Humans are exhausting. That's how I know I am an introvert. It's not that hate people, I just hate fake niceties, small talk about the weather, traffic, and the entire idea of being forced to talk to someone who is standing too close to me.
But more than that, it just takes too long to form real connections with people. And sometimes, you don't even know if you like certain people until you've thrown away too much time on them. I hate wasting time, and I am not known for being a patient human.
But in the situation I was currently in, I couldn't just brush off human interaction, call it a night, and head home to where I wouldn't be roped into awkward weather conversation. I was going to have to pull out what little energy I had for human interaction with someone I barely knew and make it last. And even more than that, it was with Laurence Royal, a man I was supposed to be on a realisticâ however fake date with, and a man I had passionately kissed, then insulted by telling him I thought I was kissing someone else.
This is going to be a disaster.
Laurence and I stared through the back window of the car, up at a bright neon sign for a club called 'SNACKS.'
"Do you think they serve food here, or is it just a name that implies that everyone inside is someone worthy of snacking on?" I muttered up at the sign, hoping it was the former.
Laurence squinted up at the club. "No idea... And I really don't want to find out, but this is the right place."
Aiden snorted, eyeing the club sign warily. "A ridiculous name for a ridiculous place." He pulled the car to a stop at the curb packed with cameras and a line of people waiting to get inside.
"Remember," Aiden said turning around to look at both of us. "You gotta make it big and you gotta make it look real for this to work. I'll be nearby if things get out of hand. And I promised Tate and Laliana I'd intervene if you need backup."
"I won't need backup," I assured him.
"Good because that will make things complicated." He nodded towards the door. "Best of luck Winters. Try to pretend you don't hate this."
I rolled my eyes. Easier said than done.
"You ready?" I asked Laurence.
He shook his head. "Not in the slightest."
I placed what I hoped was a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Just breathe and pretend the cameras aren't there. I'll be with you the whole time."
He pushed the door open and we were dumped out into the night, his hand finding mine and holding on in a vice grip of terror.
I elbowed him in the ribs in what I hoped would look playful to the cameras and not like an irritated, instinctual reaction. "Don't cut off all blood circulation. Kinda need my hands."
Laurence loosened his grip slightly, looking sheepish as he squinted down at me, trying to see past the camera flashes, lashes casting shadows across his cheeks. "Sorry."
"It's okay Royal. Seriously. There is no easy way to handle a bunch of strobe light-wielding yahoos that scream questions at you that are only appropriate... well, never," I replied with a tired smile.
Laurence laughed, voice cutting out the voices and flashes for a brief moment, bringing in a moment of sanity. "You are funny Ms. Wâ Allie," he said as we reached the door.
I shrugged. "Enjoy the rare comedic moment. Now, try not to look too surprised by what I am about to do."
I took a deep breath, pulling Laurence to a stop, and placed my hand on his chest, sparking a startled blush across his cheeks. Turning, I smiled at the sudden set of wild flashes from the paparazzi. My smile was dangerous, mischievous, pretending to hold a flirtatious secret. Then I yanked Laurence into the club by his shirt, leaving the first wave of cameras behind us.
"WHAT WAS THAT?!?" Laurence sputtered as we were washed in the sound of a heavy techno beat and flashes of neon lighting. The club roared around us, wild with life and bodies pressed into the dance floor that was lit from below in a swirl of color.
I let go of his shirt collar, taking a step back. "They needed a good picture." I pointed towards the door we just walked through. "Something that will get traction fast."
"Maybe warn a guy next time," he muttered smoothing out his shirt, looking like my hands burned him.
"Something tells me you are a terrible actor. And we need genuine reactions."
"You seem pretty cocky in your own acting abilities," he replied dryly as I took up his hand and moved us further into the club, towards the dance floor. "You hate everyone."
"A common misconception. I actually like quite a few people," I said with a smirk. "See, fooled you too." I scanned the club, looking for our mark. "You aren't on my hate list by the way."
