“Well,” Lana turned and pulled a leather skirt from the closet, “if that’s what you’re into,” she winked.
I adjusted the high-waisted, black leather mini-skirt Lana had chosen for me to wear as we waited in line outside the bar. A rogue snowstorm had come in that day, and the chill of it had me pulling my long coat tighter around my body.
I needed a drink.
“Do you have your invitation?” Lana asked. “You have to RSVP to get in.”
I drew my phone out, fingers nearly numb with the cold as I fumbled onto the app to accept the local invite. A slew of notifications and messages popped up, but I ignored them. I could see Lana’s playful smile out of the corner of my eye, and I gave her a sour look.
“What?” I asked.
“I knew you had the app,” Lana grinned.
Guilty.
I had wandered onto it over Christmas just to see what the fuss was about, and honestly to find someone to distract me from family matters, preferably with equipment he knew how to use. Needless to say, after a dozen unsolicited dick pics, false promises, and one late-night coffee date too many, I’d deleted everything off the app except for my profile photo and turned notifications off.
We reached the door then. The bouncer gave us a quick, leering smile and once over before saying, “Enjoy, ladies,” and he let us inside.
“Wait—I thought—“
Lana ignored me as she shrugged her leopard print coat off.
“You mean I didn’t have to accept that stupid invitation?” I asked.
“Of course not,” Lana laughed. “I honestly just wanted to see if you had an account.”
I resisted a chuckle and shook my head at her. “You’re such a bitch,” I declared.
“You love me,” Lana shrugged.
A smile slipped through my facade. I did. Lana had been there for me after I’d practically abandoned everyone else I knew, a time when I didn’t know I needed saving. She’d forced her way by my side and refused to let me drown. And for that, I will forever be grateful.
Warmth finally hit my chilled cheeks as we moved further inside and away from the entrance. The place was packed already—smells of alcohol and candy filling the air as though it was being pumped in. I could hardly hear the music due to the noises of people laughing and chatting and their drinks clanking together. Lana found us a standing table, and the moment we reached it, I grabbed the drink menu. I needed alcohol in my shivering body as soon as humanly possible.
There were six signature cocktails for the night, and the names of a few caused me to laugh.
“Love Potion Number Nine,” I named off, smirking at Lana. “Because why wouldn’t you have a drink named that at a Valentine’s party?”
“These are fun,” Lana said as she reached into the bowl of candy hearts and drew one out. “CHOKE ME,” she read. “Well, at least they’re direct.”
I took a handful of the hearts out and laid them on the table. It was certainly the most fun use of candy hearts I’d ever seen. “I like this one better,” I said before pushing a heart in Lana’s direction.
FUCK OFF, it read.
Lana laughed. “How many idiots do you think we can turn away tonight using only the candies?”
I lit up at the idea but was wary of Lana’s true intentions.
“You’re trying to get me to stay longer, aren’t you?” I asked.
“Obviously.”
I placed a heart on my tongue, making sure Lana saw the word ‘BLOCKED’ on it before curling it back into my mouth. Lana chuckled again, and I spotted the waitress making her way through the crowd toward us. She was carrying a few of the night’s cocktails, and I chose a Scarlett Kiss while Lana chose a Love Potion.
“To finally getting you away from your computer,” Lana said, raising her glass.
“To this hour going by quickly, so I can get out of these heels,” I countered.
