by Lucy Smoke
"I'll clean up," he said, turning to Texas and hauling him up. "You can help."
"Aww, man, come on!"
I smirked as Texas whined at Bellamy, though he dutifully started stacking plates. Marv stood from the table and then skirted the edge, heading for the hallway that led to the stairs. Knix sat next to me, quiet for several moments while I pulled out my phone and checked my messages. It was Erika.
Erika: Hey! I'm coming back into town for the weekend tomorrow. We need to get together.
Harlow:Sure, do you want to come over?
For the first time I actually felt comfortable inviting someone to where I lived. It was quite a change living somewhere that wasn't in a bad part of town or embarrassingly rundown.
Erika: No, there's a dance club in downtown that I want to take you to. Please! It's 18+
Knix must have noticed a change in my expression because he leaned forward. "What's wrong?" Maybe he was trying to make up for suddenly closing me out a few moments before or maybe he was truly curious, but I just sighed and told him about Erika's request. "It sounds fun," he said. "You should go."
"You think so?" My fingers hovered over the phone. I really missed Erika. I hadn't seen her in over a month. Before, we had seen each other every day at school. It was a hard transition and I had a lot I wanted to talk to her about. I thought back to being alone with Bellamy in his room. Erika had a lot more experience in the boy department than I did.
"She's your friend," Knix said, "but if you go, I'd like to be the one giving you two a ride."
"I don't think she'll mind that." I quickly texted Erika Knix's offer and I could practically hear her squealing because she immediately sent back a long text box filled with hearts and excited emojis. I laughed and showed it to Knix. "I think she's definitely okay with that." Knix chuckled and stood up, placing a big palm on my head, ruffling my hair and brushing it away from my face as he smiled down at me.
"Tell her I'd be happy to give you two a ride any time you need." He turned and disappeared down the hallway, heading in the direction of his office.
The tension in my chest eased as I watched him go, but not because I wanted him to leave. My heart rate finally slowed down and I sighed out a breath. How I would be able to continue living with him and the rest of the guys was beyond me.
Sliding the door to my private bathroom open, I ran a towel over my damp hair and took in the body sprawled on my bed without batting an eye. I trailed to my closet and reached in for a sleep shirt before snagging some underwear. Marv grunted as he rolled closer to the edge of my bed and plugged in his cellphone.
I went back into the bathroom to change and brush my teeth and hair while he set his alarm. When I returned, he was lying under the covers with them pulled up around his hips. I sighed at the sight of his bare chest, my heart picking up speed once more. He didn't look at me as I turned out the light and slid under the sheets next to him, turning my back so that I was facing towards my desk. We both remained quiet for so long, I was almost convinced that he had fallen asleep when he finally rolled closer to me, winding an arm around my waist, and pulled me to his chest. I released a different kind of sigh when he touched me and cuddled closer. I'd gotten so used to sleeping in bed with someone, I wondered how I ever managed to sleep before him.
"I can't stop thinking about it," he admitted into the quiet space of my bedroom.
"About the girls and the camp?" I asked.
His cheek rubbed against the fabric of my shirt as he nodded. "I'm sure Alex will consider letting us do something."
"If we do..." I waited for him to finish, but when he didn't I peeked over my shoulder to find his eyes closed and his breath puffing against my sleep shirt. Marv’s eyes opened, though they were unfocused as they settled on me. He mumbled something quietly as if telling me goodnight before his eyes slid closed once more and his breathing evened out. I sighed and smiled. He must have been so tired. I quietly pulled his arm up closer to my chest, where I clutched it and kissed his thumb without even thinking about it. I relished in the sensation of someone wrapped around me as I, too, drifted off into oblivion.
Chapter 8
Knix and Texas talked quietly in the front seat of the SUV as Erika and I sat in the back. Erika didn’t even bat an eyelash at the guys. She knew I was living with them now, and that my mom was in the cancer center. Her eyes flashed between them and me every so often though, and I know the moment we got away from the guys and into the dance club, she would be asking me all sorts of questions. Like whether or not I had kissed Bellamy, Knix, or Marv again. Or if I’d kissed Texas too. I had no clue what I was supposed to tell her.
