I won’t deny it’s a possibility. Maybe she did come here for me. But it doesn't really matter, does it? Because she’s in there, and I’m out here.
I stare at my own reflection in the window, settling on the cold dark stare looking back at me. Something inside of me twists hard. My chest aches like my heart is trying to claw its way out, and I know why. For the first time in my life, walking away doesn’t feel like peace. Letting go doesn’t feel like the right thing to do. This? This feels like losing a part of my soul. It feels like giving up the one thing that ever made me feel alive. And dammit, I don’t fuckingwant to.
I curse under my breath and slam my hand against the truck.
Then I turn back toward the noise and chaos I just escaped from, fueled with a mission I don’t care to calm.
Because I’ve never felt anything like this before—neverwantedanyone like this before—and I’ll be damned if I let her walk out of my life without a fight.
If she wants distance, too fucking bad. If she wants space, she better look at the stars. She’s not getting either from me. Not anymore.
I weave through the bodies crowding the street, the bass rattling the ground beneath my boots. Every step feels electric—fast, reckless, alive.
She can be mad. She can yell and scream. She can tell me to fuck off for all I care.
But she’s not walking away thinking I didn’t fight for her.
And I’m not walking away until she kills me.
I shove the door open, the music and lights crashing over me again. My pulse is a war drum in my ears, my breath sharp and unsteady.
I don’t know what the hell I’ll do when I find her.
I just know I’m not leaving without her knowing she’s the only thing that ever made me feel like even the stars have purpose.
When I get to the table, Gerry is the only one there, typing away on his phone. I take a look around the crowded space. I see some of the people we were with melting into other groups, some dancing along with the base that’s banging in my chest. I scan the crowd repeatedly, only looking for one girl and come up empty.
Eventually, I turn to Gerry.
“Where’s everybody else?” I yell over the heavy music.
He shrugs. “Brian’s with some football dudes at the bar. Nate followed Macey and her friends onto the dance floor. And Vince walked off with Hot Friend.”
I do a double take, nearly giving myself whiplash in the process. “Who?”
Gerry looks up from his phone. “Hot Friend.” He shrugs. “I don’t remember her name, but that’s how Nate introduced her.” He returns to his precious device.
Fuck.
I scan the crowd harder, my vision noticeably unfocused as one face morphs into another. I can’t see shit from eye level, so I move to the stairs, taking two at a time as I aim for a highervantage point.
I look down from the second level, searching for hair that shines in the light. Anger begins to roil in my gut, climbing up my chest with heat. It’s clouding my judgement, coaxing my thoughts. I can feel the way it’s clouding my mind. But I can’t stop it.
Relief calms my nerves when I spot her, but then rage finds me. Her arms are up above her head. Her eyes are closed, her head tilted back as she sways to the beat. Vince’s hands are low on her waist as he dances with her. One hand moves to cup her face, and he pulls her into him.
Before I can see what happens next, I’m sprinting down the stairs, onto the dance floor, and pushing through the crowd until I get to them.
I shove Vince, causing him to stumble back several feet.
“Yo, what the fuck!” Vince yells, drunk and confused.
“Find someone else,” I deadpan with a finger pointed to him, nostrils flaring. I go to turn to Alana, but Vince’s hand finds my shoulder, forcing me to face him.
“Who the hell do you think—”
I step toward him until we’re nose to nose. “Find. Someone. Else,” I seethe. His eyes widen at the darkness in my tone. My gaze is stern, angry, and unmoving. My hands are already fists at my sides. Vince takes a few innocent steps backward.
I turn my glare to Alana, and it barely softens. I grab her by the hand, pulling her through the crowded dance floor until we reach the back of the bar. I take her down the hallway and into a storage closet.
