Replay

xi

"Don't call me that" he said, as we waited in a extensive line of teenagers dying to go inside that hideous place. I knew, I was too, but that wasn't by my own will, or maybe it was. There were just too many things with me, and it was always an arduous task of me figuring myself out.

"Whatever, shut up and look at them." I said, not trying to blame him that he was the one who started. I pointed out to a group of teenagers who looked sixteen and too-hyped to go inside the club. They had their phones in hand and the girls were squealing.

"What about them?" he asked.
"No, I mean, don't they look too excited?" I remarked.
"Its a club, they are probably already drunk, Jane." He said, as if stating the obvious.

I didn't reply, because his statements never needed any. The line moved slowly, and it was already 10 in the night. I tried my best best not to yawn but there wasn't much I could do either.
There were couples everywhere, literally. No one was all alone, except the guard who was checking the tickets. Half of them were chatting and half of them were kissing, and here was I; thinking whether Shakespeare ever had a beard. I never really considered having a significant other important, there were just so many other things to be taken care of.

"Jane?" I heard someone say, and it was Aiden.
"Yeah?" I answered.
"You've been to a club earlier, right?" He asked his eyes narrowed.
"What do you mean I've been to a club earlier? Do I look like I haven't?" I fumed, offended. Although I had been into a club only one time earlier, but still, I had been to a club.
"You never know.." He said, facing the other way. I looked at him shocked, did he just play my trick on me? When he looked back at me, he just laughed heartily.
"Laugh all you want, it's just two months." I said, looking ahead when the couple in front of us started kissing and I had to look some other way.
"No, but in all seriousness" he said, calming down, "you've been to one earlier, right?"
"Yes." I answered, crisp.
"Good, I've been to these places only twice so I don't really know much." He said, combing all his hair back with his hand and have them fall over their original place again, and all I could think of how is twice an 'only'.

We waited five more minutes when our turn came. The ticket man was huge, he was humungous. He did not smile, and I don't think he ever had. He looked at the both of us and asked for the passes when I handed them over to him.
"Two of you?" He asked, reading the passes for God knows what.
"Yes" Aiden answered. The Huge Man kept staring at us now, instead of the passes.
"Ma'am, do you know the man standing beside you?" He said, looking straight into my eyes.
"Yeah" I spoke awkwardly.
"Are you sure this man hasn't pressurized you in any form whatsoever to come here?"
"Yeah" This was getting awkwarder. I felt like I was answering the police.
"Are you sure ma'am? Its safe to tell us if this man has been pressurizing you, we have security. You both don't look like-"
All of a sudden I felt something move beside me, it was Aiden's arm. He took his arm and slowly took it behind the small of my back, just when I realised what he was going to do, he had already done it. He had his arm around me, pretending to hold me, but he never really touched me and it hovered in the air. I felt elated at this wise move of his and I shook my head towards his shoulders as if resting on it and smiled.
"Thank you for your concern sir, but everything's okay." I smiled at Huge Man now handing the passes back.

As soon as we went inside the doors, the first thing that hit me was the loud music, then came the vivid yet dark atmosphere and then, the crowd. The music burst from every corner of the club along with seemingly-endless chatters of people. The lights shone all at once, then none at all and then randomly everywhere. The place had a tint of pink along with yellow, and nothing would've been visible if it wasn't for the low lighting.

The people were gathered at what I assumed was the dance floor. Teenagers and young adults were everywhere, smoking, laughing and kissing. I looked around the club and found a relatively empty lounge with 8 seater sofas and all the luxurious champagnes on the table in between. What came next into my view was the bar, which was almost absolutely empty. People came and took away their drinks, only a couple sat there as the bartender himself was bored and was looking at the people dancing.