Chapter 3
At almost eleven,the house music DJ stepped onto the makeshift stage by the pool. Over a hundred people were there, but the backyard and house were huge, so it didn’t seem crowded.
The second the beat dropped, the Molly hit my bloodstream.
I looked over at Bailey and saw that it had hit her too. In the back of my mind, I knew this was probably not the best way of getting reacquainted with her after all these years, but I was never one to back down from a good time.
Furthermore, getting into trouble without the world knowing used to be one of our favorite things to do together. You see, Bailey hid behind the fame while I simply embraced it. She could talk me into just about anything, and for the life of me, I never understood why.
All she had to do was look at me, and I’d do anything for her. Even then, after all these years, I couldn’t say no to her. She looked amazing in my black hoodie and her red-soled fuck-me heels. She was always drop-dead gorgeous, and I was the lucky son of a bitch to have claimed all her firsts.
When our eyes locked, I had the urge to inhale a deep, steady breath as my whole body tingled, feeling like my nerve endings were on fire. Suddenly, Bailey stepped closer to me, close enough to see her eyes were dilated as all hell.
Bright.
Glossy.
Fucking beautiful.
Over the course of eight years on set, I stared into her eyes hundreds of times, but this one was different.
This one was every emotion rolled into one.
Happiness.
Excitement.
Nostalgia.
It hit like a hole in the head, and our connection was still very much alive and thriving all around us.
I could touch it.
Taste it.
Feel it.
It was everywhere.
She beamed at me, and I swear it lit up the entire night sky. I may have been fucked up on a drug created to literally bring people together, particularly couples who were in love, but it was more than that. At least that was what my drug-induced mind told me, and at that second, that was all that mattered.
Her.
Me.
Us.
Before I gave it any thought, I asked, “Where have you been, Bay?”
It felt as if my whole body experienced euphoria, and the world was at my fingertips.
She giggled, making my cock twitch.
“You want to go for a walk?”
I nodded. “Lead the way.”
She grabbed my hand, doing exactly that, and I took in my surroundings. The bright lights and lasers messed with my vision, making my eyes jitter and causing me to feel way more fucked up than I thought I was. I couldn’t help but stare at the lights, forming halos around them, and tracers would follow them when they moved.
There was so much color.
Almost like I could see in HD.
Bringing my attention over to her, Bailey exclaimed, “You should see your face right now. You have a perma-grin.”
“You’re an angel, aren’t you?”
She laughed again, and it felt so carefree. I hadn’t remembered this feeling since we were kids, and the fact that it was happening with her wasn’t lost on me for a second.
My head was spinning with the music from the DJ, and the lights were pulsating all around us. It seemed like everything was breathing and alive. This wasn’t the first time I’d been on Molly, but it was the first time I was on it with someone I once loved.
We stood there beside the dance floor in a secluded corner, away from prying eyes. I knew it’d make Bailey more comfortable to be out of direct sight. Before I knew it, we started dancing, bonding with the melody of the music.
Every beat.
Every drop.
We were right there with it.
I closed my eyes and just felt it all around me, pounding into my body.
My mind.
My soul.
I didn’t notice that my hands were all over Bailey. I could feel the goose bumps and sensations coursing through her skin, strengthening our connection. It was as if we were becoming one person. We danced and listened to the music for what seemed like minutes, and I couldn’t believe it when she turned around and said it was nearly two o’clock.
With bottled waters in hand, I led her inside the house and up the stairs. I wasn’t familiar with the estate”s layout—I was just trying to find a room where we could talk and have some privacy. She said she needed a change of scenery.
The walk and fresh air were a feeling like no other.
It was exhilarating.
Blissful.
All the wall art was animated, almost like watching a 3D movie with each step we took. Bailey just kept glancing at me, giggling and being absolutely adorable. Just the way I remembered her.
Mischievous behind closed doors.
Once we found the roof deck, we lay on the loungers overlooking the LA lights and stars.
“Why are you so far?” I asked, reaching for her.
She smirked, glancing at me from her lounger parallel to mine.
“Come here,” I ordered, still reaching for her.
“Aires…”
“What?”
She stubbornly shook her head. “I’m not going over there.”
“Why not?” I casually shrugged. “I’m not asking you to sit on my face. I’m asking you to come cuddle.”
She gasped. “Aires…”
“Why do you keep saying my name like that?”
“You know why.”
“Is this part of your mysterious allure now? You’re playing hard to get? Because let me remind you, I’ve already had you.” I smugly grinned. “Over and over again.”
“Oh my God.” She shook her head with wide eyes. “You’re even worse than you used to be.”
Laying it on thick, I questioned, “Don’t you trust me? You used to love to cuddle.”
“You lying on my chest while I scratched your back was not cuddling, Aires.”
“What about after you sat on my face? Was that not considered cuddling either?”
“Stop it!” She threw a pillow at my head, and I caught it.
“I’ll stop when you come to me.”
“Come to you or for you?” Her hand flew to her mouth, completely caught off guard by her own outburst.
I didn’t miss a beat in answering, “Depends. Which are you offering?”
She opened her mouth to reply but quickly shut it, knowing better.
“You know what?” I stated out of nowhere. “I have a better idea.”
“Should I be worried?”
“Maybe.”
“Aires…” She leaned away, about to haul ass, but in two strides, I wrapped my arm around her waist before she had the chance to take off.
“There.” I tugged her toward me, pulling her back against my chest as I lay back on the lounger that was angled a bit. “Much better, you brat.”
“Stop.” She squealed as I rubbed my beard along the side of her neck to teach her a lesson. “That tickles.”
“No shit,” I bit, never letting up until finally, I granted her some mercy.
I immediately felt the loss of her soft skin.
For the next few minutes, she lay on my chest and rubbed her fingers back and forth on my arm, making my skin feel amazing from her simple yet pungent caress. The moon and stars felt as if they were right near us, like we could touch them if we wanted to.
The change of scenery was dreamlike and out of a movie, and I enjoyed every second of it.
It was perfect.
A sense of calm washed over me, being there with her. I had no idea how much power she still held over me. Or it could have been the drugs. Again, I didn’t care and embraced the effects, whether real or not.
The realization that I barely knew anything about her since we parted ways hit me out of nowhere and all at once. I wanted to know it all, every last detail about her life. It felt like it belonged to me.
She felt like she belonged to me.
“Bay…”
“Hmm?”
“Tell me?” I whispered in her ear from behind her, causing her to stir. “I want the truth this time. How have you been?”
* * *