Count On Me - Sequel (Laughing into Love)

Chapter 32: Nights Out Alone

Melanie's been going out and partying with strangers for 5 days now. On her 6th night out, she was offered coke. She's never done it before but she was drunk, and didn't give a shit anymore. She's watched people take a bump before so knew what to do. Just as quickly as it was gone, she started to feel the effects already. Her body got hot and all she wanted to do was strip down and sit in front of a fan. The people she was out partying with finished their hits and the three of them start talking. Melanie asks what she's suppose to feel like and her new friend Gia says "you should be feeling amazing!!!!!"

Leo adds on "I'm feeling incredible! I'm so glad we went out tonight."

Melanie does her best to try and stay in control of herself, but she starts to get angry, not even sure why. She raises her voice "this is fuckin' stupid! I thought this would make me feel awesome and I just feel hot and annoyed." She pushes herself aside and heads towards the front of the bar. When she gets outside of the club she whips her phone out of her back pocket to call Brian and yell at him for forcing her to do this.

She's scrolling for his number when a male steps aside her and gently says to her "you shouldn't do that."

"Fuck off" Melanie snorts back, wanting him to mind his own business.

He puts his hands up in a surrender gesture and offers another piece of advice "I'm just trying to help, you'll regret it in a few hours."

Frustrated and angry, she sighs but it comes out more like a growl and she asks him "what do you know about it?"

He smirks "I know the coke you just did was the bad shit, and that's why you're tripping out right now."

She squints towards him, and pushes for more "how you do know that."

He shrugs one muscled shoulder with a sly smirk "I sold it to Leo."

"And you sold him shit? What a guy." She rolls her eyes and pushes past him "if you'd excuse me, I have better places to be."

"Do you?" He catches her attention by calling her out. "Usually people who've just done drugs for the first time don't have anything else better to do, that's what the drugs are for."

She puts her hands on her hip and asks "what do you want from me?"

He smirks "you're high, you're hot, just thought neither of us would go home alone tonight."

She shakes her head and retorts "I'm not trying to meet anyone, I'm just passing through here."

He quickly clarifies "oh, I'm not trying to get to know you or anything. Just thought I'd show you a good time, get you some better shit and have some fun."

She bites her lower lip, not even sure why she is outside the club anymore. She hums out "hmmm, what if I'm just willing to take you up on the offer of better shit. That still work for you?"

He smirks again and nods "ya, that's fine."

But Melanie doesn't just do another bit of coke with him, she goes back to his place and sleeps with him. Having sex on coke was great. She was able to forget all about Brian and just enjoy this stranger pleasing her. The next morning when she woke up in his bed, her mouth was dry and her head was killing her. She rolled out of bed, quickly picking up her clothes off the floor to get dressed. Once changed, she looks at herself in the mirror and hates what she sees. Here she is, barely a week broken up with Brian and already out sleeping around. The sex was fun but that's only because she was high. She didn't get in her typical euphoric state like she does when sleeping with Brian, she only enjoyed it from a pleasure stand point. After washing her face off, she opens the door slowly to head out but the guy is already awake and on his phone, his hair disheveled across his face "hey." She mumbles, sitting on the bed to put her shoes on.

"Hey yourself. How you feeling?" He asks her, placing his phone down to rub his face.

"Like shit" she murmurs without looking back at him.

She feels him move in the bed and then say "here, this'll help."

He passes her a bottle of Gatorade "thanks" she takes it and downs basically the whole thing. She stands after and turns to him "thanks for last night, I'll see ya around."

"So you're staying in town for a bit?" He asks her, another smirk on his face.

"Not sure actually." She's honest with him, not having any kind of plan except having to be back in New York in 2 weeks.

He runs his tongue over half his upper lip and tells her "why don't you take my number, in case you need anything while you're here." Although Melanie has no intention of sleeping with him again, she takes his number anyway, not feeling like making things awkward with declining his offer. When she's walking out to leave he says to her "see ya around."

"Ya" she replies back, shutting the door and lowering her head. In the past she would call Caroline and spill everything right away, but this is not something she wants to share. She already knows what Caroline would say and how disappointed she would be. Instead, she vows to keep this a secret and never let it happen again.