Chapter 22
Paige
I hate my birthday, and Bre always insists on making a show of it every year. This year, she suggested an R he is still sitting on the couch, on his phone.
“Ready?” I ask with a nod toward him.
“Yeah,” he says, standing and straightening out his collar.
“Graham and Katherine are meeting us there.”
Bre beams and I can feel the anxiety building as we get to Chris’s Tahoe. It only worsens as we get closer to the club, and Seth hasn’t even attempted to touch me in any way.
We are a block away from the club, and I am already miserable. Seth has barely acknowledged me, and by the time Chris parks, I am out the door of the SUV. I’m growing impatient and just want another shot of something. I don’t feel like waiting for anyone else to show up.
The club is packed when we walk in, and the sounds of Ashanti’s “ Foolish” fill the air. I smile, grabbing Seth’s hand and heading towards the only bar I see, ordering two whiskey colas. I pull a twenty from my cash, leaving it on the bar after Seth grabs the drinks.
He hands me mine, and we look around the crowded club. The club’s noise is helping calm me, and I can’t help it when my body naturally begins to move with the familiar beats. I have always enjoyed dancing, and I don’t realize how much I need this movement in my body.
A roar echoes through the club as Rihanna’s “We Found Love” opening beats drop. I smile and take another sip of my whiskey cola, letting the music overtake my body at the bar as I watch Chris lead Bre onto the dance floor. I don’t care that Seth isn’t much of a dancer.
I am lost in my world and suddenly snap back to reality when I hear Seth yelling Katherine’s name over the music. I open my eyes, stilling my body, and look towards him. Seth’s smile is one that I haven’t seen. I follow his gaze and do my best to calm myself when I realize his eyes are on Katherine in a small light blue dress. She is tall and rather pretty, and most men like redheads, but I don’t understand what I am looking at.
If Seth looks at her like that, why is she with Graham? Her energy feels sp toxic.
Seth seems to forget I am standing beside him entirely before he heads towards her. I turn back towards the bar, attempting to process whatever just happened. As I order another round of drinks, a hand lays cash down before I can pull more money out of my wallet.
“Can you make that a double?” Graham asks, looking over to me in question.
I smile, almost relieved, and nod before putting my cash back in my pocket. Graham leans onto the bar beside me, glances at Katherine and Seth, and leans closer.
“Happy birthday.”
I smile softly, trying not to linger on how intoxicating his cologne is, and he nods toward Seth.
“They knew each other when they were kids. They get like this sometimes.”
I just let it process that Graham is sharing this information with me, not Seth.
“Ah,” I say, not wanting to seem annoyed, taking the final sip of my first drink.
I frown slightly until my next drink appears in front of me. The music is pulsing through me, and I use it to reenter myself. Graham doesn’t seem to mind as I enjoy my drink and the music. It’s several songs later when I finish my second drink, and Seth hasn’t returned to my side. I let my eyes wander around the space and towards my sister and Chris on the dance floor, not pretending to hide how pissed I am.
“Want to dance?” Graham says, leaning over my shoulder.
Surprised, I look back at him as butterflies begin to flutter in my gut.
“You dance?”
He smiles and puts his empty glass down on the bar.
“I may have been a bit of a club rat in college. And we raved a bit in high school.”
He then takes my hand, and I let him lead me towards the dance floor. He moves his feet with his hips while guiding me through the crowd, creating a space for us.
I feel my anger towards Seth slowly reside as the next song melts over the current beat. It was a slower song and, one of my favorites by Miguel, “Sure Thing,”. My hips roll, and Graham notices almost immediately.
His body responds, dancing at my same tempo, hips rolling in unison. My breath becomes heavy in my chest, and I can’t help but lean into him. Feeling his chest rise and fall on my back as one of his arms wraps around my waist. His free hand gently caresses my cheek before the rest of my curves. Causing my head to fall back onto his shoulder. Our eyes lock, and it takes everything in me not to reach into his hair and pull his face down onto mine.
The air is so thick between us that I must pull myself away, hoping something more up-tempo will play. Graham only refuses a moment, and I can tell it is taking every ounce of restraint in him not to bring me back towards him.
Bre then pops up as I notice an arm around Graham’s waist, putting space between us. Bre has the softest smile, and Chris appears next to watch her pull Graham towards her to dance. Chris then looks at me apologetically and pulls me towards him.
I know they are running interference, and I am so grateful for it. It must have looked as intense as it felt between us. I keep stealing glances at Graham and am having difficulty focusing on Chris. I keep feeling that primal pull to Graham, and with each passing interaction and glance, it is getting harder to ignore.
“May I cut in?” Seth says in my ear, startling me before I manage to smile.
Chris pulls away from me, and I can see Katherine has managed to push Bre out of the way and is with Graham. Turning towards Seth, I don’t hide my annoyance.
“I thought you didn’t dance.”
Seth doesn’t back down and smiles before leaning towards my ear.
“Happy Birthday, gorgeous.”