"I'm not?" he asked, sounding completely surprised.
I found our target leaning casually against the bar, downing a shot before flagging the bartender for another. Moving us towards the dance floor, I pulled my eyes back to Laurence, who looked at me with a conflicted expression. Oh gosh... this isn't going to be easy for either of us, is it?
I shook my head as we made it to the edge of the dance floor. "Nope." Leaning close to Laurence, I watched him let out an uneasy breath as my own tickled his ear, trying to be heard over the music without screaming. "He's at the bar. You ready for this?"
Laurence nodded, face completely red. He obviously wasn't ready for anything of this magnitude at all. I took his hand and put it on my waist, weaving my other hand with his. "You sure?"
He rocked back on his heels, looking out of his depths as the music suddenly changed. "Nope."
"Well... this is your last chance to back out. In a second we will be spotted and it would look super weird if you just combusted into embarrassed flames," I said.
"This is hardly a balanced situation," he muttered as a club remix Celia Cruz's "La Vida Es Un Carnaval," began to play over the loudspeakers, reverberating throughout the room, creating a spark of wild, chaotic energy that rippled across the crowd.
"In or out Royal?" I asked as the music's rhythm changed, sending the bodies rippling across the dance floor into a new speed.
His hazel eyes flashed with resolve, his grip on my waist grew tighter, the fingers woven with mine took up a sudden purpose. "In."
Then he moved us out onto the dance floor with determination. We were suddenly moving to the salsa number with a techno club beat, his feet in perfect sync with the music as we moved across the neon floor. He spun me away and twirled me back into his arms, leaving me staring up at him with wide eyes. "I didn't know you could dance," I breathed before he moved us around again, carving room on the dance floor.
The other dancers were suddenly spectators, watching Laurence move with grace and confidence that left dozens of women's mouths agape. Cameras came out, recording our every movement, people whispering to each other as they recognized who we were. Two fashion rivals dancing to a spicy number in matching outfits.
Laurence dipped me, in a semi-circle before pulling me back up. Hair strands brushed past my shoulders creating a curtain between us for a small beat.
My look of surprise was met by an amused grin. "There is plenty you don't know about me Allie Winters."
The dance had done the trick, pulling all eyes in our direction, making our presence clear. "I can see that," I replied.
I spotted our mark watching us, confused and fascinated while sipping another drink in calculated measure. "Want to give this a big finish?" I asked glancing towards the bar. Laurence nodded, understanding. He twirled me around him, before pulling me back, my hands landing in his. Then I swiveled my hips, turned to the side, dropped to the ground in a crouch, and shot my leg out between his legs in a half split.
Pulling me back up in a flash, he spun me around until he caged me in, my back against him, his arms crossed in front of me. We swayed back and forth, his breath tickling my neck. I could feel the pulse in his wrist, beating wildly, betraying the calm, focused movements.
"On the count of three, let go of my hands," he whispered.
"What? No way."
"One."
"Royal!" I hissed, managing to keep a smile on my face he spun me to face him.
"Two," he said, far too amused for my liking.
"No, no, no, no, no."
Then he dropped me into a dip that required a level of trust that I absolutely hated, and I forced myself to let go of his hands and prayed he wouldn't drop me.
Please don't drop me. Please don't drop me. Please don't drop me.
I leaned my body back into his waiting arm, slid my feet out, tilting further back, and threw my arm out in a final pose, having nowhere else to look but up into Laurence's deep brown eyes. He stared back with open, raw vulnerability, showcasing his want and desire, breathing fast, holding me securely in place as the song died.
I'm a monster, that is going to wreck him before the night is over.
I looked back, trying to keep myself from blurting out 'IÂ am so sorry,'Â over and over and over. I had known tonight would be hard, but forcing close proximity on him was hardly fair, even if it was necessary. The silence was shattered as the room erupted with applause, startling the both of us as he pulled me back up.
