Golden || H.S. ||

Chapter 23

     Flashing strobe lights, loose bodies and eager hands; that's all I see as we walk into the dance club Gia's taken us to. Stepping in with the bass vibrating my chest and borderline damaging my eardrums, Harry reaches behind him until he finds my hand. When I lock my fingers with his, he squeezes and tightly holds on as if I'd get lost along the way without him. Gia's ahead of us, weaving through the crowd to get us to the VIP section she booked but had Harry pay for. Already pretty tipsy, I'm not really paying attention to where we're going. Instead, my focus is on the crowds of people surrounding us. They all look so happy; not a single care in the world. I want to be like them.

     In what seems like a matter of seconds, we've ended up on a higher level in the giant room where there is a bit more privacy, but not much. Once the three of us are in our own bubble, Harry let's go of my hand and starts taking off his orange suit jacket with a grimace. "So fucking hot in clubs like this."

You're so fucking hot in clubs like this.

     My smile is broad as my eyes swim over him, and he smirks back when he notices. After tossing his jacket onto the long black booth behind us, he starts rolling up his sleeves the way he does, then follows it with a hand through his hair as the other lands on his hip. I'm just standing in my spot watching him, clutch in my hand, swaying to the music without really realizing it. Gia's arm thuds around my shoulders, and her temple presses to mine. I giggle while trying to maintain my balance and lean into her, pushing my head against hers back. "He's something else, isn't he?" I ask her.

She laughs a little and says, "Mhm, he's somethin'."

     I slightly turn to her so that her arm doesn't fall off of me. "You can't sit there and act like you don't see how sexy he is."

     "No, he definitely is. He just isn't my type." she admits.

     "What is your type then?" I ask, and she shrugs. I smile and tease, "Someone like Nate?" She can't resist her smile as she shrugs even harder. I open my mouth wide with a smile and grab onto her arm in excitement.

     "They didn't prep the booth with bottle service like they were supposed to. What do you want to drink?" Harry stands in front of us, leaning in a bit so we can hear him over the music.

     Gia takes a step forward with me still under her arm, making us stumble. I laugh and hold onto her so we don't fall. "I want a vodka Red Bull," she laughs through her words. Harry smiles at her in acknowledgement then looks to me.

     Still laughing some I say loud enough for him to hear me, "I don't care, get me whatever you get."

He takes another step closer and says against my ear, "I don't think you'll like what I'm getting, it's going to be strong. Want me to pick you something fruity?" I nod my head yes and keep my smile as I turn into him to kiss his cheekbone. I can already feel the pulling effect his body has on mine. He discreetly brushes his fingers against the tips of mine, then gives me a quick kiss before turning around and heading down towards the bar.

"Go sit down, I'll be right back." Gia says to me, guiding me with a gentle nudge towards the booth.

"Where are you going?" I try not to shout, this seemingly permanent smile still on my face. She uses her hand and motions as if she's taking a shot, then turns away from me. I go ahead and do what she says, getting comfortable on the seat and looking around the club. Once I'm settled on the smooth pleather, I notice how heavy my head is starting to feel. My eyes lag as my brain tries to get them to move around the room, making it difficult to focus on one thing.

What feels like seconds later, Gia's plopping onto the booth next to me with two shots of some yellowish alcohol and wedges of limes on the rims. "Curtesy of the VIP section next to us." She turns to the side, so I lean on my knees and look over her.