| |
The bass vibrated through the walls of the club as Cyn approached. Her heels clicked across the pavement. She couldn’t spot Nathan anywhere, and there were groups of people standing outside, smoking. The corset-style purple silk blouse she was wearing was uncomfortably tight, and suddenly she longed for her improvised ‘dresses’ in the Realm.
Approaching the box office, Cyn noticed a queue of people snaked around the club, waiting to get in. Alchemy was a popular venue, though it had only been open for a couple of months. She groaned to herself. I shoulda bloody known it’d be jammed. The woman behind the counter smiled at her in recognition. Cyn furrowed her brow.
“All right?” she asked, digging in her silk clutch for her ID.
The woman blushed, staring at Cyn. “Sorry, it’s just... uhmmm, probably crazy to ask, but are you Cyn Becket?”
Cyn nodded, heat surging to her cheeks. She was recognized sometimes, but not too often. And especially not lately. The lack of work she’d done since returning hadn’t helped keep her name out there. Cyn realized that if she agreed to do the film, it would probably happen all the time. The idea used to sound appealing, but now it left her cold and empty.
“I am,” Cyn said.
“Oh, wow,” the woman gushed, grinning. “That’s so cool! Here, you know what? Hold on.”
Her words had tumbled out in such a rush, Cyn didn’t have a chance to respond. The woman was already pushing her chair back and darting into the other room. In a few seconds, she popped back in, looking flushed.
“Look, I asked my manager about this. We’re going to let you in for free. We’re so happy you’re here. Have you visited Alchemy before?”
“Nope.”
Cyn knew she should be excited. After all, it was what she’d worked for. Instead it made her feel tired, and kind of paranoid someone might be nasty to her face regarding her weight. She already dealt with tons of haters online. Cyn didn’t think she could stomach dealing with drama in person right now. This was the last thing she’d wanted tonight. Why did she let Nathan drag her out anyway? He’d made some crack about her becoming a recluse, and said that Cyn had been a lousy friend lately. She’d dusted herself off and agreed to meet him. Besides, the three of them used to go dancing all the time. She really wished Felicity could be there.
“We’re so glad you decided to check us out!” The woman said as she slid a few passes under the glass. “These are some passes. Why not come back again with more of your friends?”
“Thanks,” Cyn said, tucking them into her bag. “I’ve got to go find my pal.”
She walked away from the ticket window. As she scouted for Nathan, it occurred to her that she didn’t really have a lot of friends to bring. She missed Felicity (and Fallon, and Darcy) so much her chest physically ached. For a split second her vision blurred and the Realm loomed in front of her. Fallon was standing where they’d had their picnic, calling her name.
“Cyn!”
Her vision cleared. Disoriented, she whirled around, panicked another fan (or worse, an obsessed pycho) was about to pounce on her. But it was only Nathan grinning as he waited in the long queue.
The tension released from her shoulders. “Hey, come on,” she said, waving her clutch. “I’ve got an extra pass for you.”
Nathan left the queue and jogged over to Cyn, wrapping her in a massive bear hug. “It’s so good to see you.”
Her nose squished against the scratchy material of his shirt. He had a familiar smell of nice cologne and a faint hint of fast-food grease. A lump formed in Cyn’s throat at the realization that of course, Nathan didn’t smell like Fallon.
“It’s good to get out,” Cyn said, her voice muffled against his chest.
“Anything for you...”
Cyn chose to ignore him, and moved away from his tight grip. She opened her clutch and pulled out the passes. “Here, take these. I don’t think I’ll be coming back here.”
“Why not?” Nathan furrowed his brow as they walked toward the entrance, while everyone in line threw them murderous glares. “We haven’t even been inside yet.”
“No reason,” she muttered, reaching up to pat her hair. Her curls were still loosely held in place with oversized bobby pins. Even though she looked fabulous, she couldn’t shake her feeling of unease. “I’m not myself tonight.”
Nathan laughed. “Are you ever?”
Cyn rolled her eyes at his joke. They joined a small queue to go through metal detectors before they strode into the club. Everything was matte black—the walls, the floor, the decorations. There were black suede booths with chrome accents, and a dim purple glow emanated from the baseboards. Looking up, Cyn saw a black sculpture hung by invisible wire from the ceiling, creating kind of a pop-out effect if you moved around it too closely. She shook her head, feeling dizzy. She’d downed a few shots at home before she left—if she was being honest, she found herself doing that more days than was typical for her. Cyn hadn’t really been a big drinker, but the loneliness was getting to be too bloody much. The rhythm of life was so different than the Realm.
“This is posh,” Cyn said.
As usual, he was staring at her in clear adoration. “Right, right.”
“Let’s get a drink,” she said, walking over to the bar.
The bartender informed her that she and Nathan were being given a VIP booth, on the house, with a few bottles of Stoli and some mixer. Cyn was delighted, albeit slightly embarrassed. She’d always enjoyed her fame, and a year ago this would have absolutely thrilled her. Even though Felicity and Nathan teased her about it, she had enjoyed the attention that came with her career. Cyn loved the club scene, but now it seemed loud and strange. She felt like a foreigner in a strange land.
They settled into a booth and Cyn mixed a drink with Stoli and cranberry juice, adding in a lime slice. She handed it to Nathan and then poured one for herself, knocking half of it back at once. Nathan took his and sipped, gingerly.
“Wow,” he said, pulling a face. He set the glass back on the table. “This is strong, Cyn.”
Alchemy was filling up, and people were starting to dance.
Cyn yelled over the music and downed the rest of her drink. “I made yours with a double shot. You won’t notice the second one as much. I’ll be sure to pour a single.”