I sighed as I thought about it, drawing Texas’ attention. He glanced back at us. “You okay there, Princess?”
“You got it, whiz-kid.”
He frowned before whipping his head to Knix, who chuckled under his breath. “Who told her that nickname?” he demanded.
Using the rearview mirror as a spyglass, because I was sitting right behind him, I could see that Knix was trying valiantly to keep his lips pressed together in a mulish line to keep from laughing. Texas narrowed his eyes before swinging back to me.
“Let’s hear it,” he directed his attention to me fully. “Who gave you that nickname?”
I shrugged and blinked at him innocently while Erika stared at the both of us with a raised brow. “I have no clue what you’re talking about,” I said as seriously as I could muster. Bellamy would not be happy if I ousted him. Texas growled low in his throat, all of his usual teasing-sun- shininess forgotten as he reached down to unbuckle himself. For what, I didn’t know. What could he do in a moving car?
He didn’t even get the chance to finish though, before Knix barked out a command. “Car moving. Seat belt stays on.”
“You know they’re serious when they forget to use ‘the’ or ‘is,’” Erika leaned over and whisper-talked to me. I snickered and turned to look out my window.
Knix slowed the SUV as we arrived at a large brick building that looked like it could have been a warehouse at some point but was now settled between a high-class boutique with a glass façade and a quiet Irish sounding bar called Madra Rua. Knix and Texas turned to face the building, both frowning as they took in the line of people waiting – girls in short skirts and guys in jeans trying too hard to look bored.
“This is the place?” Knix nodded towards the warehouse.
I turned to Erika; she nodded enthusiastically. “It sure is. Oh my god, I’m so freaking pumped! Let’s go!” She grabbed my arm and dragged me along behind her. “Thanks for the ride!” she called behind her as she pulled me out of the SUV and onto the sidewalk.
“Call me if you need a ride!” Knix hollered back.
“I will.” I closed the door behind me and Erika jerked me towards the end of the line.
“Hurry up,” she said. “I don’t want anyone else getting in before us.” From the looks of it, several people would be getting in before us, but I guessed she meant in line before we got there. I looked over my shoulder at the dark SUV. Knix waited a few beats before the turn signal came on and he pulled back onto the busy street.
Cars rushed past the building, the wind from their velocity sent skirts flying up and girls cursing. I was so glad I had chosen a pair of shorts tonight. Erika had taken one look at them and scoffed, but I hadn’t let her convince me to change them. I was going to a stupid dance club because she asked, not because I really wanted to go. I would have much rather been at home sitting between Knix and Marv, scarfing popcorn and watching a movie.
Surprisingly the line didn’t take too long. Within twenty minutes we were the next to be let in and when we showed our IDs, the doorman uncapped a black sharpie and slashed X’s over the back of each of our hands. Erika grumbled, but let them do it and we were suddenly in the club. It was darker than it had been outside with all the street lamps and car headlights. Smoke lingered above the dance club – I was surprised. I thought there were laws saying you coul
dn’t smoke in public buildings anymore.
As we moved further into the big, converted space, I realized that there were smoke machines by the DJ stand and up in the balconies. There were...so many balconies. Four wraparounds overlooking the dance floor, the bars, and the DJ stand. People were dressed a lot nicer than I was in my dark jean shorts. I looked down at the frayed ends and wished I had let Erika convince me to change. She noticed my preoccupation and looked down at my shorts as well before smirking at me.
“I told you,” she said.
I rolled my eyes and released the hem. “Come on,” I said, grabbing her hand. “I want to grab a bottle of water.” I could already feel the heat of the mash of bodies pressed against one another even though we weren’t anywhere near the dance floor yet. I knew I would need the hydration.
“Hold on, slow your roll.” Erika pulled back, stopping me.
“What?”
