He was everything I didn't know I needed -
and everything I should have stayed away from.
When Mia Thorpe leaves her quiet hometown for London, she's craving freedom, independence, and a fresh start. What she doesn't expect is Grayson Cooper-a dange...
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Despite Hailey's repeated promises that the queue moves quickly, it absolutely does not.
We shuffle forward in painfully small increments, and as the minutes drag by, the warmth from the vodka begins to wear off and the September cold replaces it. Apparently, student nights attract half of London, because the queue behind us seems to have doubled since we joined it.
"Nearly there!" Hailey stretches onto her toes and cranes her neck towards the entrance. "There's only about eleven people in front of us."
"Only eleven?" I groan. "What's taking so long?"
"That's basically none. We'll be inside in no time."
"Tell that to my toes. I can't feel them anymore."
She laughs, entirely unsympathetic, while I wrap my arms around myself and silently regret choosing a dress that barely reaches halfway down my thighs. By the time we finally reach the entrance, I'm almost relieved enough to hug the bouncer.
Almost.
The moment we're admitted, warmth rushes over my skin and I roll my shoulders with relief, although it takes several seconds for my eyes to adjust to the darkness inside.
When they do, I stop complaining.
Plasma is enormous, somehow even bigger than the exterior suggested. Music pounds through the cavernous space with enough force that I can feel the bass vibrating through my chest, while beams of coloured light sweep unpredictably over crowds that seem to stretch into every corner. Dry ice rolls across the dance floor, swallowing people's legs before dispersing beneath flashes of blue, pink and green, and everywhere I look there's movement.
People dancing. People drinking. People shouting into each other's ears and laughing at things nobody else can hear.
The entire place seems to buzz with an energy I've never experienced before, and despite myself, excitement prickles across my skin.
"Finally!" Hailey shrieks, grabbing my wrist and pulling me deeper into the club. "Come on, let's find the others."
I stumble after her. "The others?"
She looks over her shoulder as though this is information she definitely already gave me. "Holly and Will! My uni friends are here."
"You didn't tell me that."
"Didn't I?"
"No." I mean, I know Holly had text her about the student night in the first place, but I had zero idea that we were meeting her uni friends here tonight.
"Oh." She shrugs. "Well, surprise!"
I laugh, although I don't actually mind. Meeting two strangers would've somewhat terrified me a few hours ago, but I need to make friends here eventually, and Hailey's friends seem like the safest possible place to start.
