I down the rest of my drink in one quick motion, the fire of the liquor searing through me, and follow him toward the dance floor. The crowd parts around us, the beat of the music vibrating through the floor, through my bones.
I let go. Let my body move, let the music take over. Dennis wraps his arms around me, pulling me close, his hands sliding down my back as we sway to the rhythm. I don’t careanymore. I don’t care about him. I don’t care about anything but this moment, this freedom.
For the first time in days, I’m not thinking about Lukin. Not thinking about the man who’s haunted my thoughts, who’s made me feel like I’m losing control of myself.
Tonight, I’m in the arms of a very handsome man, letting him sway me to the music. I have enough time to regret my actions tomorrow.
Dennis’s hand slides lower on my body as we move to the beat, a little too bold for my liking. At first, I’m irritated by the chances he’s taking, but I don’t push him away. It doesn’t matter. This is just for a moment, just to feel something other than confusion and frustration. Just until I’m satisfied—until I’ve taken back some control.
His grip tightens, and he leans in close.
“You dance too sexily.” His breath is hot, his words too easy, and I can’t help but laugh—loudly, maybe a bit too loudly. He takes it as a cue to lean even closer.
“Fuck, you make me so hard.” His voice is low and teasing, but I keep laughing, louder than before, trying to drown out everything else.
I’m not here for a deep connection. I’m not here to go home with anyone either. But I’m willing to play along, for now.
Then, everything shifts.
I feel it.
His gaze.
It’s like a physical weight pressing into me from across the dance floor. The air thickens, the music fades just slightly, and I feel my heart skip in my chest. For a second, I can’t breathe. I don’t need to look up to know who it is.
Lukin.
I follow the direction of the heat and meet his gaze. He’s up in the VIP section, separated from me by a wall of glass.
His eyes—dark, intense, cutting through the noise like they always have, locking on to mine like he’s the only thing in the room that matters.
I freeze, my body tensing. I don’t look away, but I stop laughing, my smile faltering. I can feel the heat of his gaze from across the floor, even though the crowd between us should have been enough to block him out. But nothing can stop it. He’s everywhere.
Dennis doesn’t notice my shift. He keeps talking, keeps making his moves, but I can’t focus on him anymore. I can’t focus on anything but Lukin, standing across the room in the shadows, his presence heavy, suffocating.
As I stare at Lukin across the room, I notice several women approach him. They move with practiced ease, all flirtation and smiles, and I can see them touching him, their hands sliding across his chest, his arm, getting too close. I watch as he breaks our gaze, turning sideways to kiss one of the women.
My stomach twists, and I don’t know why. It’s irrational, but the feeling catches me off guard, sharp and sudden.
Why should I care? He’s nothing to me.
But the tightness in my chest is unmistakable. The way he kissed her, the way he allowed her to get that close, makes something dark stir inside me. It’s a sick, possessive feeling that I hate, but I can’t shake it.
I turn to Dennis, my gaze darting to him for some kind of distraction. I laugh a little too loudly at something he says and brush my lips against his in a gesture that feels more automaticthan real. It’s meant to push the thoughts of Lukin away, to convince myself that I’m in control.
But Dennis is taken aback for a moment, surprised by my sudden shift in attention, but quickly recovers, leaning in and kissing me back. His lips are warm, soft, but everything about it feels wrong, as if my body is betraying me. I freeze, caught in the act of trying to forget, but all I can think about is him—Lukin, his kiss, the way he holds himself, the way I want him to look at me the way he looks at those women.
I start to pull away, ready to push Dennis off me, when suddenly, he’s yanked from my lips, harshly, almost violently. My breath hitches in my chest as I watch him stumble backward, looking completely shocked and confused.
And then, before I can even process what’s happening, I feel a hand on my shoulder, spinning me around.
Lukin.
His arm moves with lightning speed, and before I can process it, his fist connects with Dennis’s face, sending him sprawling to the floor. The crowd around us gasps, some people pulling back, others watching in a mix of shock and excitement.
Dennis groans as he tries to push himself up, but Lukin’s already stepping over him, his presence like a storm that’s knocked everything else aside.
“What the hell?!” I shout, my voice rising with panic and disbelief. “Stop it, Lukin!”
