Pushing through the haze of alcohol in my head and the press of people I follow the solid shape of his back, trusting him to know where he's going. After all, he's sober.
"I think she went outside." he calls back over his shoulder as he reaches for my hand to drag me down the stairs.
We always manage to misplace people in this club, but by the end of the night we'll have found them, either with someone we know or with a new friend they've made in our absence.
More often than not I'm the missing one, but tonight my best mate has done the disappearing act.
"I just need to tell her I'm going."
Probably the tenth time I've said that, but if I don't focus I'll forget.
The solid wall of cold air halts me in my tracks as I step outside, making me wrap my arms around myself and swear quietly. Hugging myself thus I look around for my mate.
"So your friend was coming to get you yeah?" Something warm gets draped around my shoulders and I look up to see him slinging his jacket over me.
I smile, "Yeah he should be here soon, so I gotta tell her I'm bailing."
He just nods and again leads the way around the corner to where people usually go to smoke. We spot a mutual friend and head over.
"Hey have you seen Michele?"
Exhaling a cloud he nods and points toward the small alley between the club and the next building. He says something but I'm too drunk to notice, so I just drag my sober friend toward the dark gap.
It takes my eyes a second to adjust, and when they do I wish they hadn't.
It's so weird seeing them like that. I'd never even thought about the two of them in this way together. I guess he'd gotten here to pick me up and had found her first.
She looks up as his mouth moves to her neck and gasps.
I paste on a seedy smile and wiggle my eye brows, trying to ignore the heavy feeling in my gut. Why do I feel so shit? I've seen her hook up plenty of times before.
Graeme wolf whistles next to me, and even to my ears my giggle sounds high strung. It has too sharp an edge.
Refusing to meet his eye as he comes up from her neck I grab Graeme's hand and bail.
We dive back into the noise and heat of the club, recklessly welcoming the distractions of sweaty bodies pressed against us.
Only when we reach the dance floor do I turn and look at him, to see the hurt in his eyes. I'd known he liked her for a while now, any one could see it to be honest, and I guess he'd never seen her with another guy.
But what is surprising is the sympathy in his gaze as he looks at me.
What a way to figure out you have feelings for someone huh? The self-deprecation voice is snide and leering in my head, making me wanna punch it. Even though it's me.
Warm lips press gently to my mouth, and at first I'm at a loss. But natural responses kick in, and soon his hands are gripping my hips, sliding up under my shirt to my waist as I thread fingers through his curls.
We find a wall and he pushes me against it, kisses deepening until he's stolen my breath.
Panting he pulls back and holds my eye.
Deliberation, for a moment, as we both realize what were on the verge of.
Without a word we walk out of the club, his hand in my back pocket, and go to his car. Without a word we choose to forget and fall off the edge together.
