“I would like that,” she says loudly. “Now, shower!” she demands.
“So bossy. I like this side of you, Darby!” I call to her, which earns me a laugh. Against my better judgment, I take a shower. And once I’m done, I retreat back into my room, hoping that my best friend will forget about the fact that it’s my birthday and that she wants to take me out. But when I open my bedroom door, Darby is waiting at the foot of my bed. “Red or black?” she asks, holding up two dresses for me to choose from.
All I can do is groan in response.
“Black it is then,” she says with a big grin.
The nightclub Darby drags me to is one of the most popular spots in the city. Bright, neon signs in the colors of electric purple and blue are plastered all over the exposed brick walls. The ceiling is low, making the place feel smaller and more intimate, but the dance floor looks endless beyond the bar as peoplemingle and dance. There’s a DJ booth situated at the far end, pumping out music that’s loud but not invasive.
“This is enough alcohol for ten people!” I exclaim after the bartender brings a huge tray of drinks over to where Darby and I are sitting at the bar.
My best friend laughs. “Hey, you only live once.” She hands me a shot, and then we clink our glasses together before downing them. “And you’re only twenty-three once.” Then, she looks at the bartender and tells him, “Keep them coming for the birthday girl!”
The bartender, whose name is Finn according to his nametag, smiles at me and says, “Happy Birthday!”
“Thank you,” I say with a blush before he turns and walks away. “Oh, he’s cute. You should totally get his number,” I tell Darby.
“Yeah, I guess I am the only one living in Singleville now. You left me for Pavel,” she says with a dramatic sigh.
I inwardly cringe and take another shot just at the reminder of that. And then I take another just for good measure.
“Damn, birthday girl, slow down or you’ll be lying on the floor soon!” she says with a chuckle.
We sit for a while, drinking our cocktails, doing shots, and people watching. I quickly learn that some people know how to dance and others…definitely do not.
“Why is he thrusting his hips like that?” Darby questions as she wrinkles her nose in disgust, which causes me to laugh.
“I’m not sure. Maybe he’s hoping to get lucky later,” I tell her.
“Well, someone’s going to getunluckyif that’s the way he fucks,” Darby assures me. She glances around the bar, and then her eyes widen before narrowing. “Oh, what the hell is he doing here?” she says with a loud groan.
I turn to see her stepbrother stalking towards us with an angry look on his face. “How did he know you were here?” I question out loud.
“He always knows where the hell I am,” Darby mutters before quickly standing up. “I’m not going to let him ruin your night. I’ll beright back,” she says before walking towards him and ushering him towards the back of the club and away from me.
I’m sitting by myself, drinking a myriad of cocktails, when someone takes a seat next to me. “Seat’s taken,” I say. The person makes no move to get up, and so I turn to look at the tall, dark, and handsome man sitting next to me. “Dimitri,” I gasp. He’s dressed in black pants and a black button-up shirt sans his usual jacket and tie. My gaze follows the trail of tattoos peeking out from his sleeves and collar before locking on to his familiar icy blue eyes. “What are you doing here?”
“Making sure you don’t get into trouble,” he says, which makes me furious.
“You know, I can celebrate my birthday however I want to,” I remind him. “And if I want to drown my sorrows, then so be it. You should try it,” I say, slurring my words.
He shakes his head. “My demons know how to swim,” he deadpans.
He watches me take a shot and shakes his head, but I refuse to let him ruin my night. “How did you know where I was anyway?” I ask.
“I put a tracker on your phone weeks ago.”
I roll my eyes. “Of course you did.” It should probably make me upset, but it doesn’t. In fact, it’s quite the opposite. Maybe it’s just the alcohol talking, but I find it almost kind of…sweet.Okay, it’s definitely the alcohol talking.
Dimitri then pulls out his cell phone and starts texting…someone.Probably his new girlfriend, I think to myself.
“How’s Irina?” I ask before I can stop myself. Damn, the calm, slow buzz I had just a few moments ago is turning into a full-blown drunken stupor as the alcohol I consumed courses through my veins.
He grins. “Are you jealous, Savina?”
I shake my head and say, “Yes.”Damn it, wrong word.
He chuckles darkly from beside me.
