Chapter One #2
Turning around to face him, I notice the way his expression softens as he looks at us both again.
“Come on, Dario. Let Chiara settle in.”
After a little while, both Papa and Dario leave my new flat.
I feel a pang of sadness as I wave them both goodbye, watching them both walk away. And as I shut the door once they’ve both left, I look around my new place, and I smile to myself.
Tamana flops onto my sofa, scrolling through her phone as I finish putting on covers for all my new cushions.
She’s been glued to her screen for at least an hour now. I narrow my eyes, pretending to glare at her.
“You know, Mana, you could help a girl out here.”
She waves a hand in the air, her gaze fixed on her phone.
“Why would I do that when you’ve got it all under control? And besides, look at what I’ve found; this is way more exciting.”
She sits up, showing me the screen, but I don’t look at it.
Instead, I look at Tamana with a small smile playing on my lips.
“Even more exciting than my new place?”
The corners of her lips twitch.
“Way more, Chiara.” She says with a grin, standing up to take a step closer to me. “A new bar has opened up about two streets down, but there’s also a club in the basement of the place. It’s called Club 67, and from what I’ve seen, it looks like the place to be.”
I look at her phone, scrolling through the site as more photos, and deals, pop up.
They even have drink deals going on for university students too since it’s freshers week right now, and the start of the new academic year.
“It does look fun.” I tell her, my eyes scanning over the neon colours on the site, and the bold text advertising all the best deals too. “I wouldn’t mind going, but…”
I hesitate as I bite down on my bottom lip.
Clubbing has never been something I’ve really been into. Dario has taken me a few times to a couple of clubs, and I’ve gone to some others with a few of my friends, but I’ve never really understood the appeal of clubbing.
“Come on.” Tamana coaxes as she throws her phone to the sofa. “This is a day to celebrate your big move!”
I laugh softly, shaking my head at her.
“You aren’t going to drop this, are you, Mana?”
Her grin stretches wider along her lips.
“Never.”
Sighing, I take a look at the clock on my wall.
It’s not super late, and Papa and Dario will know about my whereabouts every minute that I spend at the place.
And Mana is right—I should celebrate what I’ve accomplished today.
“Fine.” I say at last. “We can go, but only for a little while. I still have things left to tidy.”
She cheers, jumping as she wraps her arms around me.
“Yes! Let’s get ready to party!”
We both laugh as we walk into my bedroom, and I’m glad that we decided to tidy up my room first.
I look through my wardrobe, wondering which outfit to wear tonight, when I suddenly remember something.
“What will you wear?”
Tamana pulls her handbag from my bed, flipping it over as she dumps the contents of it onto my bedding.
My lips part open as I spot what she’s brought with her to my place, and I can’t help but laugh.
“I’m always prepared for these things.”
She says.
Tamana walks through my room as she heads on over to my en-suit after blowing me a kiss.
I shake my head as she leaves, laughing as she begins singing in my bathroom. Reaching out for my phone, I quickly type out a message to Dario.
CHIARA: I’m going out to Club 67 now. It’s only a couple of streets away from here.
My brother replies to my message immediately.
DARIO: It’s a good place. Send me a message once you’re home, and be safe outside.
Just as my eyes finish reading over it, I spot the little blue dot blinking up at me from the top of my phone screen.
My lips pull up at the corners as my brother already begins to track my location, then I go back to get dressed for my night out with Tamana.
Tamana and I walk together with our arms linked as we make our way towards Club 67.
The streets of London are alive with energy; the city seems more alive at night, more electric too. People stroll all around us, chattering excitedly as they pass us.
When I hear the sounds of men howling with laughter, and the sounds of heels clicking against the cobblestones, I know we’re close.
We round the corner, and there it is.
Club 67.
The music is loud, the beat bouncing off of the walls inside as we can hear it from outside, and it makes my stomach flutter.
“Look at this place!” Tamana exclaims excitedly. “It’s packed already!”
There are floor to ceiling windows, and although it looks dark, there’s no mistaking how many shadows of bodies we can see inside under the coloured lights.
