Reuniting With The Ex

Chapter Two

I took a deep breath and looked at the clock on my phone. It read 7:30 pm. He should be here any minute.

After Nate got my number a couple nights ago I had waited in anticipation, wondering when he would text me. I was interested to catch up with him, but also nervous. I hoped that he and I could be friends, with no awkwardness. He had a special place in my heart, just after all this time I tried to ignore it. I didn't want to be reminded of the past. But now that he is here, things seem different. I want to talk with him.

I straightened out my black dress, and ran a hand through my wavy dirty blond hair. 'Hopefully I look alright.' I think to myself.  I heard a knock at the door. My eyes shot towards it. I took a deep breath and slowly approached it, stumbling in my black heels. "Gosh, be cool," I said to myself. I can't be nervous! I went on how many dates with this kid back in high school? I was a pro at this. I can do it. 

I opened the door and my eyes land on Nate. "Hello," I said. 

"Hey," he returned with a smirk.

"Let me grab my purse." I said, moving a hand towards my purse which hung on the wall. I grabbed it and walked out the door, which forced him to back up. 

After locking up, he lead me to his car. He held my door open as I get in, then made his way over to the driver's side. After getting in, he turned to me.

"How about I take you downtown?"

I shrugged, "Yeah, sure. Where to?" 

"A club?"

I raised my eyebrows. I hadn't been to to many clubs. It wasn't really my thing. Should I? I don't want to get drunk and end up acting like a fool. After a moment of thinking I replied, "Yeah, sure. Sounds good."

He smiled and turned on the car. He kept his attention on the road for the next twenty minutes or so as we made our way downtown. 

"What's the club called?" I asked as he pulls into a parking place, away from the city buildings.

"Star," he said as we got out.

"Like the band?" I asked after coming around the vehicle.

He frowned and shrugged, "Don't know. Never heard of that band." I just nodded.

We walked down the dark busy streets. It was the weekend, meaning that everyone, it seemed, was out partying. People laughed, sang, talked, shouted, and drank all around us. Only a few shops were open, the rest were restaurants and bars.

We turned a corner and came upon the club. I followed Nate as he made his way for the front entrance. 

"ID, please." said the guy at the door. The man is bald, buff, and wore a black T-shirt with jeans. He had a grumpy look on his face. I'd hate to get on his bad side.

Nate and I pulled out our ID and showed the man. "Thanks," he said motioning for us to move on inside so he could deal with the next people.

We stepped inside and were immediately met with music. As we walked through the tight hallway it got louder. We stepped out into a big room. I walked past Nate and leaned on the metal rail, looking down at the circular room.

There was a huge dance floor in the center, which was crowded with people wearing all sorts of outfits. Lights of different colors shone down from the ceiling, illuminating the place. A bar was to the right, and there was a small sitting area, with chairs and sofas, over to the left. It looked as though there was a bathroom behind the sitting area.

Large windows were at the top of the room high enough for the second level, which was a walkway that  ran in a circle. It wasn't much, more so just a place to get away from the bottom level. There were two sets of stairs. One, where I stood and the other, straight across from me.I smiled at Nate and make my way down the stairs.

"You ready to party?" He yelled over the music, at me.

I nodded, "Yes, I am." This looked like it could be fun. When we get to the bottom level I looked at Nate. "Where to first?"

"Bar," he said with a smile. 

I laughed, "Same old Nate."

He shrugged, "Alcohol is good." We stepped up to the bar. "A couple shots of whiskey, please." He told the bar tender. The guy nodded and looked at me.

"Oh, um." I said trying to think, "Ginger Ale."

Nate looked at me, eyes wide. "Ginger Ale? We're at a freaking bar! Get some alcohol!"

I just laughed, "Maybe in a bit."

He just shook his head. The bartender smiled, "I'll get your drinks in a moment."

"Okay, thanks." said Nate. We sat there for a minute, waiting for our drinks. After they came, and Nate paid, he turned to me. "So, what have you been up to for the past, what, four year?"

"Yeah. Four years," I said, nodding and taking a quick sip of my drink, "Um, not too much stuff. I'm going to college and studying art."

"Ah, cool!" He said, "You always did enjoy art when we were together."

I smiled, "Yes, I did. Now, what about you?" 

He shrugged, "Not much. Parties, drinking, an occasional job." He took one of his whiskey shots.

"So you're not going to college?"

"I did," he said after swallowing his drink, "I studied Business Management. I'm out though."

"Cool," I said, looking over at the dance floor.

"Hey Rose?"

I looked back at him, "Yeah?"

"We're cool, right? No hard feelings for what happened in High School?"

I nodded and gave him a small smile, "Yes. We're cool.

"Good," he said with a big smile. "Want to dance?"

"Um," I took a quick glance at the dance floor, "Sure."

He downed his other shot and got up. I took a last sip of my own drink and walked over with him. When I approached the dance floor the few guys around it started to stare at my legs. My dress came half-way down my thigh, leaving the rest of my legs exposed. 'Don't think about it,' I told myself as Nate and I walked past them.

Nate took my hand in his and lead me into the crowd. He turned to face me and grabbed my other hand. We started bobbing to the music, I tried to be carefree and shake what my mama gave me. He laughed and made me spin. I laughed and set my hands on his shoulders, now closer to him. We just smiled and laughed as we danced.

We danced for about an hour before returning to the bar.

"How about you take a shot of whiskey?" Nate asked as we took a seat.

I laughed, "Fine! Just one." He smiled and ordered me one. When it got here I slowly took the glass in my hands. "Here goes nothing." I brought the glass to my lips and tipped my head back, draining the thing.

Nate started clapping, "Go, Rose!"

I gasped, after swallowing. "Wow! Okay."

He laughed, "You know that was my first time seeing you drink? You never drank at the High School parties."

"Yeah, I know." I laughed. "Want to go back to the dance floor?"

"Sure," he said smiling, as we make our way back over to the dance floor.

We danced for another hour before Nate suddenly said, "You know? I'm tired. We should get on home."

"Um, okay?" He took my hand and quickly lead me up the stairs, headed outside. "You okay?"

"Yeah, fine. It's just time to get out of there."

"Were you getting bored?"

"Nah, I mean," he trailed off as we walked toward his jeep. "Just tired."

"Okay..." I said as I got into his vehicle. I didn't say anything else as he drove me home.