Chapter 15
fifteen
ROWAN
“El, can you make sure my hair looks okay from the back? I don’t want another tragedy like prom where you can see all the clippings from my extensions,” Riley asks, turning around in the backseat.
Ellie, Riley, and Hailey are squished together in the backseat, the three of them laughing and chatting, their voices mixing with the hum of the car. Ellie leans against the window, her eyes flicking between the passing city lights and her phone, probably checking messages or snapping photos.
I’m upfront with August, the familiar sound of his music filling the space between us. His hand taps on the steering wheel to the beat, and every now and then, he glances at me with a grin when he hears Riley talking. Beau and James will be meeting us at the nightclub, but for now, it’s just the five of us, the laughter and energy building as we near our destination.
“The back of your head looks fine,” August drawls, looking at Riley from the rearview mirror.
“August, shut up. I didn’t ask you.” Riley glares at him. “I cannot wait to get to this place. All I want to do is dance with my bestie and sister and have a fun time. I do not want any guys bothering us.”
“Your hair is good to go, Ry,” Ellie says.
“Thanks, boo. I’m proud of my outfit tonight too. I thought long and hard about it.”
“I have something long and hard that you can think about,” August says with a grin.
“Ew, August.” Ellie grimaces.
“Augustus, you would be so lucky if I were to think about your shriveled penis.” Riley smiles at him brightly with playful eyes.
“Hey, it is not shriveled. It is large and in charge. It is a shower and a grower. You would know if you took a chance on me.” August places a hand on his chest.
“In your dreams, playboy.”
Pulling into the parking lot, I see flocks of people stepping out of their cars. The five of us pile out while other partygoers rush toward the music. The sound thumps from inside when the black doors open and close. Groups are separated outside, talking or waiting for others to show up.
“Finally,” Beau yells from the sidewalk.
“Sorry. We were waiting on these three.” August gestures his head toward Ellie, Riley, and Hailey.
“Um, sorry for wanting to look good tonight,” Riley shouts.
“Come on, let's go.” Ellie pulls Riley’s arm.
We follow the girls, and I keep my eyes locked closely on Ellie. Tonight, will be interesting. Interesting in the sense that I will have to glare at any man that wants to go near her. Plus, with the clothes she’s wearing tonight, I need to keep myself in check and make sure I don’t have an inconvenient boner.
The white halter top shows off her cleavage, and it’s an amazing sight. Skinny, small tassels hang on the hem in the front, making it look more playful. And she’s wearing these incredible jean shorts that should be illegal.
They cut off just past her ass, with some fringes from the hem coming undone. Her shorts are so short you can see the inside fabric of her pockets poke out from underneath. She paired her jeans with a brown belt and her white high-top Converse sneakers.
“This is my heaven.” Beau looks around like he’s a kid in the candy shop.
Hailey peers at him. “Beau, please don’t get us kicked out.”
“Looks like we have a bachelorette party here with us tonight. Guys, care to join me?” Beau asks with a smirk.
“I guess,” James says with a huff.
“Don’t need to ask me twice,” August replies.
I push my hands into my pockets. “I’m gonna stay back.”
The nightclub is buzzing with music and laughter. The dance floor is packed with people, their bodies moving in sync with the pulsing beat. Above them, the ceiling is adorned with a cluster of disco balls in varying sizes, their reflective surfaces casting shimmering spots of light across the room.
The red and soft orange lighting bathes the space in a sultry glow, giving everything an almost hypnotic, alluring vibe.
I watch the guy’s saunter over to a table filled with women. Deep maroon vines and foliage hang above the long section of tables, a white glow emanating off it. Behind the DJ booth is a neon light that says, ‘Dance first, think later.’ I would have never known a place like this existed outside of town. It’s an entirely different world from Dove Point.
“Where’s Hailey?” Ellie looks around us.
Taking advantage of my height, I look around and then spot her at a high-stand table, talking to a man decked in all black. He’s built like Beau, muscular, with tattoos running down his arms.
That checks out.
“She’s over there.” I gesture with my chin.
“I’m going to get us some drinks. I’ll be right back.” Riley gestures to the bar.
The bar is one of the showstoppers. Red lighting shines softly under the entire counter. Glass shelves run across the wall behind the bartenders, filled with bottles of liquor. Then, there are three separate arches below the shelves, stocked with different brands of alcohol, all lined up in their signature glass bottles.
“So, are you going to dance?” Ellie stands on her toes and shouts to me over the blaring music.
Bending down, I tilt my head toward her to hear her better and shrug. “The floors are crowded, and I don’t know if anyone wants a tall man bumping into them constantly.” I catch her laugh, straining my ears to hear it over the music.
She shakes her head. “It’ll be fine!”
There’s a shimmering glow on her cheeks that reflects off the light. It’s small flecks of gold, and it makes her even more beautiful than she already is — like a damn goddess.
I point to my own cheek before saying, “I like the sparkles on your cheeks.”
Then I close my eyes and dip my head a little.
Sparkles? I like the sparkles on your cheeks? I couldn't have said something better than I like your damn sparkles? You look beautiful tonight. It’s like you’re glowing.
At least that’d be better than telling her I like the sparkles.
She tilts her head back and laughs while I dip my head down, trying to hide my embarrassment, and she surprises me by meeting my eyes. Her head angles down with a smile plastered on her face.
“Thank you. It's a highlighter blush. It gives me a bit of a glow.” She places her hand under her chin and smiles.
I lift my head and give her a sheepish smile.
“Well, it looks beautiful on you.”
The lighting in here is dim, but I feel like I can almost make out her cheeks turning red. She’s blushing and trying to hide her smile by covering her face. Well, I can’t let that happen. I gently grab her wrists and pull her hands away from her face.