There’s a long line which snakes around the road, people slowly inching forward as the security at the front slowly lets them in, one person at a time.
I hesitate for a moment, turning to look over at Tamana.
“Maybe we can come back another day? There’s no way we’ll be getting in anytime soon.”
Tamana ignores me, deciding to pull me even closer to the entrance instead.
“Don’t even think about convincing me to leave now, Chiara.”
She says with a flick of her hair.
I keep my mouth shut as we both approach the front.
The line looks even longer from here, and I know that there’s absolutely no way that Tamana will ever be able to convince me to stand around in here with heels, waiting to be finally let inside.
But before I can voice anything, Tamana tugs me even further towards the front of the line with a confidence I can only envy.
A few people glare at us, and some others even give us dirty looks.
We both ignore them as Tamana drags us both to the security guard at the front.
He’s dressed in all black, and a smirk appears on his face as the two of us step closer to him.
His hair is light, and his jaw is sharp.
His eyes sweep over us when we stop directly in front of him.
“Good evening, ladies.” He says in an accent so deep, it sends a shiver through me. “How can I help you both?”
Tamana is the one who leads the conversation.
She flashes him her most dazzling smile, offering her hand to him as he takes it without a sound of complaint, raising it to his lips before he presses a kiss to her knuckles.
“My friend here is new to the city.” She lies, her voice honey-smooth as she pulls her hand away from him. “I was hoping we would be able to show her how hospitable London can be for a beautiful woman like herself.”
Stepping to the side, she lets the man eye me up, and I feel my face burning up.
His gaze lingers long enough that my heart begins to beat a little bit faster, but he finally breathes out a soft laugh, stepping aside for us both.
“Two more beautiful women won’t hurt.” He says with a wink. “Enjoy your time here at Club 67, ladies.”
Tamana giggles softly, and I can’t help but smile, a little surprised that this even worked.
As we slip past the velvet rope, we thank the security guard, finally stepping inside the place.
And as soon as we’re in, the world shifts.
This place is alive in a way that makes my skin tingle, all my sensations already heightened.
The air is thick with the scent of perfume, alcohol, and even the faint smell of cigarette smoke.
The lights pulse in time with the music, and the room is covered in flashes of neon pinks, blues, and greens.
I love it already.
“Let’s head downstairs!”
Tamana shouts into my ear, the music around us too loud for us both to be able to speak normally.
After nodding at her, we walk further into the place before we find the stairs, making our way downstairs as the music here only seems to grow louder.
People are screaming here, laughing too, and the dance floor is a sea of bodies. Soon, Tamana and I join in, moving and swaying to the beat of the music. I feel the vibrations moving through the floorboards, sending a low buzz through each of our bodies.
“This is amazing!”
I shout out to Tamana over the music, watching her face light up with excitement.
“I told you this is great!” She shouts back, dragging me through the sea of bodies as we make it out the other end, finding ourselves at the bar. “Two mojitos.” She tells the bartender as she leans over the counter. “Thank you!”
He nods at her, his hands already moving as he begins making our drinks.
Sitting on one of the barstools, I look all around the place.
The beat is even louder here now that I’m sitting down, and the crowd looks wilder.
Everybody dances closely together, bodies pressed, faces lit up with excitement under the shifting lights.
Despite my initial hesitation about coming to this place, I find myself smiling, turning to look over at Tamana.
“To a night we’ll never forget.”
She says with a grin, sliding me a drink as she clinks her glass to mine.
“To new beginnings.”
I reply, raising the glass as I bring it to my lips.
At first, the drink is sweet. I take a few more sips, and when I notice that Tamana has almost downed her glass in one go, I don’t hesitate to follow, swallowing every drop before I set the empty glass back down on the counter, already feeling a little more at ease now that I’ve got some liquid courage swimming through my veins.
Tamana grabs my hand again, already up from the barstool as her eyes gleam with pure energy.
“Come on, let’s dance!”
I laugh at her, shaking my head.
“We’ve just come back from dancing, Mana!”
She pouts at me.
“That’s not an excuse!” She insists, tugging me off as she pulls me towards the dance floor. “We look too good to just sit around tonight!”