“You’re acting like it’s not going to be there for much longer,” she snapped. “Look around.” She punctuated that with a gesture to our outrageous surroundings – the thumping music that reverberated up through the floor and walls. “This is a club. Everyone’s drinking. We should too!”
I raised a brow at her and looked at her like she was crazy. “Um, that’s going to be a little hard to do.” I raised my hand, the back facing towards her. “They know we’re underage.”
Erika smirked at me and shook her head. “Oh, Harlow.” She sighed. “Have I taught you nothing?” I frowned at her. What the hell did that mean? “The bouncers out front know we’re underage, but they see hundreds of people in a night. Do you really think they’re going to remember us? We can just go to the bathroom and wipe this shit off. No one else will know!”
“Don’t they card you at the bar too?” This did not seem like a good plan.
Erika rolled her eyes at me. “We’re not going to buy us drinks,” she said. “Guys are going to buy us drinks.”
“I don’t know–” I began.
“It’ll be fine,” she interrupted. “We’ll flirt a little and then bam, free drinks.”
“What about Josh?” I asked.
Erika shrugged. “I’m not going to do anything,” she insisted. “It’s just flirting.”
“You’re giving guys the wrong impression.” I shook my head and Erika groaned.
“Come on, Harlow,” she pleaded. “Just tonight. Please – no judgment – just fun.”
“I think we should–” Erika ignored my final protest and grabbed my arm, dragging me to the general vicinity of where I guessed the female restrooms were. I sighed and just let it go. She could flirt all she wanted, I wouldn’t. Inside, it was dingy, but I could tell that at some point it had been a rather nice bathroom. The tiles on the floor and halfway up the walls didn’t need a thorough scrubbing as much as they needed to be taken out and replaced. The mirrors were clear of any lipstick notes or water marks. It was surprisingly clean for a dance club – or any kind of club for that matter.
Erika stopped at the furthest sink, turned the hot water up to full blast which was only a trickle faster than it was at normal, and she proceeded to scrub the crap out of the back of her hands. She pumped the soap furiously as she washed. I sighed and stepped up next to her. I didn’t want to be the only one with black X’s. I started scrubbing as well. The markings came off after several more washes. Erika, in her determination, was done long before me and she waited impatiently by the door as she dried her hands.
“Finally,” she said when I approached, the backs of my hands scrubbed red, but clean. She grabbed my wrist and tugged me out into the crowded club. It seemed that while we had been in the relative safety and quiet of the bathroom, more people had arrived. I wondered briefly why no one had been in the bathroom with us, but then I figured it might have been too early in the night for bathroom lines to have started yet. No one was drunk yet.
“Let’s dance for a little bit before we hit the bars,” Erika announced.
I couldn’t help the small amount of relief I felt. We hit the dance floor just as the song changed. I smiled when I recognized the opening tunes and began to dance. Erika laughed and jumped up and down as others did when the beat started moving rhythmically. I swayed and laughed and tilted my head, singing loudly, confident that no one could hear me above the crowd.
I was starting to sweat and remembered that I had wanted a water earlier. Just as I was about to snag Erika’s arm and ask her to go with me to the bar, a pair of wide biceps curled around my middle and jerked me back into a strong chest. I looked up, startled and half irritated before I recognized the electric blue irises of the man holding me.
“Grayson?”
He didn’t smile at me. Instead he was glaring over my head at something. I whipped my chin around and saw that several guys were either subtly looking away or leaving the dance floor entirely. Erika was still too caught up in jumping alongside a group of other girls to notice what was going on. I turned back to Grayson.
“What are you doing here?” I called over the music.
He looked down at me and his frown deepened before I felt him lift me up. With my back to his chest, Grayson walked me towards the edge of the dance floor. Irritated, I swung my legs, trying to walk despite the fact that I wasn’t touching the ground. I debated on kicking him to get him to let me down, but then decided against it because I didn’t want to risk him dropping me.