He steadied me before slowly removing his hands from my waist. "You did it," I said over the noise. "You got all eyes on us."
He looked away, covering his mouth with his hand, working to keep an emotion off his face. "No one was looking at me." He turned back, reaching towards my face, but paused, suddenly remembering I wasn't his to have. His hand dropped to his side. "I was just the frame. You were the work of art."
"Flatterer," I said, trying to lighten the moment, which didn't help at all.
Laurence glanced behind me, his eyes catching on something. "He won't stay long." He reached for my hand, ready to pull focus back to the dance floor with another dance, but I pulled my hands away and shook my head.
"We need to make a move now before we lose our chance," I whispered.
Laurence shook his head. "Allie... You sure about this?"
I sighed. "We don't have a ton of options." I gave his hands a squeeze, before letting them go. "Just pray I don't kill him."
...
Tonight's job was simple and not simple all at once. Step one, get a lot of attention. And step two, keep it. Laurence had suggested a peaceful way of accomplishing that goal. Apparently, my and Aiden's ideas were too violent for his liking. He had refused to help me start a bar fight and suggested a more... subtle approach. Psh. Drama king.
Slipping off of the dance floor was easy once the music had started back up, leaving everyone to melt back into place. But eyes still followed my movements, sharks in the dark, assessing prey. Something I was counting on, even if I hated the creepy attention. The trick was catching the right shark's attention in this skin-tight dress. Laurence had vanished into the crowd, giving my mark the window he needed if he was stupid enough to approach me.
And Laurence's way was pure magic because no sooner had I settled my back against a post, adjusting the strap on my heel, that our mark came and found me. Hellooooo stupid. Gosh... this is almost too easy.
A twenty-two-year-old guy with a strong jaw and a mess of chocolate curly brown hair settled against the post next to me, looking out at the crowd. He wore a dark v-neck that was too tight, leaving little to the imagination.
The guy turned to look at me with an appraising glint in his inquisitive emerald green eyes and immaculate, sharp features. "You really know how to move," he said.
Ugh. Barf.
I finished adjusting my heel before glancing at him with feigned interest. "Thanks."
He slid into my eye line, looking me over again, making my skin crawl. "Can I buy you a drink?"
I raised a brow at him, pretending to weigh his words as I adjusted my hair over one shoulder. I'd rather die. "I suppose."
A look of victory crossed his features as we settled in at the bar. Placing his fingers glistening in rings against his cheek, he tilted his head to the side, peering at me with his sharp green eyes. "You look familiar. Do I know you from somewhere?"
"I don't think I'd forget a face like yours," I said, forcing myself to make un-glaring eye contact.
His smile would have been playful if I couldn't pick out a scumbag from a lineup. It would have come across as cute and almost wide-eyed innocent if I hadn't spent my teen years surrounded by dangerous guys. But I saw it for what it was. A dangerous wolf draped in wool. And I was supposed to be his new chew toy.
He smirked, waving down the bartender. "What's your name?"
"I'm Allie," I replied, watching the bartender like a hawk.
The guy pushed a shot across the bar for me to drink. Classy. Didn't even ask what I wanted. He lifted his own drink up to toast, trying out my name slowly. "Tell me, Allie... What should we toast to?"
I paused, smiling to myself as I raised my glass. "To possibilities."
"I'm Carter," he replied, clinking his glass against mine, teeth flashing into a dangerous smile. "To endless possibilities."
---
Thank you for reading chapter forty-eight! I hope you are enjoying the story! Or are at least curious to see where it goes! Add this story to your reading list to know when the next chapter drops!
UPDATE DAYS - A NEW CHAPTER EVERY FRIDAY!
We've met Carter Royal! What do you think of him at first glance?
What are your thoughts on Laurence at this point in the story? Not gonna lie, I feel bad for him.
What will happen next?
Want to know what song Laurence and Allie danced to? Check it out below!
CHAPTER QUESTION - If you had to pick one song to sing for karaoke, what would it be?