Love Like This (Under Construction)

Three

Jon

Nothing worthwhile would ever come from a night at the club, that was one thing I had always been certain of. It was meant only for harmless fun and carefree hookups, anything outside of that could not be trusted. That logic had developed into a kind of code for me, a code I needed to follow for my own protection. As hard as people made it to miss, my status was something I purposefully never fixated on. But here, status was all that mattered, it forced an extra sense of hyperawareness onto me. If someone told me that tonight would be the night that I'd walk into a club and meet a woman that would force me to break my one rule, I would have bet my entire net worth on the opposite. And if I had then I'd stand here today a poor man at the mercy of the woman I had met tonight, because she was well worth the risk. What may seem premature to some was a skill I developed over the years, it was safe to say I was more than interested in her. Underneath all of the lust and hasty decisions that seemed to linger around us in a foggy haze, I'd found a needle in the haystack.

Admittedly I was getting ahead of myself. Somehow I had managed to place this woman on a pedestal in my mind. But meeting a woman like Callie had granted this sense of certainty that once I grew to know more about her, her pedestal would be duly deserved. Though for that moment it was best to keep those thoughts at bay. Without noticing, a controlled smirk grew across my face and my vision fixed on the glass in my hand. The sensation of an unfamiliar feeling had become dimly lit somewhere deep in the pit of my stomach, it was somewhat foreign, something I hadn't felt in a while. Excitement. Although my eyes remained fixed on the object in my hand, the pressure of someone else's presence had gradually intensified. As casually as I could manage, I lifted my gaze in an effort to survey the area, focused on pinpointing whoever had taken such an ardent interest in me. It took nearly no time at all to meet a pair of dangerously green eyes, eyes that remained locked in my direction waiting for the exact moment to capture my own, flecks of gold swirled with intrigue. Her expression matched in curiosity, inviting me to engage her. A hand raised to eye level with five fingers wiggling in a greeting that doubled as an invitation. Her playful nature was very evident, unfortunately for her I could not afford for my attention to be split tonight.

I looked up again to find the stranger's eyes still glued to my form, my assumption being that she never pulled them away. Women like her thrived off a good challenge. They never settled for "no". It was imperative that my next actions did nothing to entice her. Time slowed allowing me a moment to ensure that I made definitive movements only. Managing as stoic of an expression as I could, I caught her anxious eyes. Desperation oozed out of them though she tried to conceal it. My expression however, did not change. Even as the small smile had begun to grow on the face of my admirer, my expression remained unmoved. Decisiveness guiding my features, my face had finally taken form into an expression of total disinterest. Following a quick sip from glass, I stealthily slid into the crowd in search of Troy and the rest of Callie's friends. 

In little to no time, I had found Callie's friends and my best friend together in Troy and I's original private section. Three of the four figures stood huddled around the ice bucket waiting for our designated waitress to serve them their drinks. One, without giving anything away to the rest of the group, stood with her attention solely focused on my approach. Hints of distaste lingered in the look she gave me. Traces of any negative sentiments were gone just as quickly as I had noticed them to begin with. She turned away to blend in with the rest of the group seamlessly. Briefly, I struggled to remember her name, a few mere feet from the group. 

"Nina", I was sure to greet her first as I approached them. Her name had come to me in the final seconds. At the sound of my voice the remaining guests turned quickly at my return.