When we reached the edge of the dance floor he put me down, but I didn’t have time to demand answers, because the next thing I knew, his hand was wrapped around my upper arm in a tight grip and he was dragging me through the club. To where, I couldn’t see. Grayson shoved bodies out of the way and skirted whole groups with me in tow. I didn’t realize the crowded noise was growing quieter until we stepped out onto a back-patio. There were several filled tables of people smoking, clutching their cigarettes as they laughed and chatted and inhaled so hard that the cherries on the ends of their cigarettes burned brightly.
“Grayson,” I said, immediately shocked by just how clear and loud my voice came out. I lowered my volume. “What are you doing here?”
“I could ask you the same thing,” he snapped. “What was that out there?”
“What was what?” I asked, confused.
“Those animals were practically ready to dive on top of you.”
“I was just dancing.” I took a step away from him when he dropped my arm.
“Do your boyfriends know you’re here?” he demanded. “Do they know about that–” he looked pointedly down at my X-less hands. “That’s not very ‘good girl’ of you.”
I bristled. “Who said I had to be a good girl all the freaking time? Yea, the guys know where I am. But who said I have to follow the rules and do what I’m told all the time? I can leave and go somewhere and not tell them. If I want to.”
He raised his eyebrows before narrowing his gaze. “Are you drunk? Have you already been drinking?” When he reached for me, I slapped his hands away and took another step back.
“No, I have not been drinking and I am not drunk,” I whisper-yelled when I noticed some of the smokers had turned their attention to us. I narrowed my eyes at him, mimicking his expression. “What are you doing here? Are you following me again?”
He groaned, rolling his eyes. Placing his hands on his hips, Grayson tipped his head back and stared at the ceiling as though he were praying for patience...or praying that it would fall on him. I was kind of hoping for the second option at this point.
"Grayson," I said – done with this whole situation. "What. Are. You. Doing. Here?"
"I came here to find a friend," he replied, finally looking back down at me. His blue eyes crackled with heat and something more. I resisted the urge to take a third step back. I felt like that would be noticeable and maybe, just maybe, a little overkill.
"Me?" I asked. "Am I that friend? How did you even know I was here?"
At that, he smirked. "No, Harlow, you’re not the friend I’m here looking
for.”
“Okay, if I’m not, then how do you explain us being here at the same time? Don’t you think this is a little too coincidental?”
God, what was it with this guy? Half the time he was a complete douchebag, and then there were times… I thought back to how worried he had been about his brother. He wasn’t all bad. I knew that instinctively, and maybe that’s why I kept letting myself get pulled in by him. Why I kept answering him when he called or texted. There was just something about him.
“A coincidence is a coincidence,” he said with a shrug, before pulling out his phone.
I narrowed my gaze. Right now, that something about him was all douche. “I don’t believe in coincidences – what are you doing?”
“I’m ordering you an Uber. I don’t have time to take you home and you really shouldn’t be here–” I shoved him hard and his phone fell from his hand, cracking on the pavement flooring of the outdoor patio. Several eyes shot back in our direction and my face heated. Grayson recovered quickly, bending to pick up the broken phone before steering me to a more empty section of the patio.
“Are you done?” he snapped.
“I’m not leaving,” I replied.
"Harlow–"
"I'm here with my friend," I snapped. "I don't get to see her anymore. I'm here to have fun." I emphasized the last word because it was the most important. I never got to have fun anymore. I mean, pranking Marv was one thing, but I hadn't seen Erika in over a month and before that we had seen each other five days a week every week. It was a difficult change. Though the guys were great at distracting me, I missed her. I realized that I wasn't being a good friend out here, ditching her when she might need me. I sighed and moved around Grayson, done trying to figure him out.
"Where are you going?" he demanded.
"Back inside," I said. "Erika's in there alone and I came here with her. Don't worry about me, Grayson. I'll be just fine without you." I turned and strode to the doors leading back into the building. I didn't even have the energy to ask him for the reason he wanted to meet the other day. I knew he probably had something to tell me, but I was so tired of everything he brought with him. The guys didn't seem to care for him. He was selfish, plain as could be, even if he was a good guy deep down.
