Chapter 10
Friday night. Sierra bit her lip and stared at her phone, thumb hovering over Lauren’s contact. Salem watched from the windowsill like a judgmental roommate who’d seen this whole thing unfold in slow motion.
“Okay. Worst case, she says no.”
She tapped call before she could overthink it to death.
Lauren picked up on the first ring. “Hey, Sierra.”
That voice. Like soft velvet and static electricity. It lit up something in Sierra’s chest.
“Hey! I, um, was wondering if you wanted to come out tonight. Just a casual club night with my friends. No pressure.”
“Only if there’s dancing involved.” Lauren’s reply was smooth as always.
Sierra grinned. “Oh, there will be. See you at nine?”
“I’ll be there. Text me the details.”
As soon as she hung up, Sierra face-planted into a throw pillow with a muffled groan. “What am I doing?”
From the windowsill, Salem blinked once, slowly and deliberately, like he’d been asking himself the same question for weeks.
The line outside Neon Pulse buzzed with weekend energy.
Strobe lights leaked from fogged windows, painting the sidewalk in bursts of saturated pink and electric blue.
Sierra arrived first, tucked into her signature black leather jacket, a cropped tee underneath and ripped jeans that clung just right.
Mascara. Lip gloss. Bold on the outside, nerves sprinting laps on the inside.
Calliope had once described Neon Pulse as “half club, half fever dream, all chaos.” She wasn’t wrong. The bass throbbed up from the concrete, a heartbeat for the entire building.
Lauren showed up in boots and a black top threaded with glitter that caught the lights, like she was born to sparkle. Her eyeliner was sharp enough to file a restraining order, and she styled her hair to perfection, sweeping it slightly to the side. Sierra’s heart thudded.
“You clean up alright.” Lauren grinned as she stepped closer. Somewhere between harmless and devastating.
Sierra blinked. “You’re glowing.”
But there was something — a flicker in Lauren’s eyes. Like a shadow passed behind the shine. Bracing. Guarded. It disappeared so fast, Sierra wasn’t sure she hadn’t imagined it. Still, it lingered in the back of her mind as they headed inside.
The bouncer gave Sierra a nod and waved them all inside. Regulars got perks.
The bass rattled their ribs the second they crossed the threshold.
Calliope tossed a drink to Sierra and dragged her onto the dance floor.
Raven wore velvet pants and a sheer top layered over a mesh bra.
Jett sparkled from head to toe, thanks to an aggressive amount of glitter gel and an abundance of confidence.
They pulled Lauren into the fold as if she’d always been there.
Jett gave a theatrical bow. “So, you’re Lauren. We’ve heard things.”
“Good things, I hope?” Lauren arched a brow.
Raven clinked her drink against Lauren’s. “We’ll decide by midnight.”
Calliope was already smirking. “She passes the vibe check. Let’s see if she can dance.”
Lauren’s grin was all teeth. “Careful what you wish for.”
The chaos began immediately. Jett spun as if he were headlining his own music video.
Calliope fake-serenaded the bartender with an empty glass as a mic.
Raven invented a dance move that may or may not have summoned spirits.
Sierra, never one to blend in, made the rounds with her signature twerk, initiating everyone in her orbit like some holy rite of queerness.
“Oh no!” Calliope shouted over the beat. “She initiated you, Lauren! The booty has blessed you!”
Lauren doubled over laughing, one hand on Sierra’s arm for balance. “I’m honored. Truly.” She snapped a photo of the moment — Sierra mid-twerk, chaos swirling behind her, then another of the group tangled in glitter and sweat.
She pulled Sierra close for a selfie, draping her arm casually across her shoulders. “Smile.”
Then, without warning, Lauren kissed her cheek as the camera clicked.
The second after, her thumb hovered over the screen. Too much? Was she overstepping?
But then she smiled, hit post. “I’m uploading and tagging everyone. If I’m crashing your friend group, I’m going all in.”
“Congratulations.” Raven stole a sip of Lauren’s drink like it was her right. “You’re officially one of us now.”
“I get my coven patch later?” Lauren deadpanned.
“Exactly. First you survive the night. Then Calliope’s unsolicited relationship advice. Then brunch.” Jett winked at Calliope.
Calliope threw a lime wedge at him.
They collapsed into a booth in a tangle of limbs and glowing skin. Someone ordered a round of shots. They toasted to “glorious chaos” and downed them with no coordination, no regrets.
As the next high-energy track faded, the DJ slid into a dreamy, slow tempo. The lights dimmed, and the tempo dropped like a sigh.
The group peeled away, flopping into the booth to recover.
Sierra stayed. She turned to Lauren, who was still beside her, sipping what remained of her cocktail.
“We should probably sit this one out.”
Lauren didn’t move. “Why? You afraid to slow dance with me?”
Sierra hesitated. “Maybe.”
Lauren stepped closer, hand extended. “Good thing I’m not.”
Sierra didn’t even try to play it cool. She slipped her fingers into Lauren’s and followed her onto the middle of the floor.
They settled into each other’s arms, finding a rhythm without even trying. Lauren rested her head on Sierra’s shoulder. After a long moment, Sierra pressed her cheek against Lauren’s hair, breathing her in. They fit.
Sierra held her as if she were both precious and fleeting.
Around them, their friends couldn’t help themselves.
“Y’all are disgustingly cute!” Jett called.
Calliope whistled. “You’d better spin her, Sierra!”
“Shut up!” Sierra called back, but she never loosened her hold.
Lauren laughed against her neck. The sound was soft and private, like a secret just for her.
Across the booth, Raven lifted her glass. “Carry on. I live for a good rom-com moment.”
As the song wound down, Lauren pulled back slightly and tucked a strand of hair behind Sierra’s ear. Her eyes lingered, quiet and unreadable.
“Let’s grab another drink.”
Under the slow pulse of neon light at the bar, Sierra brushed Lauren’s arm by accident and felt it everywhere.
Lauren passed her a drink, fingers lingering longer than they needed to. Still no kiss. Not yet. But every glance, every brush of skin, said they both felt it.
Lauren didn’t just blend into the friend group.
She filled the gaps Sierra hadn’t realized were still empty.
The quiet ones. The ones between comfort and curiosity.
It wasn’t just physical; Sierra wanted to memorize every version of her, and she would.
If Lauren let her, Sierra would learn her shadows, her stutters, her favorite brand of chaos.
They spilled out of the club after two, still laughing, still glowing. A flickering streetlamp buzzed above them as if it were in on the joke. The night air felt like a reset. Crisp and full of leftover adrenaline. Sierra’s boots clicked against the sidewalk.
“I had fun tonight.” Lauren bumped her shoulder gently.
“Me, too.” Sierra tucked her hair behind her ear. Tried not to smile too big and failed.
There was a beat. Just enough time for a kiss, if either of them dared, but headlights cut across the sidewalk as their ride pulled up.
Lauren opened the car door with a small, teasing bow. “After you, Camera Girl.”
Sierra climbed in, heart skipping like it was scoring a teen drama.
They dropped Lauren off first. Before stepping out, she gave Sierra’s hand a gentle squeeze, quiet but deliberate. Then she disappeared through the lobby doors, and Sierra stared after her, lips parted, heart very much not okay.
Back home, she collapsed onto her bed still fully dressed. Salem jumped up beside her with a grunt and made himself comfortable.
Her phone lit up with notifications. Her cheek was still warm where Lauren had kissed it. She looked at Salem, eyes wide and dazed.
“What even is my life right now?”
The cat blinked once, unimpressed.
Sierra grinned and stared at the ceiling, the echo of Lauren’s laugh still buzzing in her ears.