Drew slides up to me and throws his arm up over me, and Dom growls at him, pulling me out of his arms. Dom leans down to me and whispers in my ear, "Hmmm, might have forgotten to tell you what a possessive schmuck I am again," I laugh at his words and he leans in a bit closer to kiss the side of my cheek.
"Oh my god, are you serious right now!" Drew yells boisterously, before dragging me to the centre of the dancefloor, where we are quickly hidden from view by the hordes of dancing people.
The DJ is playing track after track of all the newest music and it is so loud that you couldn't speak if you tried. We end up all joining on the dance floor, mucking around and having a blast. This is just what I need and the stress falls off of me between one song and the next. Dom dances behind me, his hands falling on my hips often, but he lets me shimmy with the girls before slowly reinserting himself behind me. After lots of giggles and misplaced touches we all leave the dancefloor and make our way to the bar.
I am still not sure if I agree with St. Joseph's treatment of us as young adults but tonight, I really don't care. I order a glass of champagne along with some water while my friends order too. The barman quickly offers to bring our order over to our table and we all leave in a flurry of noise.
I sit on Dom's lap, which I am pretty certain, makes him the happiest guy here, and we all seem to be talking over the top of each other, trying to be heard, it's loud and chaotic, but so much fun. The drinks take a little while to come and eventually the waiter brings over two trays, one stacked to the brim and then the other with just mine, which is pretty strange, but we all start grabbing our drinks as he balances the trays.
"God, I am so thirsty!" I say before twisting the lid off of the mineral water and taking a large drink. I fiddle with the lid, trying to put it on again before Dom places his drink on the table, takes the bottle from my hand, and fixes the lid properly. He takes the opportunity after putting the bottle down to run his hands up the inside of my Bolero jacket, which is only draped over my shoulders after our dance.
"Hmm, you feel so good, Gin," he murmurs as his hands run up the side of my body, his fingers slowing when he finds the skin between the back of my pants and my bustier top. He leans in close and kisses the back of my neck, not bothered by anyone around the table.
Admittedly the lights are really low in the ballroom except on the dance floor, which is full of strobe lights and smoke machines, totally adding to the ambiance. I look around, and quite a few couples are snuggling up, enjoying the drinks and the relaxed party atmosphere and it helps me melt further into his lap. I snuggle my head onto his shoulder after turning slightly so that I am sitting side on, on his lap.
Hartley is sitting next to me and is watching intently, her smile full of her smug eagerness.
"Hey, where is Lizzie?" I ask suddenly, remembering that Hunter and Lizzie should be here with us. Some friend I am, forgetting that she isn't sitting with us. My stomach drops.
Betsy answers from over the other side of the table, “Sitting at Hunter’s table with Connor and those guys.” She turns back to her in-depth discussion with Karen, not concerned at all.
Hartley takes control of my confusion, "Good to see you finally succumbed to Dom's insistent begging, Ginny. He looks good on you!" she offers before leaning in close and giving me a giant raspberry on my cheek.
We giggle and start chatting quietly to each other. I drink my champagne probably quicker than I should, and I look around for any waiters.
"I'll get you one, Gin. You want another champagne?" Dom offers after tapping his fingers on my side to get my attention away from Hartley, who hasn't stopped talking into my ear.
"Oh hey, that would be amazing!"
"Hartley, anyone else want another drink? I, being the perfect boyfriend, I hope you all heard that, boyfriend, for the hard of hearing, of the beautiful Verginius, I am going to get another drink," he shouts over the table and everyone trash talks him before giving them their order.
He taps my hips again and indicates that I need to stand. The action sends my head spinning, but a quick glance and no-one notices. Dom leans down and gently kisses my lips, on a sigh, then walks off.
"I'm going to the toilet," I say over my shoulder letting everyone know, and I get a few waves.
People are dancing or milling around in small groups and I manage to dodge them. It is really busy in the ballroom and it feels like the space is constricting around me.
I make my way stumbling around the dance floor, my feet getting caught up in each other, I nearly fall, but quickly find the wall in the hall to the toilet. My head keeps spinning, my tummy rising up to meet it, and little black dots line my vision. At the same time, it feels like I start moving through water, thick, making my feet drag over the carpet. A quick glance back over my shoulder, and I am so confused, just moments before there were people everywhere but now it is deserted. My head swings around looking, trying to figure out where I am when I am suddenly floating in the air, my head flopping backwards as I stare up at the ceiling.
"Gigi, come on, Gigi. What the fuck is happening? Quick someone help," a voice bellows above me, I try to pull my head up and see where the noise is coming from but I can't even find the ceiling anymore.
"Gigi. Hey, can you hear me?" the same voice calls to me again, this time softer, more gentle. I try to find it but again, I can't seem to do anything. It's like being stuck in a stickly black void that just holds me.
