Page 54 of Hard To Stay

Chapter Twenty

Lexi

Pulse wasa popular dance club that had been recommended by a few people at work. Brad tried to shoot the idea down, insisting that there were much better nightspots in Manhattan. I wasn’t sure why he was being so insistent, but the plans were made and I wasn’t changing them.

He leaned forward looking miserable as he rested his elbows on the bar. I crossed my arms under my chest and worried that he had somehow found out that I invited Gage. When I texted Gage and asked if he was free, he sent me one back asking if my ‘boyfriend’ knew I was texting him and that he was happy that I had eventually come around. I didn’t want to let things get out of control so I told him I was texting him on Lily’s behalf. That shut him up.

Brad’s mood was starting to bother me, so when the DJ started playing my favorite Rihanna song, I grabbed onto Lily and Faith, pulling them both towards the dance floor.

Brad stepped in my path, not looking very happy. “Where are you going?”

I rolled my eyes and yelled over the loud music so he could hear me. “We are just going to dance, Brad.”

He jerked his chin toward the bar where Sawyer and Lucas were holding court. “Is there a reason why you just walked away without telling me where you were going?”

He had never treated me with such annoyance before. He sounded more like a pissed off cop than a concerned boyfriend. “I didn’t think you’d notice.”

He rubbed his hand over his face in frustration. I was starting to get concerned with how he had been acting. This wasn’t about Gage. I knew it wasn’t. He would have said something if he knew.

“Why don’t you go have a drink with your friends and when I’m done dancing maybe you can tell me what’s wrong?” I forced myself to spin out of his grasp and pulled the girls closer to the dance floor. I was eager to dance off some tension.

“He’s really got a bug up his ass tonight.” Faith said, looking over her shoulder.

“He hates this place.” Lily said. “I’m surprised he even came out tonight.”

I raised my eyebrow and tried to figure out what the hell the big deal was. I couldn’t think of anything that would rationalize his behavior. It was obviously something more, something else he wasn’t telling me. Without knowing, there wasn’t a thing I could do about it. So, I let it go and focused on having a good time with the girls.

This place didn’t disappoint. The sunken dance floor was pounded by crystal clear music. There wasn’t an inch of space available; the crowd had been growing thicker since we’d got here. I’d never seen so many people packed into one place before. I glanced around, noticing the double-sided staircase that flowed up to a plush looking VIP section on the second level. The scene screamed high energy and everyone seemed to be having a great time. Except Brad, who was scowling at me from across the club.

After getting all hot and sweaty while dancing to more than three songs, we made our way back over to the boys. Brad pushed a freshly poured drink in front of me. “Looks like you could use this.”

He was trying to act polite, but he was coming off as stiff. I wasn’t sure what had happened in the past few hours for his mood to take such a nosedive, but I didn’t like it.

I grabbed the cocktail napkin from under my drink and wiped the sweat off my neck. “Thanks.” I took a sip from my glass and set it back down. “Are you going to tell me what’s wrong?”

He lifted his head to meet my eyes. “I’m sorry, for being such an asshole.” He looked me up and down slowly before his eyes made it back to my face. “You look beautiful tonight. You should be having a good time, not dealing with my shitty mood.”

While I was happy that he acknowledged all the effort I’d put into my appearance, I was still concerned about his mood. “Brad.” I said reaching out and placing my hands on his broad shoulders. “Talk to me. What’s with the shitty attitude?”

His fingers played with the curls at the ends of my hair. I’d spent plenty of time in front of the bathroom mirror making sure it was perfect. “You’re breathtaking, you know that?” He said, sliding his warm hands down my curves.

“Thank you. Now tell me what’s wrong.”

He brushed a kiss to my temple. “I’m sorry. Let’s just start over.”

“No.” I shook my head and removed his hands. He wasn’t getting off that easily. Something had him troubled. “Explain.”

He glanced around the club and shifted on his weight. “Trust me. You don’t want to know. Actually, I think it’s better that you don’t because you’ll only end up making a bigger deal out of it than it really is.”

I parked my hand on my hip and stood my ground. “Start talking.”

His face went hard, but he still wouldn’t look at me. “This is Chase’s club.” He swallowed and finally met my eyes.

“Chase? You mean Emily’s Chase?”

“Yes. He and his brother own this place. That’s why I didn’t want to come here. Too many bad memories.”

I licked my lips, feeling my throat dry up. I kept my tone even as I forced the words out. “You should have told me. I would have picked someplace else.”

---