“Not here, silly,” Melody giggles, completely oblivious. “I mean, did you just transfer to FMU?”
Andrea cringes.
Win isn't phased. “I failed out of school.”
Good god, this just keeps getting worse.
“Oh, um, well,” Melody stammers, “School isn’t for everyone.”
“Clearly.”
The inside of my cheek is going to bleed if I bite it any harder. His disinterested, expressionless delivery kills me.Don’t laugh. Don’t laugh. Don’t. Fucking. Laugh.
Meanwhile, Andrea is doing absolutely nothing to rescue this poor girl from humiliating herself further. The line progresses and Win gently prods my spine with a knuckle.
It's equivalent to an electric shock.
I shoot him a glare.
He smirks.
Bastard.
“I’m dying for a martini,” Melody whines, slinking closer to Win. “Let me guess, you’re a bourbon guy.”
He blows out an exasperated sigh. “Used to be.”
Melody cocks her head, blonde curls cascading over her shoulder. “Got sick of it?”
“Gotaddicted to it,” he counters, jamming a toothpick between his perfect teeth. “Pills too. Coke on occasion. LSD freaked me out, but I fuckinglovedecstasy— that shit’s incredible.”
Melody’s blue eyes bug like a cartoon.
Andrea’s smile droops into a frown.
My stomach twists painfully. Hearing him speak about it so casually shocks me; it’s a reminder how much of his life I know nothing about. How much I've avoided learning out of fear and resentment. I’m terrified of those new parts of him. Those broken pieces have the power to make me empathize. Understand. Accept.
Forgive.
I don’t think I’m ready.
Thankfully, we reach the front of the line before Melody has time to respond to Win’s admission, though, out of the corner of my eye I catch Andrea grasp his hand. I can barely make out her voice over the pounding base and roar of conversation, but I read her lips.
“You sure you can handle this? There’s a lot of temptation in there.”
He swallows hard, jaw rolling as he glances past the bouncer where blue and white lights strobe and drunk laughter weaves through upbeat dance music.
My breath catches when his trembling hand finds my waist.
“The only temptation I can’t resist is right here.”
I can’t handle when he says shit like that.
The bouncer ushers us forward, checking IDs and slapping on wristbands. Melody attempts to squeeze next to Win, and I take the opening, diving into the mob crowding the bar.
I need to get away from him or I’ll do something astronomically stupid…
Like give in to temptation too.
