Page 12 of When Sinners Rise
Naja would’ve liked him.
The thought sneaks into my mind, and it turns my mood sour. I shouldn’t be thinking like that. She’ll have the chance to meet him, I’m sure of it.
As we walk through the entry, the loud beat of the music begins to vibrate through the floor. Tally and Ade are already dancing with their arms up and look like they’re ready for a great night. Mandy and Peter flank me as we walk up a set of stairs, through a set of double doors and onto the main floor. A huge dance floor, lined with private booths and tables, is revealed. Laser and flashing lights offer some lighting, but aside from that, it’s pretty dark.
Shadows and silhouettes dominate, with glimpses and flickers of detail. My heart rate picks up, and my stomach twists, making me feel like I want to throw up the pasta I just ate.
Peter goes ahead and grabs us a booth as a couple get up to dance, and I happily take a seat, my back to the wall, so I can keep watch of the people around me.
The one redemption – it’s not busy. And I can’t understand why there’s a queue so long when it’s pretty empty up here.
“Let’s dance!” Tally screams at me and twirls Ade around before heading into the crowd. I’m happy just to stay put, assess the surroundings and, hopefully, get some control over my anxiety.
Mandy tilts her hand at me in the universal gesture of “drink.” I nod, hoping a little alcohol will settle my nerves.
My eyes follow her to the bar, watching for anyone who might approach her. She’s a few years older than me, super tall, and beautiful – the perfect partner for Peter, but they seem oblivious towards one another, even if I think they’d make a gorgeous couple. Like Willow and Landon if he were younger.
She gets to the bar with no trouble, and I keep watching as the barman does his thing and hands over the drinks. Then, a guy blocks my view of her. He steps towards her and pushes in next to her at the bar. For a second, I wait for something bad to happen, and I’m relieved when I see her turn around with the drinks in hand.
I smile and thank her, grateful I didn’t have to do that.
“Dance?” she asks.
“Not yet.” I sip the drink and stay vigilant of the people around us.
“Right, I’m going to do a lap.” Peter stands and leaves us to our drinks. It’s nice to know I won’t be here alone for any part of the night.
It’s too loud to really talk, so I keep a watch for Tally and Ade. I know Tally can handle herself, but I keep scanning the crowd around the dance floor anyway.
It’s then that I spot a tall, good-looking, well-built guy. He’s dressed in a shirt and jeans, but something about him looks a little out of place. He looks over to me, and I dip my eyes awayquickly, focusing back on Tally and looking to see if I can spot Peter dancing.
When my eyes travel back toward the man, I see he’s still staring, so I turn away back to Mandy.
“Are you okay?”
I nod, but I’m uncomfortable having the man looking at me.
A few minutes later, Peter’s back and slides in next to me, putting his arm around the back of the booth. Leaning in, he shouts, “I think it’s time for a dance.” I look behind him to where the man was, but to my relief, he’s gone, and I let out the breath I was holding.
I smile at Peter and let him lead the way towards Tally and Ade dancing.
The steady stream of people around me makes me feel out of my depth, but I focus on the friends around me and know they won’t let anything bad happen to me.
I won’t let anything bad happen to me.
The music picks up in tempo, and people cheer and start jumping around. It’s a distraction, and I let myself enjoy the energy rather than feel intimidated by it. And then I see him again.
Standing closer this time.
I grab Peter and switch places so I can’t see him.
“You okay?” Peter asks.
I put on a smile and keep dancing.
But the man doesn’t give up.
He moves so he can see me again.
