Heartbeats and City Streets

Chapter Two

She landed forcefully on his back, causing a thud. Her legs were tightly wrapped around his waist, one of her arms wrapped around his neck, and the other clutched his chest for grip. Alex stumbled forward, attempting to shake off Megan's hold. She clung on persistently, her fingers digging into his flesh. As anger surged within Megan, she applied pressure to Alex's throat, feeling a rush of power as she exerted control over him. Despite Alex's flailing, Megan held on tenaciously with determination etched on her face. The noise from the club faded into the background as Megan focused solely on Alex's struggling figure. Finally relenting, Megan let go of Alex and landed on the ground. She took a step back as Alex staggered forward, gasping for air. She watched him stumble away into the crowd with hands clutched at his throat before he disappeared. Megan stood there catching her breath momentarily and then turned towards Archer and the others.

'Damn it all...' Martin looked at Megan with eyes and exclaimed, 'You're fucking crazy!' He chuckled while giving a round of applause.

Jacob grinned broadly, his eyes lighting up. 'I didn't think that you'd have it in ya,' he exclaimed, taking a step closer to tousle Megan's hair affectionately. 'You did great.' Jacob turned to Archer with a playful smirk. 'You know, Archer, you should never underestimate a woman who is feisty. You might end up with a few bruises and a wounded ego.' Jacob playfully winked at Megan, evoking laughter from their companions.

'Thanks,' she grinned, feeling a sense of pride and accomplishment.

Archer shook his head gently as a hint of amusement played on his lips. He approached Megan, his concern evident in his expression as he observed her closely. 'Are you alright?' he inquired, his fingers lightly grazing her arm.

Megan nodded, feeling a comforting warmth at Archer's touch. 'I am fine,' she replied, meeting his gaze with a soft smile. 'But are you okay?' Her eyes focused on the gash on Archer's forehead, and she winced as she got closer. 'I am sorry,' she murmured, her fingers brushing against the wound.

Archer mustered a weak grin. 'I'm alright, just a scratch,' he assured her, though he winced when she touched the corner of the cut near his eyebrow. His eyes locked onto hers. 'It's not your fault,' he added, his voice low and filled with sincerity.

Electricity seemed to crackle between them. Megan felt a curious sensation in the pit of her stomach, drawing her closer to him. Their breaths mingled, and she wondered if he could feel her heartbeat racing. They stood there, lost in each other's eyes, the noisy club fading into the background until Sylvia cleared her throat, snapping Megan back to reality.

'Well,' Sylvia chimed in with a grin directed at Megan, 'I think we'd better start making our escape before those bouncers come back around.'

Martin shook his head, wearing a mischievous smile. 'Nah, the bouncers won't bother us,' he revealed. Then he chuckled and admitted, 'My cousin owns this club.'

Kathleen playfully punched Martin on the arm, exclaiming, 'Hey! You never told me that.'

'Sorry,' Martin chuckled lightly, 'I guess it just never came up.' He shrugged before he leaned over to kiss Katheen softly.

'Alright,' Jacob rolled his eyes, 'enough of that. Let's get out of here before those two,' he jerked his thumb towards Kathleen and Martin, 'start making out.' Jacob shivered in mock disgust and laughed as Martin fake lunged at him.

The group laughed as they exited the club, and the cool night air hit them. Megan took a deep breath, feeling invigorated. She turned to Kathleen and Sylvia and smiled, grateful for their company. She had not expected to make any friends, but they thoroughly surprised her. Kathleen and Sylvia quickly took out their phones and exchanged numbers with Megan as they excitedly chatted about meeting up again soon. After finishing up with their phones, the girls shared a group hug and ignored each other as Archer, Martin, and Jacob made snickering sounds.