My skin is all hot.
“Yeah! It’s a great bar!”
“Kenz,” I roll my eyes, saying it loud enough to admonish her, but she doesn’t ever feel shame. I love her, but shit, this is insane.
“I don’t know what you want from me! It’s a good bar, and they’ve got good drinks!” she says with a shrug. She’s already ordered us a round of shots while Taylor and I get our bearings straight in the club. Taylor seemed just as enamoured with the dancer as I was. Kenz seems to know her with the way they waved at each other, and I wonder if this is who she was talkingabout.
It would make sense.
“Is she...?” I trail off. Kenz looks up at the dancer, who seems to drag a finger down Kenz’s nose. I watch the manicured nail bounce off the tip of her nose and the way that Kenz’s brown eyes get swallowed by her pupil.
“Is she what?” she asks loudly enough for me to feel a little embarrassed for even thinking about it.
“Is this who you were talking about earlier?” I ask. Kenz turns to me, brow furrowed as she shakes her head.
“Of course not. Ebony is just a friend.”
The dancer, Ebony, waves, blowing a kiss at the three of us before she stalks to the other side of the bar so she can entertain some of the patrons there. The red and orange underlighting make her glow, and I swear she’s got wing tattoos on her shoulders.
The white string bikini does nothing except giving me impure thoughts.
“A friend,” Taylor drags out, and Kenz nods.
“Of course! Some of the girls and I have come a few times after some games. It’s a great—” Her words get drowned out over the drop of the bass and I think maybe I am too old to be here. Taylor looks just as nauseated, her face so twisted in confusion that she looks like she’s about to have a stroke.
The bartender drops the shots off in front of usas Kenz fumbles with her phone to pay before we clink glasses and down the liquid. I ignore the burn and start to pull the two of them towards the dance floor. It’s a tight squeeze, but there’s some space near the edge, and the crowd is jiving with the DJ. It looks like a good crowd.
Taylor feels like she’s pushing back against me, but when I look down, I just see her hand reaching for me, gripping my hand as we move. Kenz is jumping up and down, a giant smile on her face, as an old Pitbull song plays in the background. She pushes further ahead, her hips taking control as she rolls them in time with the beat.
Taylor’s head seems to follow Kenz’s body, the way her hips move, and I notice the twitch inherbody as we all become slaves to the music. It’s thundering, and the bass reverberates through my chest in a way that loud music does to me. It’s one of the most pleasant experiences in my life. One of my favourite feelings, the way that my skin rumbles beneath the sound of the DJ’s spinning and how my heart thuds against my ribs in tune with the beat.
I close my eyes for a minute, letting my own hips take control as the rest of my body follows suit.
We become a part of the undulating sea of dancers, and I get to watch as people start to couple up and curl into each other with each shout through the speakers. Some are singing along, and I catch Taylor nodding along with a pleased smile.
The lights are flashing, Kenz is dancing with another person deeper in the crowd, and Taylor is justoff to my left. My arms feel like noodles, and my body is moving on its own accord, the beat rolling through me in a way that I can’t control.
I love this.
The anonymity of dancing in a crowd and having fun.I missed this.
Maybe I can get some of the girls in Vancouver to do this with me when we’re back.
I close my eyes, letting the music take over as I continue to dance. The music is mingling with the shots and drinks from supper, leaving a pleasant buzz across my skin that I’ll be able to ride for most of the night if I’m lucky. I definitely wouldn’t push for another drink when Taylor and I have a flight tomorrow; being hungover on a plane sounds like it has the potential to be one of the worst decisions of my life.
I lost sight of Kenz within another twenty minutes of our first drinks, which I’m not shocked by. She’ll probably be in the bathroom with another person, but Taylor’s been close by. She looks a little more comfortable being on the dance floor now, but I watched her have at least two more shots from my vantage point between the bar and the dance floor.
She’s loose-limbed and slowly getting into the beat of the music. It’s taking control of her the same way it’s taking control of me, but she’s coming closer with every song. The heavy beat has the two of us circlingeach other, hips gyrating and arms in the air. She’s got her eyes closed as she throws her head back, continuing to move in almost ecstasy.
I don’t think I’ve ever seen this woman so relaxed as she does right now.
Taylor bumps into me, her hands finding my waist before she looks up at me. Those green eyes are half lidded and dark, the neon lights casting shadows across her smile. I wonder if…no.
My hands are above her waist as she gets closer, her alcohol tinged breath in my face as I swallow the lump in my throat as she bites her bottom lip, a tentative hip roll connecting both of our pelvises.
She smiles impishly as I respond, and goosebumps erupt across my arms. Her hands pull me tighter, gripping me in a way that makes me shudder, and I wrap my arms around her. Taylor’s breath fans across my face when she leans in, and we grind against each other. “Was someone bothering you?” I ask. It’s the only reason I can think she would willingly ever be this close to me.
She pulls back, brow pulled together in confusion before she dissolves into giggles and continues to grind against me.
