I relaxed into Rowan’s kiss once more, still blown away by how desperately I enjoyed being kissed by him. I wasn’t sure if he was just good, or whether I’d just had a bad sample of kisses previous to this. Either way, I wasn’t complaining.
“Is it okay to be doing this here?” I muttered between kisses.
“I think this is the one place where it actuallyisalright to be doing this,” Rowan chuckled, only breaking contact long enough to speak before he brought his lips back to mine. After a few more moments of feverish kissing, I pulled away and shifted away from him a little, despite how much I wanted to just remain attached at the mouth with him forever. I sat forwards and reached for my drink, taking a long gulp to quench the thirst brought on by kissing. I emptied it and sat back.
“Do you want to get another drink?” I paused to glance down at my crotch, clearing my throat. “Y’know, in a few minutes.” Rowan grinned knowingly at me before nodding and picking up his drink. Rowan stretched an arm behind me, leaning against the top of the booth. His fingers were toying affectionately with the soft hairline at the nape of my neck. It amazed me how he seemed to naturally zone in on all these responsive spots I didn’t even know I had.
Rowan downed the last of his drink, and after placing it back on the table in front of us, turned to me. “Are you good to go?” he teased.
“Yeah, the coast is clear now.” I grinned, placing my empty glass next to his before heaving myself to my feet. I held my hand out to Rowan, which he took and laced his fingers with mine. I lead him through the bustling crowds by the hand.
“What do you want?” Rowan asked me once we had arrived at the bar.
“What’re you having?”
“Jack Daniels and Coke?”
I couldn’t fight my smile. “That would be great.” I let go of Rowan’s hand so he could push his way forwards to the bar and leant a shoulder into a cool stone wall, thankful for the temporary relief from the sweaty heat of the club. I had been standing alone for less than a minute when I felt a tap on my shoulder. I turned, expecting to see Louise and Becca, startling when I came face to face with the guy with the lip piercing from earlier in the evening.
“Sorry, this is going to seem random,” he said, leaning in a little too close for comfort. “Do you know a guy called Oliver Sanders?”
“Yeah, he’s my flatmate,” I replied, pushing off the wall to stand upright.
“Ah, I thought I recognised you...” The guy trailed off, eyeing me up and down suggestively. “I’m Ryan. I play in Kursed with Evan.”
“Nice to meet you,” I paused, wondering if I should offer my name to him. “I’m Max.”
“Cool.” Was all Ryan had to say. He shifted awkwardly for a moment, and I knew he wanted to ask me something else. “So, who’s the guy you’re with?”
“What’s it to you?” I asked, rather icily. Ryan took a half step backwards warily before laughing nervously and scratching the back of his neck.
“Just wondering.” He paused before leaning into me again. “You’re really fucking hot. If that guy’s no one special, we could maybe get outta here?”
“No thanks,” I replied bluntly, but Ryan was persistent. I felt him stroke a finger down my arm.
“Don’t be so hasty, at least think it over for a minute.” Ryan grinned. I scowled and pulled my arm away from him automatically, nearly knocking the drinks out of Rowan’s hands as he returned.
“Whoa, careful!” His smile quickly faded as he realised what – or rather who – I had moved away from. “Sorry, am I interrupting something?”
“Ryan was just leaving,” I replied with a sarcastic smile. “Nice catching up, now fuck off.”
Ryan looked between Rowan and I for a moment, watching him size Rowan up. In the tight t-shirt, there was no hiding how strong Rowan was. That was a fight Ryan certainly wouldn’t be winning and thankfully, he quickly realised that all by himself. He held up his hands in mock innocence and backed away into the darkness.
“A friend of yours?” Rowan asked. His tone was cheerful, but I could see the tension in his eyes.
“Hardly.” I reached out and took my drink from him, taking a big gulp. “He knows Oliver apparently. Figured that was a good enough excuse to talk to me, I guess. Arsehole.”
“Told you you’d be popular in a place like this.” Rowan shook his head.
“Fuck that. There’s only one person I’m interested in here,” I replied, looking away and taking another sip from my glass. Rowan took a step closer to me and brought his mouth down to my ear.
“Will you come home with me?” he asked in a quiet voice. For a moment I wondered if I had misheard him, but as he kissed my neck softly the meaning of his words sunk in. I swallowed, heart racing.
“Sure,” I eventually managed to splutter. Rowan gave me a gentle smile and leant in once more.
“You don’t have to if you don’t want to,” he said. “Not just for sex, or anything. It’s just really loud in here and...” He trailed off. I felt my gut churn with a mixture of excitement and nerves. I didn’t believe him for a second.
“I’ll go tell Becca.” I answered and handed him my glass. I slipped away from Rowan’s body and hurried through the packed club. It didn’t take me long to locate Becca and Louise. Becca’s dress shone brightly like a beacon beneath the disco lighting, and she beamed as she caught sight of me.