“Right.” Nathan screwed up his eyes and chugged his whole cocktail.
She sighed, and fixed herself a refill. “Uhmmm, you may not want to do that. D’you want me to carry you all the bloody way home?”
Nathan laughed, his cheeks already pinking with a tell-tale flush. “No, no. I’ll be fine, love.”
“Okay,” Cyn said, sipping at her second vodka cranberry. “Just watch yourself. I don’t think I could lug you home. I’d ruin my shoes.”
“We couldn’t have that, could we?” Nathan asked. His eyes dipped to her cleavage.
A twinge of anxiety shot through her at his blatant and unwanted attention. If I just ignore him, it’ll probably go away.
“Definitely not,” she said, her voice mock-serious.
The familiar-yet-remixed strains of one of her favourite songs blared from the speakers.
“Let’s dance!” Cyn squealed, squirming out of the booth and onto the floor. Nathan hesitated, but it might be good for him to burn off some of the alcohol.
“Oh, I dunno,” he said.
She laughed. Nathan always stalled getting on the dance floor when Felicity was with them, but he had no need. He really could move quite well. “It always takes you a drink or two to loosen up. You’ll be fine. C’mon, finish your drink. Liquid courage, mate.”
Nathan grinned and tossed back the rest of his drink. “Well, you know I can never say no to you.”
He was a little wobbly as he stood. His fingers brushed against hers as he moved to follow her. Cyn wasn’t sure if it was deliberate, but Nathan was harmless. Why couldn’t she shake the anxiety gripping her stomach?
She led the way out onto the floor. “Indeed.”
Lights flashed and pulsated. The very walls of the club seemed to move. Cyn examined the sculpture above them again. They illuminated it with different colours, pulsing in time with the beat of the music. She was lightheaded from the vodka, but it was good to be out, doing something. It was so nice not to be wallowing at home with the telly.
Cyn made sure to keep a few inches away from Nathan as she danced, but he edged closer and closer. When she took a small step back, he’d take one more forward. Her jaw clenched. She closed her eyes, twisting her arms over her head and moving her body around to the beat. Cyn lost herself in the music. She twirled and spun and twisted until she was hot and sweaty. The fans blowing through the club made her damp skin deliciously chilled. She shivered. Across from them was another couple dancing, and once Cyn spotted them, she was unable to take her eyes away. They were both dressed fairly plainly, but they were obviously together and very much in love. The man reached up and brushed the hair away from his girlfriend’s face. He smiled and whispered something Cyn couldn’t hear in the loud, pulsing club. His girlfriend grinned and pulled his face down for a kiss. Cyn missed Fallon more with every passing second.
She spotted Nathan grooving away with his eyes closed.
Cyn tapped him on the shoulder, leaned forward and cupped a hand around his ear. “I’m going out for a fag!” She mimed smoking a cigarette.
Outside, the air was fresh and damp. Her ears buzzed. The thumping of the music pulsed around her. There were only a few people outside now, and they were huddled in small groups, peering over their mobiles or cigarettes. Cyn took a deep breath, filling her lungs until her chest hurt. She loved dancing, but something about the club was really claustrophobic. I’m losing my bloody mind. She dug through her clutch for a cigarette and her lighter. Her fingers briefly made contact with something smooth and cool to the touch. Fallon popped into her mind, smiling and beckoning to her. Cyn could almost sense his presence. The image faded as soon as she took her hand off of the communication portal.
“There you are...” Nathan’s watery voice cut through Cyn’s reverie. She looked over to see him tottering toward her with limp arms and droopy eyes.
“’Ello,” she said, stepping back against the wall. “I’ll be right in, Nathan.”
He stepped closer. “I had to come find you.”
Fear shot through her. She was used to flirtatious comments, but he’d never really made a move on her. He was obviously drunk. Before he could make an ass out of himself, she dropped her cigarette on the ground, twisting her shoe over it to butt it out.
She kept her voice as cheerful as possible, trying not to reveal how nervous she was around him now that he was intoxicated. “D’you want to go home?”
Nathan frowned, reaching out and resting a heavy arm on Cyn’s shoulder. “No...” he trailed off, blinking heavily.
“We should go in and I’ll get you some water.”
“No, I want to do this—” he slurred, and leaned forward, pressing his mouth against her lips.
She was momentarily stunned. Even though she’d sensed Nathan was going to do something stupid, he’d backed her against the wall with the way he leaned. Cyn hadn’t been kissed since Fallon. Nathan had always harboured feelings for her, but he’d never been this bold. His lips didn’t feel bad, exactly. But they were vodka-scented and moist. And they weren’t Fallon’s. Cyn pulled away as quickly as she could.
“No, Nathan,” she said in a firm voice, stepping to the side. “You know you’re like a brother to me. This isn’t going to happen between us. Let’s get you home.”
Nathan slumped against the wall, mumbling and making vague slurping noises in his mouth. Keeping one cautious eye on him, Cyn pulled out her mobile and texted for an Uber. In a few minutes, a small auto pulled up in front of them. Cyn leaned in and gave the driver Nathan’s address. Then she wrapped one of his arms around her shoulders and hauled him over to the car. The driver looked suspicious, but after giving Cyn a long look he pulled away with Nathan lolling in the backseat.
“Bloody hell,” Cyn muttered, rolling her eyes.
She hoped once he sobered up he’d either forget what happened or at least pretend he had alcohol amnesia, for fuck’s sake. Cyn rubbed her hands over her arms, hugging herself. This wasn’t how she’d wanted the night to end.
