Taking a sip of the cool liquid, I wander back out into the main room. The drink is strong, and I welcome the familiar burn of the alcohol as I lean against the wall and scope out the crowd while they dance.
The room is teeming with hot women in club clothes, but my gaze keeps returning to Helix as he works his magic behind the plexiglass booth.
One thing I love about his music is how everything feels like a villain song with sweeping intros, dramatic drops, sinister voiceovers, and eerie effects that are extra in the best way possible. And his talent for mixing songs from genres that shouldn’t go together and making them sound like orchestral masterpieces is unmatched.
Like the current song is Adele’s “Set Fire to the Rain” remixed with parts of songs by Dayseeker, Bad Omens, and Sleep Token. Logically, it doesn’t seem like any of it should work, but it absolutely does.
It doesn’t take long to finish my drink, and I head back into the bar to get another one. But instead of dancing or wandering around the room, I park my ass against the wall a few dozen feet from the DJ booth and enjoy the music while I sip my drink.
For the most part, people leave me alone while I pass the time observing the crowd, but a few very intoxicated girls—and one guy—try to coax me onto the dance floor with them.
Usually I’d be all over that and wouldn’t think twice about making some new “friends,” but I’m not feeling it tonight. So instead of taking them up on what they’re offering, I stay in my spot and wait to see if my date shows up or if I’m going back to my hotel alone.
I’m just finishing my drink when my hour-long countdown ends, but instead of leaving, I decide to stick around for a while.
It’s not like I’ll get the chance to see Helix play live again any time soon; I might as well enjoy the music before I bounce.
Leaning back against the wall, I cross my arms over my chest. The world is getting a bit dull around the edges, and that’s my cue to stop drinking. I can drink my face off with the best of them, but I have a rule about not getting shit-faced when I’m around strangers. If one of my cousins or frat brothers were with me, I’d be double fisting shots and enjoying the favor room like a champ, but not when I’m alone. I need to keep a clear head in case shit goes sideways.
A strange sensation moves through me, and it’s not the typical rush telling me the booze is kicking in. It almost feels like when you drink piping hot coffee too fast and it warms you from the inside, but there’s a heaviness to it that’s making my chest tight, like there’s something constricting it each time I pull in a breath.
My thoughts are getting hazy, but there’s a sense of euphoria under the buzz of alcohol, and a weird, giddy feeling settles over me.
A part of me knows I should be freaking the fuck out, or at least be concerned by this unusual reaction to a few drinks, but the bigger part of me is content to just enjoy it because it feels good.
The buzzing of my phone in my pocket brings me back to reality, and I pull it out to check my texts.
Layan: almost there. see you soon xox
I blink at the screen a few times. The time stamp says it’s been over an hour since the last time I looked at my phone, but that doesn’t make any sense.
How the hell did I lose over an hour of time when it feels like only minutes have passed?
Still confused as fuck, I slip my phone back in my pocket without answering her. She missed her window, and losing any amount of time is my cue to get the fuck out of here.
I’m just pushing off the wall when movement in the DJ booth catches my attention, and I watch as some dude steps in and takes over for Helix.
My gaze is locked on Helix as he jumps down from the booth and reaches under his hood. The red glowing lights from his mask shut down, and he disappears behind the projection screen.
I give my head a little shake to try and clear my senses. It’s time to get the fuck out of here, but before I can move, a black-clad figure steps out from behind the screen and walks toward me.
2
DAMON
The worldaround me is hazy as I skirt around the massive projection screen and walk across the open dance floor.
Usually the first thing I do when my set is over is get the fuck out of wherever I am before anyone can talk to me, but I don’t want to do that tonight.
I noticed him when he started walking around the perimeter of the room like he was checking it for threats and assumed he was someone’s bodyguard or one of the event guards in plain clothes. But the longer I watched him, the less that seemed like the case.
If he had been working, he wouldn’t have spent the past few hours chilling at the wall, and he wouldn’t have gone into the bar to get drinks.
I don’t even know why he caught my attention, but I found my gaze wandering over to him every time I looked out at the crowd during my set, and that’s never happened before.
I’ve gotten good at pretending like I’m engaging with the crowd when I’m actually blocking them out and looking through them, but tonight was different. I could almost feel his eyes on me, and even though I couldn’t see any details about him otherthan his height and general body shape, I felt drawn to him in a way I’ve never experienced.
Being attracted to men isn’t new for me, but having the overwhelming urge to do something about my occasional attractions to them definitely is.
