Because I’m not doing this.
I’m not spending my nights wishing he’d text me, wondering where he is orwhohe’s with. Calder made it clear that he’s looking for something casual and short. He’smovingand hestalkedme. And after my last relationship, I couldn’t want something different.
I will find someone here tonight.
I willnotget attached to Calder.
After a weirdly delicious shot that combined hot sauce and pickle juice, Lithie and Eames dragged me off the couch and to the dance floor.
The DJ was a fucking sadist.
He cut off every song right before the chorus. We valiantly powered through six of these abominations. But when he played the first part of “TiK ToK” by Kesha and then once again cut it off before the drop, we called it quits.
I fell back into the velvet couch, deliciously sweaty and tipsy.
“That DJ is a psychopath,” Olly said, glaring toward his booth.
“Who does that?” Eames asked. “I feel like I’m being edged and not in a fun way.”
Lithie came over, carrying a tray of glowing shots. “Shots. Shots. Shots,” she singsonged, handing a neon-green shot to Eames.
He arched a brow. “It looks radioactive.”
I grabbed mine and together we downed them in one gulp. It tasted like sour apple Warheads.
I swiped the tang from my lips. “I got fingered.”
“Just now?” Olly looked out to the dance floor, as if she’d find the culprit.
“No,” I said. “On my date.”
They fell quiet. The thump of the club replaced their chatter with some Ariana Grande song that the DJ was dutifully trying to destroy.
“I thought you said nothing happened?” Lithie asked, honey eyes narrowed and suspicious, like when we were younger and I swore her Barbie broke its leg spontaneously.
I bit the skin of my thumb, thinking. "Technically, nothing did happen…with my date.”
Olly exhaled, annoyed. “I am too musically frustrated to play twenty questions.” As if on cue, the DJ switched songs before the chorus again. This time, there was an audible groan from the crowd.
“It was Calder,” I said. “He was there. He followed me into the bathroom?—”
“Hot,” Lithie interrupted. “But also…” She tilted her head, placing one finger against her lips, the acrylic manicure she got monthly catching the light. “Concerning. Because how did he know where you were?”
All three of them turned to me, waiting.
Oh, well, see Calder is actually Void, and he’s been stalking me from day one.
Also, I’m kinda into it.
No, I’mwayinto it.
“It, uh…” I raised my hands, gesturing like I was looking for the answer in the air. “It kinda just happened. He was there already and he saw me and…yeah, just kinda happened…”
It wasn’t totally a lie. Calderwasthere—he was justVoid. And they didn’t need to know I got finger fucked by a man in a mask with his leather gloves still on.
“I can’t believe you sat on this for over a week,” Eames said.
“I shared a hotel room with you,” Olly said, offended. “I want details.”
