Somewhere in the Middle

Tangled Together

Evie kept a wary eye on the two of them, waiting for the metaphorical shit to hit the fan. She had been sure it wouldn't take long, but from the way they were moving together at the edge of the crowded dance floor—his hands on her waist, their bodies pressed close, her ass rolling around against his crotch—it looked like things were only progressing.

"Are you sure you don't want another one?" Rachel asked, her words a little slurred.

Evie looked at her friend and tried to smile. "I shouldn't."

She couldn't hear it, but Evie was sure Rachel gave her an exasperated sigh. "This night was supposed to be fun! But he showed up with his shitty personality, and you've been distracted ever since."

Now it was Evie's turn to sigh, and she pulled her intent stare from Jamie and Trina to look at her friend across the table. "I'm sorry," she shouted. "I wanted this to be a fun night, too."

"Then have another drink!" Rachel shouted back.

Evie glanced at the two of them again, noting that their mouths had connected with a sick twist in her gut. She hoped the wince she felt morph her features wasn't completely obvious to Rachel. "I just... I don't think that's a good idea."

"Why not?" The outrage was clear in Rachel's voice.

Evie didn't know exactly. She wished she did. She forced herself not to look up at them on the dance floor again, and scrambled for something to say—some kind of explanation that would get Rachel off her back.

"It just feels weird. I work for him. It's my job to look out for him, you know?"

Rachel rolled her eyes. "It's not your fault he showed up here! And it shouldn't be your problem either."

Evie knew she was right, but her friend's words didn't change the fact that he was here, and she was here, and it felt like it was her responsibility to make sure he was okay. Maybe, she thought—but she would never say this to Rachel—maybe she could prevent things from going too far. Maybe she could stop him from completely obliterating himself. Maybe she could get him back to the hotel at a reasonable hour.

Maybe she could somehow get through to him.

When Evie didn't answer, Rachel got up, taking both of their empty glasses with her. "I'm getting you another one. And you better drink it."

Evie didn't have the energy or the time to stop her—she'd squeezed herself between a circle of people standing just next to their table and was gone, off for the bar.

Evie checked the time on her phone so that her eyes wouldn't immediately find Jamie and Trina again.

1:03.

It was only one o'clock in the morning.

But it felt like her time spent in the bar was a whole night in and of itself, and she'd only been there an hour and a half. The show felt like it was ages ago, all of the hard work she'd put in that night like a distant memory. And just when she thought she could relax, just when she thought she could let loose and have some fun...

She looked up, found them again, and couldn't look away.

They were facing each other now. Trina smiling up at him, her legs straddling one of his, his eyes hung low, staring at her chest. His hands were on her lower back, and when Trina leaned forward, Evie felt the knot in her stomach twist more tightly as their tongues tangled together once more.

It was like she was frozen still, like the sights and sounds of the bar disappeared from around her as she stared at them, at the way their mouths became more forceful on each other, at the way that their hands seemed to cling tighter to the other's body, at the way their bodies moved impossibly closer, forgetting to sway to the music in their passion.