The Best Mistakes

13. Kayra

This was a bad idea. I felt it even before I entered this booming club. The smell of alcohol mixed with sweat was nauseating. And the deafening music was accelerating my heartrate with each beat. I'd never been to a place more crowded like this other than the Sunday markets in India. Though the club’s ambience was expensive and everything here screamed top notch, I just couldn't bring myself to like it. The crowd was more lively because of the new year, which made me more uncomfortable.

Ruby made her way through the people,  guiding us to the bar. I could see the bar and the wall behind it full of different liquors through cracks and gaps in the crowd. But I could also see a tall frame, sitting ever so manly on one of the stools, facing the people while holding a glass of alcohol. I didn't want to but I had to acknowledge that Nolan looked hot. Slicked back hair. Irritatingly perfect fitted shirt, showcasing his chiseled body. Exposed chest. Damn.

He appeared uninterested as if, he was attending a lecture and not a party. Ruby's squeal averted his attention to us. While Ruby ran off to jump in Asher's arms, Nolan's and my eyes met. For a second, I thought his eyes had become darker. But the club lighting was dim, so I could’ve imagined it. He continued sipping his drink, while looking at me up, down and then up again. My breath caught up in my chest and it got harder to breathe.  His jaw tensed and I thought I saw his tongue click inside his mouth.

I blamed the non-existent cold in the club for the shiver that ran down my spine and not his intense gaze. I was wearing a black and gold silk jumpsuit, which ended a little down from my inner thighs, I must be cold because of it too. His honey eyes never left my face and something within me tingled. Was he in a bad mood?

I decided to ignore him and grab a seat on the nearby stool beside Amy and Ruby. Even after getting away from his direct view, I could feel a set of eyes staring at me. I shrugged the feeling and focused on what Ruby had ordered for us.

"What is this?" I asked, holding the wine glass. The clear liquid with hints of gold and sparkling bubbles going up the glass’ surface, swirled due to the action.

“White wine,” Ruby stated the obvious and shrugged. They both were drinking cocktails with confusing names then why was I given this plain wine?

"I also want to drink those." I pointed at their glasses, while putting mine down.

"You never had alcohol in your entire life, Kayra. Drinking heavy alcohol at the start can be harmful, so let's just start with this." She nudged the wine glass towards me with her fingers.

I nodded. “Okay.” I understood her, afterall drinking was my motto, it didn't matter what I drank. Then let's get this wine down. I grabbed the glass, took a final look at the girls and chugged it down. My throat burned and the weird spiciness turned sweet soon on my tongue. I put the glass down and my face scrunched with an itchy feeling in my throat. I heard Ruby and Amy cheer for me.

Drinking wasn't as thrilling as I thought. I wasn't even feeling anything. But again I just drank a single glass of plain wine, maybe I need to drink more to understand better.

Ruby wiped her fake tears. "You're no longer an alcohol-virgin. Congratulations!"

A laugh rumbled through my chest at her choice of words. "Is that even a thing?"

"Ruby's dictionary is quite diverse," Amy commented, smiling. But her smile fell when she looked over my head and within a second she chugged down her whole drink.

"Slow down, Am.” I patted her shoulder, baffled by the sudden change in her behavior.

"Fuck! He's so hot," she said, staring at someone over my head. Ruby and I turned to our left and huffed out a laugh. That someone Amy was staring at was Jake. This was the first time Amy said this out loud. I'm sure she had buried a lot of such things about Jake in her heart.