Bernard picked me up by the waist and twirled me around as I winced, still trying to make sure the shotstayeddown, and Eli was clapping, shaking his head at me like I was a marvel.
No sooner had Bernard planted my feet back on the ground than Leah was dragging me out onto the dance floor.
We’d found ourselves at a different club this time, one that was more of a bar with some cheap lights and a jukebox we’d completely taken over with our own song choices. It was an older clientele in the bar for the most part, but they were a hoot, all of them clapping and laughing as they watched us dance. In the last hour or so, a few other younger groups had rolled in — one that was a bachelor party from the States and one that we guessed was made up of study-abroad students taking a weekend holiday. They joined in with us, our groups merging as they asked what the cameras were for and how they could get a little time on the show.
I was thankful for Leah’s love of dancing, because when I was on the floor, I could get away from Gisella hanging all over Finn. She was just as drunk as the rest of us, and she’d been practically trying to get Finn to fuck her at the bar since we left the restaurant.
I sighed internally at myself as Leah found us a good spot on the dance floor, throwing her hands up for us to dance. I joined in, smiling and laughing, though inside, my stomach churned.
Gisella was a sweet girl. A bit lazy and full of herself, maybe, but kind, nonetheless. And funny. In another world, I’d beecstatic to have her as my roommate. We’d have inside jokes and talk shit to each other at night. We’d share clothes and makeup.
She didn’t deserve me being a bitch to her, even if I wasn’t voicing my bitchiness out loud.
She hadn’t done anything to me to deserve my distaste.
Other than be wonderful enough for my ex to fall in love with, anyway.
A stronger woman would have been fine. A better version of myself would have wiped her hands of the whole situation as soon as she found out Gisella and Finn were dating that very first day. I wished with everything I was that I could watch them together and not feel anything, that I could be happy for Finn, that I could befriend Gisella and assure her that everything between me and Finn was so far in the past that I never thought of him anymore.
But I had never been a good liar.
The truth was seeing them together made me sick, and while I was fairly decent at pretending I was fine when I was sober and working, I lost all ability to do that once I had a few drinks in me.
The dance floor was sparse, which meant Leah and I had plenty of room to do our silly dance moves. She did the cabbage patch before I hit her with the lawn mower, and then the battle continued, back and forth again and again until we were both wheezing from laughing so hard. Eventually, the song changed, the beat heavy and melodic. Leah started swaying her hips and I followed suit, both of us falling into a rhythm.
I turned, lining my back up with Leah’s front, her hands on my hips and mine winding into my hair. When I glanced over at the bar area where the rest of our crew was, I caught sight of Gisella straddling Finn, her mouth trailing kisses and bites along the column of his neck.
I tasted bile, bitter and burning.
And then I glanced up, and found Finn watching me.
His hands were on Gisella’s hips, his jaw angled down toward her, but his eyes were locked on me.
Heat flooded my face, and I tore my gaze away, throwing my arms up and letting myself get lost in the music. The song shifted, and then I felt Leah’s absence. I stopped dancing, assuming she was ready to go get another drink, but when I turned, I found her dancing with Cameron.
For all of two seconds — and then, they were kissing.
Bernard screamed from where he was across the dance floor talking to Palmer, who let out a wolf whistle when he saw what Bernard did. I laughed and clapped as Leah flipped us off before grabbing Cameron’s shirt and pulling him closer, kissing him more earnestly.
I was on my own then.
I looked around, wondering if Eli was close and I could wrangle him into dancing with me. But he was nowhere to be seen, and I assumed he was outside smoking or off flirting with someone. Doing my best not to feel awkward, I threw my arms up again, dancing by myself.
I closed my eyes, letting the music fill me as I matched the sway of my hips to the thump of the bass. Lights flashed behind my lids, the last shot I took catching up to me and making everything feel slow and heavy.
Before the song ended, I felt a pair of hands on me — tentative, a soft touch before the grip fastened. I smiled, assuming it was Eli, but when I looked over my shoulder, it was a man I didn’t recognize.
Butdamn, was he handsome.
He was tall, lean, and tan with jet black hair and a thick beard. I wondered if he was Italian. I wondered how old he was. I wondered if he was a tourist or someone who frequented this bar often. But I only wondered those things for a split second beforeI decided I didn’t care, and I leaned into his touch, letting him guide me as the song changed.
I thought I heard some guys holler encouragements, and I smiled, wondering if this was one of the men with the bachelor party. I ground against him, dropping my ass low as he strained to follow before I planted my hands on the floor and straightened my legs, shimmying against him as I rolled back up.
More whistles rang out, and I laughed when I heard Bernard yell, “Be gentle, Em!”
I let my eyes flutter open, enjoying the pleasant buzz flowing through me along with the music. Bernard shook his head at me, mouthingnaughty girlwith a wag of his finger that made me laugh again.
I flushed when I glanced at Palmer next, who crossed his arms and arched a brow with his lips curling. Eli came up behind him, clutching Palmer’s shoulder at the sight of me. His hand thumped against his chest like I’d sent an arrow through it, and he stumbled back, making a whole show of it.