head questioned. “You want him? Or not? If you want him, then get him. If not, let someone else have him. You are too selfish, Lucy.”
1 bit my lower lip, I was indeed being selfish. All I wanted was for him to be happy and now that he is, am I whining about it? It’s not right. I am not doing it right. I need to stop this. I should forget all the past and move on. I should support Rubina and Kaiden the way she supported me back then, I can’t be selfish. Not when both Rubina and Kaiden had always tried their best to think about my happiness.
“Bey, beautiful,” I heard a voice from behind, smooth and confident, tickling the skin on the back of my neck like a soft breeze. I spun around instinctively.
In front of me was a charming man. Hot. To be specific, damn hot.
“Hi” the word slipped out of my mouth before I could catch it, as if my voice had a mind of its own. His beauty was so mesmerizing that, for a second, I had literally forgotten the pain I was in.
Knowing that his looks had already done their magic on me, he let out a charming, victorious smile, one eyebrow slightly raised as if he was amused by how easy it had been. “I have been watching you for a long time,” he yelled over the booming bass, brushing a few strands of hair back from his forehead, his eyes locked onto mine like I was a puzzle he wanted to solve. “Looks like you are not into solo dancing. Would you like to give a shot at a couple dancing?”
“1… um…” I rubbed the side of my neck, my fingers brushing over warm, anxious skin. His offer was everything I needed right now–a perfect distraction wrapped in good looks and confidence. But I didn’t know why my mouth refused to form a yes… or even a no. So instead, I searched for an excuse like a lifeboat.
“This song.” I gestured vaguely toward the speakers as Bones by Imagine Dragons thundered through the air, shaking the floor beneath us. “It doesn’t seem appropriate for couple dancing.”
“Oh, who said that couple dancing has to be romantic?” he countered with a mischievous gleam in his eye. “It can be chaotically goofy too.
“Huh?” I blinked at him, my brows furrowed in confusion, my lips slightly parted.
“Come on,” he laughed, grabbing my hand with surprising warmth and pulling me toward the center. Before I could resist,
he began to jump in rhythm with the beat, his movements exaggerated and cartoonish, yet oddly magnetic.
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12:32 Fri, 18 Apr
Chapter 86
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I couldn’t help but smile. The way he jumped was so unbothered, so carefree, that it tugged a chuckle from my chest. Soon, I found myself jumping too, mimicking his steps as the beat guided us into an accidental choreography of joy.
“See..” he shouted over the pounding music, breathless yet still grinning like a kid who snuck an extra dessert. “It doesn’t have to be that complicated!”
We danced together to a couple more wild, feel–good tracks, our limbs moving freely, bumping shoulders now and then. Laughing like old friends instead of strangers. By the end, we were dripping in sweat and grinning like fools.
Tired and flushed, we stumbled toward the bar. I slid onto the stool and ordered a vodka with coconut water, something that felt as quirky as the moment. He asked for a dirty martini.
“My name is Mark,” he said between shallow breaths, swiping his damp hair back from his forehead. His smile still hadn’t faded. “What’s yours?”
“Lacy,” I replied, panting slightly, wiping my damp palms on my dress.
“It was fun dancing with you, Lucy,” he said with a chuckle that lingered in his voice like warmth in the air after laughter.
“Same here,” I said, my chest still rising and falling, “After a long time, I enjoyed the moment. What are you? A dance therapist or something?”
“Sort of,” he smirked. “An aspiring dancer, to put it in a more specific title.”
“No wonder why my lazy dance moves irked you so bad that you couldn’t help but step in,” I joked. “Let me guess–you’re the perfectionist in your gang, right?”
“I don’t know about perfectionists but…” he leaned in, slow and deliberate, and suddenly the air between us felt electric. Our breaths mingled in the narrow space. His face was close–so close that if either of us blinked wrong, our lips might meet.
To be continued…