I can’t argue with her, not when I know she’s right.
Before I know it, we’re both weaving through the crowd, finding a spot to have to ourselves towards the centre of the floor. Together, Tamana and I begin dancing, our hands up in the air as we sway our hips to the beat of the music.
The crowd around us moves in even closer, and I catch the eye of a man dancing nearby.
He’s at least a foot taller than me, with a confident smile that’s impossible to ignore. He steps closer towards us, his dark eyes locked on mine, an eyebrow raised as he presses his hands to either side of my hips. A thrill runs through me as I let him rest his hands there.
Dancing beside him, Tamana gives me a knowing look, winking as she spins around to find a partner of her own to dance with. I laugh when she wraps her arms around the first attractive person she sees, not even hesitating to begin dirty dancing with him.
Turning my attention back to the man in front of me, I notice the way his eyes travel all across my body; over the swell of my breasts, the narrowness of my waist, the curve of my backside. He leans down, his voice low as he says something I can’t quite understand over the loudness of the music.
I shake my head as I point towards my ear, and the man grins. He leans in even closer, only stopping when his lips are brushing against my skin as he speaks.
“You’re beautiful.”
He tells me, his voice warm and smooth.
I feel my cheeks heating up at his words.
“Thank you.”
I say, lifting my eyes to his.
We both dance together for a little longer, the stranger finding the confidence to move his hands to my backside, squeezing me firmly there. I can feel the electricity between us, and something wild stirs inside me, an urge to tease, an urge to push a boundary.
Both for his sake, and for mine.
I roll my hips against his, swaying in beat with the music, catching his gaze as I offer him a little smile. Placing my hands above his, I remove them from my body as I take a slow step backward, enjoying the way his eyes seem to follow me, almost desperately.
I throw my hair backward, stepping closer to him again, pressing my body to his. He shifts, rubbing his crotch against my front, and I gasp. I find myself grinding against him, feeling the rush of heat flood between my legs as he responds.
At first, it’s only playful; the music, the alcohol, the flirtation.
But when I lean in, tiptoeing although I already have heels on, I brush my lips against the side of his lips, feeling how he slides his hands up either side of my body, squeezing my flesh between his palms once again.
I breathe out a soft laugh, barely giving him a chance to adjust before I throw my hands around the back of his head, pulling him down close until our lips are touching, our kiss fast and hungry.
I deepen the kiss as my arms wrap tighter around him, the heat of his body matching mine.
Before this can lead to something else, I pull away, my breathing short and choppy. His eyes are darker now, his chest rising and falling as he tips his head down even lower.
“Careful.” He murmurs breathlessly. “Or you’ll get me hooked.”
I laugh as I drop my hands from around him, taking one step backward, and then another.
“Maybe that’s the plan.”
I tease with a wink, flashing him one last smile before I turn on my heels, scanning the ground to find Tamana.
I find her almost immediately, talking away to someone who looks just as interested in her as she does in him. When she spots me making my way towards her, she walks away from the guy, meeting me in the middle with a small wave.
“Having fun, Chiara?”
She asks me, her grin wide, and her eyes all too knowing.
I nod, brushing a strand of hair out of my face.
“You know I am!”
Laughing, she throws an arm around my shoulders, pulling me back into the dance floor.
As the night continues, Tamana and I dance away, losing ourselves in the music. We move, we drink, and we laugh until we can’t bear it any more, our sides aching, and our feet hurting. It’s only after that we’ve noticed the crowd beginning to thin out that we both decide to call it a night.
“We need to do this again.”
Tamana says immediately as we both step out from Club 67, the streets of London a little quieter now, but still alive with the hum of the city.
I nod my head at her, wrapping my arms around myself as we both begin walking back to my place.
“Thank you for convincing me to come here tonight.”
I say to Tamana, bumping my shoulder against hers.
“Anytime, Chiara.”
She replies with a grin.
As we soon approach my place, I take a look over my shoulder at the city, watching how the stars all seem to twinkle against the dark sky. And for the first time in a while, I feel like I’m exactly where I’m meant to be.