𝐀𝐑𝐂𝐀𝐃𝐄 ~ | 𝘊𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘭𝘦𝘴 𝘓𝘦𝘤𝘭𝘦𝘳𝘤

XVII

Chapter Seventeen: 

~ This is why I don't socialize ~

Aurora had somehow managed to convince me to go out with her and her friends. 

I wasn't in the mood, but I figured I should at least try and have some fun. It was better than sitting at home, brooding about everything that had happened.

The club was packed, the music pounding in my ears as I made my way through the crowd. Aurora's friend, a tall, broad-shouldered man named Remi, offered me a drink, but I politely declined. I wasn't in the mood for anything stronger than the soda I was already nursing. The room seemed to pulse with energy, but I felt oddly disconnected from it all.

Aurora's other friends were a mixed bag, each one more eccentric than the last. There was a tall, willowy woman named Susan who spoke with a thick French accent and seemed to be the life of the party, constantly laughing and dancing with abandon. There was a quiet, brooding man named Julian who lurked in the shadows, nursing his drink and observing everyone around him with a detached air.

"Are you seriously not going to drink anything tonight?" Remi asked me. Aurora gave him a nudge.

"She doesn't have to." She warned him. I smiled.

"No, it's fine. I just don't feel like it tonight," I replied to Remi with a small smile. I glanced around the room, trying to ignore the throbbing ache in my chest.

"Hey, you should come dance with us!" Aurora grabbed my hand. She pulled me onto the dance floor, her body moving in perfect rhythm with the music. I couldn't help but smile as I followed suit, letting the music wash over me.

Aurora and I danced together, our bodies swaying back and forth, our hands in the air as we laughed and sang along to the music. For a moment, it was as if everything else in the world had faded away, and it was just the two of us, lost in the beat.

I glanced around the club, taking in the sea of faces, all of them moving to the music in their own ways. Aurora and I had somehow become separated from her other friends, and I found myself grateful for the brief reprieve.

As I scanned the room, something caught my eye. There, standing near the back, was someone I recognized. It was him. Charles. My stomach dropped, and my heart started to race.

Of all the parties Aurora could have dragged me to, why did it have to be this one? Why did he have to be here?

I felt a sudden urge to disappear, to hide from his gaze. But I knew that wouldn't be possible. Not with him being the center of attention, like he always was.

The club was packed. There was a chance I would be able to avoid him altogether. I took a deep breath and tried to steady my nerves. Aurora must have sensed something was wrong because she turned to look at me, concern etched across her features.

"What's wrong?" She almost yelled over the music.

"Nothing," I replied, trying to force a smile. "I'm fine." I took a step back, moving away from

Aurora, and started to make my way through the crowd. My heart was racing, my palms sweaty. I felt like I couldn't breathe.

I wanted to sit down. To find a dark corner and disappear. But the club was too crowded, the music too loud. So I stood there, my back to the wall, watching the throngs of people as they danced and drank, trying to blend into the shadows.

It wasn't long before I felt a presence at my side. I tensed, bracing myself for the worst. When I turned, it wasn't Charles after all. It was Matteo.

"Hey," Matteo said, a crooked grin on his face. "You look like you could use a drink." He nodded toward the bar, and I forced a smile in return.