Page 163 of The Perfect Spiral
Speak of the devil and the devil shall appear. Hannah walks in with Ben, both of them laughing and giggling.
“Long story short, Kyle and Andy left, Banna is there—” I smirk at their ship name, “or Hen? It’s up to you.” Ben glares at me, trying to hide a smile.
“These two are turned on by the fact that I got hit on by a girl... and not them.” I sip my drink once more and Ben leans over the counter to high-five me. Of course he would do that. I don’t leave him hanging.
“Unbelievable! I can’t fault them for that!” Tyson’s voice rings out, laced with admiration. We all agree to one more round of vodka shots that sear my throat, and I can feel the alcohol coursing through my veins, intensifying my buzz.
We find a table and keep the drinks coming, but I’m so tipsy I doubt I could stand without wobbling. I start to sing along to the song pulsating through the club, “I can’t feel my face when I’m with youuuuuuu, but I love it....”
I’m probably making a spectacle of myself, but that thought is far from my mind. “I can’t feel my faaaace, when I’m with youuuuu, but I love it! But I love it!”
I rise from my seat and start dancing in the small space between Knox and Wes, who are flanking me on either side. The girls join in, their laughter and cheers filling the air.
I sit back down, still swaying to the music, occasionally bumping into Knox and Wes, but I’m having too much fun to care.
“Alex! We need to plan my bachelorette party so you can go home and get some action! You need some action in your life!”
“Goodness, Sam! I’m not that desperate!” I cover my face, my words slurring slightly. I’m still coherent, but my vision is starting to blur.
“I’ve got your back, Sis! How about one of the strippers I’ll hire? Or just grab a random guy from the club we’re going to?” Sam continues, and I can feel my cheeks heating up.
She doesn’t stop until Tyson silences her with a kiss. I send him a silent thank you, and he winks back at me. The next song starts to play, and I can’t help but move to the beat.
They’re playing all of The Weeknd’s songs, and when Acquainted comes on, I can’t help but feel a little flustered. This is my sex song. I usually dance provocatively to this song, drunk or sober, but I’m not about to do that in front of everyone tonight.
Horny Alex needs to be locked away tonight. “This is Alex’s sex song!” Knox and Wes whip their heads around to gauge my reaction. I squeeze my eyes shut and groan. My sister is going to pay for this.
She won’t make it down the aisle if she keeps this up. “Babe, you’re cut off. Stop talking,” Tyson tells her.
“Make me,” she pouts, and he silences her with a deep kiss. The girls around her coo, while I mentally thank Tyson again.
I take another gulp of my drink and adjust my hair to hide my face. Note to self: torment Sam tomorrow morning when she’s hungover. I need water.
“I’ll get you one,” Wes stands up, and I realize I’d spoken aloud. I need to stop doing that. He leaves before I can thank him.
I turn back to see my sister and her fiancé locked in a passionate kiss, and I scrunch my face up in disgust.
“So this is your sex song, huh?” Knox starts a low conversation, ensuring no one else can hear us.
“Ugh, shut up. She’s drunk. She doesn’t know what she’s saying.”
“Hah! From your reaction, I think she hit the nail on the head! Good to know all I have to do is play this song to get you all hot and bothered,” he teases, leaning in close to my ear.
I know what he’s doing. His fingers are brushing the skin just below the hem of my dress.
“My panties aren’t soaked.”
“Yep—” I lean in closer to his ear, lowering my voice to a whisper, “Because I’m not wearing any.”
He freezes, his gaze fixed straight ahead, his jaw clenched. I sit back in the booth, smirking to myself.
He downs his entire drink in one gulp, not hesitating for a second. If he wants to play this game, I can play it right back.
Not all of us can fit in the booth, so Hannah and Ben are sitting at the end on separate chairs.
Wes slides a glass of water in front of me, and I thank him with a smile. His smile is so pretty.
“Why thank you, you have a pretty smile too,” he replies, taking his seat next to me. “I need to stop thinking out loud,” I murmur, sipping the water he got me. My body will thank me tomorrow morning when I’m not dying from a hangover.
