Hotline Bling

Chapter 7

Her heart was pounding in her ears as she moved down the hallway, headed back toward the dance floor. Her mind was working overdrive. Her heart was crying in her chest. Why did it hurt so badly? To know that Roman was just beyond a wall of wood...She frowned. She shouldn't be thinking of him. She should be angry. Pissed. Livid. But no matter how hard she tried to convince herself to hate that man, her heart always won out. She licked her lips, sighing...she couldn't deal with this. She had enough going on without adding Roman to the plate. She stopped at end of the hallway, the music blaring through the speaker's a loud crescendo now, and thought of raised her hand to her lips. Her fingers grazed her mouth with slow wonder, she could still feel the tingling deep down within the pit of her stomach and the warmth of his lips against her own. She stood there for a long while, staring blankly ahead, her eyes seeing nothing, her mind stuck on the heated embrace from moments ago. She suddenly stopped caressing her mouth and frowned up. This was ridiculous. Roman no longer had a hold on her. He was the past and her present was already filled. She had no room for him to constantly be filling up her mind.

She closed her eyes for a moment and took several deep breaths, clenching her fist at her sides. She was here to have fun. She was here to get a break from the everyday struggles that never seemed to fade.

She opened her eyes and headed for the dance floor, passing the V.I.P. bouncers. She moved toward the dance floor, steeling herself against the inevitable pain she was sure to endure on the crowded floor. She convinced herself that she didn't care. The beat dropped and it radiated up her legs and into her spine. She needed this. Her tension and anger and worry began to fizzle and burst within her. Translating into the rhythmic pulse of her hips and the graceful sway of her body as she let go. Letting the music soothe her bruised soul. She raised her arms, her size sixteen hips swaying seductively from side to side in perfect time. She ran her fingers through her hair, her fingers coming into contact with the elastic ponytail holder. She pulled it out and tossed it onto the floor, freely the mass of nappy curls that seemed to dance with her. She closed her eyes and went with the sound...and for a moment all was right. For a moment she felt more a peace than she had ever felt before in her life.

She reveled in it. She welcomed the ear shattering beat of the sound that seemed unrecognizable to her. She even welcomed the stifling heat that only seemed to grow warmer by the minute. Sweat pebbled along her chocolate complexion but she refused to let it deter her.

The music suddenly came to a screeching halt and just as murmurs of complaints erupted around the now quiet club gunshots exploded. Screams echoed off the walls as the sound of more bullets flying. Panic settled into the air like poisonous gas as everyone began to run for the exits, trampling over each other as they went. Essence remained frozen, shocked at the sudden turn of events. Someone harshly pushed past her and she blinked, realization dawning on her. She moved with the crowd, running for the exit, her adrenaline pumping in her veins. And just as she made it outside her heart dropped. Her fumbled around for her phone before quickly dialing Tonya. It went straight to voice mail. She dialed again and again and still she ended up with the same result. Her adrenaline reached an all-time high as she did the unthinkable: she raced back in, shoving her past those still trying to escape. Her heart was in her throat and fear gripped her like a vice but she kept her going. Her best friend her only concern.

"Tonya!" She screamed into the crowd as another gunshot had her flinching back, nearly toppling her over and into the roaring stampede.

She continued to move around, the club starting to empty out as people made their hasty escapes. She could move around more freely and did so, her eyes searching every Knick and cranny. And just as she began to grow frantic her phone vibrated. She grabbed for it with trembling fingers. Her eyes read the name on the screen and she sighed with relief as Tonya's name danced across it.