Page 47 of When Stars Collide
“Okay. Are you worried I’m going to be angry? Because I’m not. How can I be when I had to work while you were here last month?”
“No, I know you’re pretty understanding … most of the time. We’ll talk more tonight.”
“Is Jackson okay?”
“What? Oh, yeah, he’s good. Just have fun tonight. Give Jo my regards, and we’ll talk later.”
I sat on my bed after hanging up with Peter, a sense of dread hanging over my head no matter how hard I tried to push it away. One of Peter’s best traits was that he always said what was on his mind. There were no secrets with him—no mysteries. Everything was very straightforward, very black and white. For the first time in our relationship, he’d shown me shades of gray without all the fun bondage.
“Are we leaving tonight or tomorrow morning?” Jo asked, ignoring all decorum as she threw open the door to my room. Her eyes widened when she saw me. “Jesus Christ.”
“I suppose if you’re going for a look, you can’t beat the Son of God.”
“If I hadn’t been certain that I was a lesbian before, I sure as shit know it now.”
*****
From the moment we stepped foot inside Club One-Eighty, I was reminded of why I’d given up the clubbing scene years ago: People. So. Many. People. People near and far; people at the bar. People dancing on tables; people telling fables. People sipping a drink; people puking in the sink. People everywhere.
Eat your goddamn heart out, Dr. Seuss.
As soon as Jo entered the building, her hips began gyrating to the music as though programmed to do so by the powers that be at the club.
“Isn’t this great?” she asked, dancing in the hope that everybody was watching.
“Sure, if a horde of sweaty strangers grinding their clammy bodies against yours is your thing.
“Sounds exactly like my dream from last night, actually.” Jo smiled, grabbing me by the arm. She pulled me into her, spinning me and then bringing me down for such a pronounced dip that, any lower, my hair would have come dangerously close to brushing against the floor. “Since I know this is the last place in the world you want to be right now, let me buy you a drink to make it up to you.”
“First, believe it or not, this isn’t the last place I want to be. That distinguished honor goes out to my parents’ house. Secondly, there was no way you weren’t going to buy me a drink for dragging me here with you tonight.”
Jo nodded “That’s exactly what I thought you’d say. Your first rum and Coke is on me. Any subsequent ones after that are going to have to be bought by some other poor schlub.”
“Make that a gin and tonic, and I am more than capable of buying my own drinks from here on out.”
“Oh, gin and tonic. I’ve never seen this side of you,” Jo teased me. “Club One-Eighty has already been a bad influence.”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah, less talky, more drinky.” I held out my hand, flicking my fingers in the direction of the bar as I made my way to what had to be the only unoccupied table in the entire place; a high top with equally as high chairs that, for a woman of average height, wouldn’t have been a huge deal. But for someone like me, in heels, it felt like I was scaling Mount Everest just to have a place to sit down.
After a few minutes of allowing the ambience of the place to penetrate my soul, I had to admit, it wasn’t as bad as my initial assessment had led me to believe it would be, and I noticed myself beginning to sing along to the songs that were being played on full blast right along with everyone else.
“Ha,” Jo said, returning with my gin and tonic, “I knew you could use a night out. I swear, you get your hackles up for nothing.”
“My hackles have served me well over the years by keeping me away from very awkward social situations.”
“If you say so.” Jo surveyed the dance floor, and I watched as her gaze landed on a cute brunette in a tube top.
“You know, you don’t have to feel obligated to hang around me all night. I’m a big girl with an Uber account.”
Jo smiled. “That’s why you’re my favorite roommate.”
“That’s why I’m your only roommate.”
She chugged down the rest of her drink and plunked the glass down on the table. “Wish me luck.”
“Go get her, tiger.”
Jo didn’t need any well wishes from me. She had it in the bag. Between her natural charisma, quirky beauty, and unflappable confidence, other women had a way of giving into her. If only she would use her powers for good instead of evil, she could go far in life. Jo approached the girl in the tube top, sliding in beside her. At first, she seemed oblivious to Jo’s advances, but then Jo whispered something in her ear and her indifference melted away. She turned to face Jo, her arm sliding around her waist. Jo looked up, offering me a mental high-five.
