Coming Back Home

Chapter 16

When I left work later that day, I definitely felt like I was ready for a drink. It had been a busy day.

"Have fun tonight," Natalie said as she waved at me when we left the building.

"Thanks, have a good weekend," I responded.

I walked home and met Trevor on my way up to our floor.

"Done avoiding me, huh?" He asked sarcastically.

"For now," I said as I glanced at him out of the corner of my eye.

"Oh whatever," he said, "what are you up to tonight?"

"I'm going out with Theo actually," I said.

"Ooo look at you, taking my advice and everything," he said to me.

"Mhmm, something like that," I grinned.

"Where are you guys going?" He asked.

"Some club called Euphoria," I said with a shrug.

"Wow, really? That place gets kind of...well let's just say it can be a little crazy," he said cautiously.

"Yeah I may regret my decision, but Theo asked me so I thought I'd give it a try," I said.

"Well...good luck," Trevor said as he looked over at me, "and remember you can always call me if it gets too wild for you and your innocent self."

He grinned at me and I shook my head.

"I appreciate the gesture, but I'm sure I'll be able to handle it," I told him.

We got out of the elevator and walked towards our apartments.

"Whatever you say," he said with a smirk.

***

After I figured out what to wear out, I got ready and kept checking my phone to see how long I had to wait.

I don't know why I was so nervous, I'd already been out with Theo once. It was probably the thought of going to a club that people kept describing as crazy, it wasn't exactly what I was used to.

When 8:00 finally came, I got ready to go down to the parking lot, but there was a knock at my door.

"Oh, hi Theo, I was just getting ready to come down and meet you," I said.

"I wanted to come up," he said with a shrug.

"Well thanks," I said with a grin, "ready to go?"

"Yup!" He said enthusiastically.

We walked down the hallway and Theo held his hand out to me. I looked up at him and smiled as I grabbed a hold of it.

We got down to his car and he drove us the short distance to the club. I could hear the music coming from inside before we even opened the door.

Once we got inside, I started to understand why Euphoria had the reputation that it did. The bass shook the floor and bodies melded together on the dance floor.

Theo saw my eyes widen as I looked around and he let out a quiet laugh.

"Pretty great, huh?" Theo leaned close to my ear to say.

"Uh, yeah...something like that," I said back loudly.

This definitely wasn't my idea of an ideal date, but I didn't want Theo to feel bad for bringing me here.

"What do you want to drink?" He asked as he put his hand on my back.

"Umm," I tried to decide what I wanted, "I'll take a martini."

Theo nodded at me, "I'll be right back."

I stood near the bar and looked around. It was a cool place, I could admit that, but it was so crowded and so loud. Wow I sounded old.

Theo came back a few minutes later and handed me my drink.

"Thanks," I said as I held up my glass and clinked it with his.

I didn't usually drink all that much, but I had a feeling I was going to need to if I wanted to at least pretend to enjoy this.

"Let's go dance," he said as he grabbed my hand.

He pulled me out on to the dance floor among the crowd of people. I had to admit, Theo could move his body pretty well. Maybe that was a good sign of things to come.

We moved to the music and continued to drink, and it was actually pretty fun. Theo kept my drink topped off, and I was definitely feeling good.

I had my back pressed against Theo and he kept his hands on my waist as we danced together.

The music was so loud that I almost didn't hear a voice talking to Theo behind me.

"Mind if I cut in?"

I quickly turned around and saw Natalie standing there.

"Natalie?" I said, "what - what are you doing here?"

"Well if you know each other then sure, go for it," Theo said with a grin.

"Oh, yeah Natalie is a friend from work," I told him.

"I'm going to run to the bathroom anyway, I'll let you guys catch up," Theo said.

I nodded at him before turning back to Natalie.

"What are you doing here?" I leaned in and asked her.

"You said you were coming here with a friend, so I thought I'd stop by," she said with a smirk.

"Oh, well I didn't really - yeah," I muttered.

The alcohol in my system wasn't making this conversation any easier.

"He looks like a little bit more than a friend," she said, stepping in closer to me.

"Um, maybe," I said.

"I'm guessing that's what you still need to figure out?" Natalie asked.

"Yeah I - I think so," I said, "Natalie I've had too much to drink to have this conversation right now."

"That's fine, we can just dance instead then, no need for talking," she grabbed my hips and pulled me against her as she began to sway her body.

"But Theo is right - " I started, motioning towards the bathrooms.

"He'll be gone for a while with this crowd, don't worry about it," she said.

"Okay, I guess," I responded.

Without even realizing what I was doing, I reached up and put my arms around Natalie's neck. She grinned at me as our bodies moved together in rhythm.

Natalie leaned in next to my ear so I could hear her over the music.

"I wish I could steal you from him for the night," she said.

It sent a shiver down my spine as she looked at me.

Natalie leaned in and pressed a long and slow kiss against my lips. I momentarily forgot about Theo as my mind got lost on the feeling of her mouth on mine.

I felt her quickly pull back and step away from me. I wanted to grab her and kiss her again, but the look on her face told me that wasn't a good idea.

"Hey guys," Theo said, "getting to the bathroom and back is quite the challenge in this crowd."

I nodded without turning around to look at him, keeping my eyes in a trance on Natalie.

"I'll let you guys get back to it," she said, "good to see you Mads."

"Yeah, good to - good to see you," I responded.

She discretely gave my hand a squeeze before she walked back into the crowd.

              ————————————————