I smile and let Seth pull me close. He focuses on touching as much of my body as I allow him to, working his hips with mine. He is a little unsure about his feet, but it feels like he genuinely wants to dance with me. I linger in it, wrapping my arms around his neck and letting my hands play with his hair.
A song later, the DJ comes over the loudspeaker and asks everyone to trade partners, ladies’ choice. I look towards Seth, who looks slightly disappointed. Bre wastes no time snatching Seth to the other side of the dance floor, leaving me alone.
I am thankful for the break, and I look around the dancefloor for anyone who seems partnerless before I feel Graham’s arm wrap around my waist and pull me firmly against him. I close my eyes and let out a small sigh of relief.
Graham takes the lead and slowly begins to move our bodies in unison. Taking one of his hands, he lightly traces his fingers down my curves before taking my hand. He lifts it towards his lips and gently kisses my palm before resting his cheek in my hand.
I bite my lip and turn towards his chest, letting my hands drop to his arms resting on my hips. The moment his lips brush across my forehead, “Breathe Again ” by Toni Braxton blares through the even more crowded dance floor.
Graham is holding onto me like he will never let me go if given the chance. I put my arms around his neck and look up, fighting every urge to kiss him when his eyes meet mine. Everything else disappears, and his heavy breath tells me he is struggling like I am. The roaring ocean of this moment is in his eyes, and I lift to my tiptoes.
“Thanks for the dance.”
I can feel his panic before the energy deflates between us, and he doesn’t fight me when I pull away from him. I have to put physical space between us and create boundaries. Otherwise, I don’t know what will happen. I have been casually dating one of his friends, and he is engaged.
I refuse to turn around when I walk away from him on the dance floor and head towards the bar. I find an open spot and flag down the bartender.
“Whiskey cola, please.” I smile when another familiar arm places money down on the counter for the second time tonight, doubling my order.
This time, though, Chris adds, “And two beers.”
“Is this finally the talk where you tell me to stay away from your two friends?” I say with a pathetic smile, looking longing at the dance floor.
I listen to the words of Breathe Again and have to close my eyes, trying to bring my focus back. I want to keep the mood light, ignoring that I feel like I have just left my heart on the dance floor. Chris smiles, nods towards the bartender, and then sips his beer. I go straight for my drink.
After a few more moments of silence, he asks, “Want to talk about it?”
I linger on him momentarily before looking back toward the dance floor. I watch Katherine and Graham dancing with Bre and Seth. Everyone else is having a good time.
“I don’t know.”
I have a lump in my throat and quickly sip my drink to calm myself. Chris studies me before sipping his beer and leaning closer.
“Just give him time.”
He pauses, making sure I am focused on him.
“He has a lot of baggage to work through, but I think you two could get there. You’d both be pretty fucking happy.”
His smile is genuine, but I have difficulty believing he will betray his brother like that unless he doesn’t mean Graham. I took another large sip of my drink, letting my attention fall back towards Graham. This is my first time seeing Graham and Katherine touch each other.
They look uncomfortable, even though Graham’s smiling. Seth keeps glancing at them, and it just seems off. I need some clarification on Seth’s behavior.
I look toward Chris, who is stone-faced, watching the same interactions I am. It seems as if he is in disbelief himself.
“So, when are you proposing?” I need this subject to change.
He lets out a small laugh before answering.
“It’s too soon.”
And I can see it all there in his eyes.
“No, it’s not. You two are clearly in the same place.”
“I could tell you the same thing.”
He glares at me.
I lean over and embraced him. He only stills for a moment before gently settling into the embrace.
“Everything okay?”
I hear Bre ask over my shoulder, pulling away from Chris. Seth follows behind her as she slides onto Chris’s lap. Seth settles next to me as his arm wraps around my shoulder. I just lean into him. He smiles and grabs my drink, finishing it and ordering two more rounds when the bartender returns. Graham and Katherine are dancing to a slow song, and I can see him looking in our direction whenever he faces this way. This is such an awkward situation, and it honestly is too much.
“Can you take me home?” I ask Seth.
His eyes are disappointed as the bartender brings the next round of drinks. I reach into my pocket and deposit some cash. Seth then grabs a drink as Katherine and Graham return to the crowded bar. I roll my eyes and push away from everyone, heading towards the door.
“It’s okay to stay. I’ll get an Uber.”
I pull my phone out of my pocket.
“No, it’s okay,” Bre says before shoving Seth’s shoulder.
Katherine grabs one of the drinks off the bar as I hear Graham say something I can’t quite make out. I push past everyone, heading towards the main entrance. The music is loud, and I welcome the fresh air when I open the door. I only have to wait a few minutes for a ride, so I just opt to wait outside where I can breathe.
I walk down the block slightly and find a spot to sit on a nearby curb. About a minute later, I notice a tall shadow beside me before Seth sits. He doesn’t say a word as we wait silently until the Uber arrives. We both stand, and he opens the car door for me. I hesitate before getting in.
“Are you coming?” I ask.
He smiles almost immediately as he climbs into the backseat of the car with me.