“Don’t hide that smile from me.”
She locks her eyes with mine and tugs at her pillowy bottom lip. My hands still hold on gently to her wrists while we enjoy this moment alone together under the moody lights of the nightclub.
“I come beering gifts.” A smile tugs at Riley’s lips. “Get it?” She holds up the five beers in her hand.
“Very funny.” Ellie grabs her beer from Riley and starts to drink it.
“Great joke, Riley.” I grab mine and salute her in thanks.
She deadpans and walks past us, glaring as she sets down her sister’s beer.
The music changes to something upbeat. Ellie takes another swig of her drink before Riley tells her to go to the dancefloor with her.
“Wanna come?” she asks.
“Nah, I’m good.”
A hand lands on my shoulder, and I turn to see August standing next to me. I follow his gaze, and he’s looking right at Riley.
The way August looks at Riley is the same way I look at Ellie. I don’t know what happened between the two of them. They were close, best friends, years ago, and then, one day, they just stopped talking.
I trail my eyes back to Ellie, her skin glistening under the dance floor lights, her hair moving gracefully as she turns her body.
The song is halfway finished when I see a guy move his body closer to hers, and knowing Ellie, she isn’t going to shy away from someone wanting to dance. He’s tall, not as tall as me, but enough for Ellie, and she smiles at him.
My grip tightens around my beer bottle, and if I don’t relax, it’s going to shatter in my hand. I loosen my grip and instead put the pressure into my jaw, tightening it while I clench my teeth. My jaw will be sore tomorrow, but I can’t help it. Seeing Ellie with another man makes my blood boil, but I know I won’t do anything to stop it.
The guy turns his hat backward, letting me get a better look at him, and what the fuck . He looks like he just left from a modeling gig and decided to go dancing right after. He’s putting me to shame dancing with my girl while I’m standing here like a fucking dumbass.
The song fades and goes into the next one, and my eyes almost bulge out of my head when he reaches for her to give her a hug . She returns an awkward side hug with a smile that doesn’t reach her eyes. I attempt to control my annoyance and remind myself that she’s friendly. I watch him gesture his head in the opposite direction of us while I continue to watch this interaction.
Ellie smiles politely and shakes her head. I can see her trying to walk back toward my direction, but the guy is being relentless. I can feel my jaw muscles pop while my chest rises and falls in an unsteady rhythm. She holds up a hand toward him, and her facial expression changes from pleasant to irritated.
I set down my beer on the round high-table, and when my eyes connect back to them, his hand tugs at her wrist, and all I see is red. My body moves fast as I approach the two of them.
“Hey.” My voice comes out threatening, and I can feel my pulse quickening by the second.
He turns his head to look at me, and I have a slight height advantage, making his chin tilt up to speak to me.
He signals to Ellie with his head. “Do you mind? I’m talking to someone.”
“I do mind, actually,” I say, keeping my voice steady.
“Who the fuck are you?”
“It doesn’t matter who I am. Why the fuck are you touching her?” My hands clenched into fists, my nails biting into my skin.
The man looked at Ellie and then back to me. “Look, man, all we were doing was talking.”
Ellie chimes in, “Yeah, and then you wouldn’t let me go back to my table.”
I turn my focus back on the guy and size him up. Red-hot anger rushes through me, and I almost bare my teeth at him like some wild animal. An emotion takes over me that I’ve never felt before. The last thing I want to do is cause a brawl in this place. That isn’t me.
My voice comes out low and threatening, “Get your fucking hands off her.”
He narrows his gaze at me, but then I see his hand let go of her out of the corner of my eye. Ellie takes her arm back and wraps her hand around her wrist where he was holding her. He stares at me, not averting his gaze, and I’m more than happy to stare back. Just for the hell of it, I let a small smile tug on my lips.
He looks at Ellie and dips his head in a curt nod. “Have a great night.”
I watch him, making sure he doesn’t backtrack and bother Ellie again. Soft hands tug on my arm, but I don’t let my eyes falter until the man reaches his table with his friends. I look down and see her hand on my biceps.
“Ro, let’s go.” Ellie pulls me toward her, and I remove my hands from my pockets, setting them at my sides, feeling Ellie’s hand run down my arm to my hand and lock her fingers through mine.
She leads me back to our table, where our friends are staring at us. Each of them carries a different expression: shock, surprise, pleased, giddy. Ellie doesn’t drop my hand when we get to them but grips it tighter like she’s nervous about the man coming back. I give her a gentle squeeze, reassuring her that I’m going anywhere.
“What a creep,” Riley says with disdain.
“I’m sorry I didn’t see what happened, Ellie,” August says with a worried expression. “I would have stepped in.”
Ellie shakes her head. “It’s okay. Rowan stepped in. My knight in shining armor.” She looks up at me with a beaming smile.
I feel my heartbeat quicken at the small compliment.
She takes another long swig of her drink, polishing it off, and sets it back down on the table while everyone continues their conversation over the loud music. Ellie stands on her toes, and I lean down to hear what she’s saying over the music.
“You wanna dance?” She drops back down on her feet.
I stand up straight and look at her. Dance with Ellie? I know I danced with her at the music festival, but that song was more upbeat and fun. This is...I look at the dance floor behind me, and it’s more intimate by the way people are dancing.
Before I let my fear get in the way, I nod my head yes with a small smile, and she leads me to the dance floor. I have no idea how this is going to play out. Do we dance like it's homecoming again? Her hands on my shoulders, mine on her waist, leaving space for Jesus?
My heart thumps through my chest once we get back on the dance floor.