"One hundred in cash."
I grimaced. "I don't have that on me— I'll just give my friend a call."
The last people in line were let in, and the door closed shut, so the bouncer rested against the wall. Folding his hands over his belly as he watched me waiting on the phone for Kira to answer.
"You sure you are at the right place?" he asked.
"I hope so. I just came from dinner with my parents," I smiled, unsure why I mentioned that last part as I listened to the phone ring. It went to voicemail.
I hung up with a sigh.
"No luck?"
"Unfortunately, no." I clicked off my phone and tucked it back into my bag. "It's probably for the best, you know? My friend was going with her boyfriend and invited me at the last minute. I'd just be third-wheeling their date night."
He nodded slowly. "It was nice meeting you, Lily."
"You too, um…" I felt it was only polite to know his name too, considering he had remembered mine, but he didn't have a name tag.
"Terry," he smiled as he offered me his hand.
I returned the smile as we shook hands, his twice the size of mine. "It was nice to meet you, Terry."
Just as I was about to leave, the door to the club heaved open, causing Terry to step aside before it bumped off his elbow.
Kira popped her head out from inside, grinning from ear to ear when she saw me. She was in denim shorts and an off-the-shoulder blouse with billowy sleeves.
"Lily! You made it!" She called excitedly before hurrying out to fling her arms around me, blanketing me with a rich smell of her favorite magnolia and lemon perfume. There was a hint of alcohol on her breath already.
"This the friend?" Terry asked, brows raised.
I nodded from over Kira’s shoulder, patting her on the back to ease up on the hug. Before I could say anymore, Kira pulled me towards the doors. The second I stepped inside, I was greeted with the scent of intoxicating perfumes, colognes, and something smoky. Not quite a cigarette but something smokeable.
I blinked as I took in the scene, letting my eyes adjust to the red and blue beams of light bouncing and swirling around the crammed dance floor nearby. Everyone was packed in tight, grinding and bouncing along to the music blaring from the speakers around the room. The closeness of everyone’s bodies made it almost impossible to get from one side of the room to the other.
Kira with her slight height advantage at five foot five was the first to make a move, holding onto my hand tightly as she steered us through the crowd while I dodged flailing elbows and the odd wandering hand.
"Sorry, I missed your texts. We were dancing," Kira yelled over her shoulder as we broke from the crowd and stepped up to the bar.
I winced as we passed under a speaker on the way. "Where is Aiden?"
“At a booth. Wait until you see the tattoo," she said happily, waving to the bartender for two shots. I showed him my ID too.
I downed my shot in defiance of my promise to my parents. Gagging as the vodka burnt the back of my throat before I croaked, "Can’t wait."
Kira waved for another two shots. "How was dinner?"
"Exactly how I thought it'd go." I rolled my eyes to emphasize how badly it went.
Kira shook her head before throwing back her second shot, taking a moment for the burning to ease before speaking again. "Let's dance."
I nodded and barely finished my second shot when Kira hooked her arm around my elbow and pulled me to the dance floor.
The alcohol sent a buzz through my system as I bobbed, swayed, and sang (more like yelled) to the music. Nowhere near as graceful or finessed as the other girls dancing in their six-inch heels, but enjoying myself, nevertheless. Giddy with the moment, I laughed until my face hurt when Kira decided to whip out her attempt at the robot. I countered with a disco finger until I accidentally poked someone in the back of the head. They didn’t seem to notice, which only made us laugh harder.
After about an hour, which was more than enough for me, we made our way to the booths where Kira had last seen Aiden. Our feet ached as we pressed through the crowd, coming down from a breathless giggling fit after being hit on by a couple of older Italian businessmen.
Aiden was in the middle of talking to another guy when Kira spotted him. His long, ash-blonde hair was in its usual bun, and the stubble on his jaw was tidier than the last time I saw him.
