My walk home is uneventful. I picked up sushi from the shop down from my studio and haven't moved from my TV since then. Mellow is perched beside me happily eating some steamed salmon, purring away. I finished eating a while ago, but then again it only took me a few mouthfuls from the unknowing hunger I had. Inevitably my door buzzer goes, Mellow makes his escape to the window and I reluctantly make my way to the door.
"Ahh! Look at my little royal artist!" Immy beams as she is about to wrap her arms around me but stops in her tracks
"Why haven't you started getting dressed?"
"I was hoping you would let me off tonight..? I have to start packing" Immy walks past me and i close my door.
"No way, I'll help you pack.. But you ARE coming out tonight" she walks over to my closet and pulls out one of my basic bodycon dresses, black silk with simple lace straps.
I let out a sigh and looked at Immy knowing she won't take no for an answer. She smiles almost evil like and runs over to me handing me the clothing. I take them over to my bed and lay them out then start undressing. This type of dress isn't exactly bra appropriate so I put on some padding instead. I remember the first time I actually wore padding, they pretty much stick to your cupcakes and hope for the best but I sadly didn't know there was a sticker peel so... through my dress they fell. On the dance floor. Free as a damned bird.
I slide my dress up over my hips, legs being first and wiggling in the rest.
"How should I wear my hair?" I ask Immy as I see her spreading car treats across my floor and a loud purring mellow following in its trail.
"Up, men like neck and collar bones" I laugh at her reply
"I'm never interested in a mans opinion, you know that"
"Is that why you never dance with them? God Ross they even buy you drinks and you take it walking away" she laughs
"It's not my fault 90% of them look for a night of fun and i'm looking for a future" I say moving to my mirror grabbing a hair tie
"What do you even mean by that? Do you want to be a virgin all your life"
"Who said i was a virgin" I pull my hair back which is already curled from earlier today which gives it an extra bounce.
"Oh come on, you haven't dated anyone other than Emmond"
"Don't even go there, i was 17"
Immy laughs and comes over behind me in the mirror
"You deserve the world and I'm not just saying that because I'm your bestest friend in all the land.. But you should have fun before you leave to that big castle with 1000 rules"
I try to avoid her flat question that she's clearly trying to hide and move away to grab a perfume, spraying it on my chest, wrists and hair. I slide on a pair of heels and grab a coat looking at immy.
"Are we ready?" her eyes brighten at the question, she runs to grab my bag and mobile from the table and throws her mini jacket on.
"Yes!"
I lock my door and we turn to leave. There's only one good night club in Amarthine, and it's also HUGE! It was voted in the top three of the world to have the largest space and dance floor last year too. Don't get me wrong there are bars too, but that's for a less 'off your face' night.
The slight breeze grazes my legs as we walk the blocks down to the club and immy's hand is hooked through my arm as we approach the doors. The tall black building is almost bursting with the sound of bass coming from the inside music and the neon lights bounce through the windows to the street. There's always a huge line outside of Leonards - The club, unless you have a V.I.P card which of course Immy has for us as a keen party goer that she is.. And with it, we can skip the que. She hands the security guard the card and our I.Ds and he lets us by. We walk through the dark door and entering inside you feel the bass of the music as if it was in your chest, it almost takes your breath away. We walked into the lower floor, yes I said lower, there's four.. FOUR floors to this place. The first, A large dance floor and drinks bar PERFECT for the fully dedicated party goers. The second, sort of a restaurant theme. They serve food and the kitchen is almost completely viewable in the large seating area. The next two are suites, though the top one is a penthouse so only the rich and well off have ever been up there. But in saying that in a place like this i... wouldn't go up there. You can guess why.
We brush by people and sit at a table on the sidelines of the club. I pull my coat off and place it on the chair beside me but by the time I look back up Immy is already at the bar.. And she knows all eyes are on her. Her long dark hair and tanned skin sparkle in the neon lights and it's not even just because of the body glitter! I put up the reserved sign at our table and go up and join her.
"The usual?" I have to shout near her ear for her to answer
"Of course Miss will only drink wine or cinder!"
"So cinder?" we both laugh and get handed the drinks, the cloudy brown cider bubbles in the glass and i take a drink of the crisp liquid.
We head back to our small table to sit.
"They're looking"she prolongs her words and points to the table of men in the VIP seating area.
"That's because your friend from the other weekend is there" I laugh
"Oh come on, he's great!"
"In bed or?" i raise my brow at her
"No.. well i mean yes but! They also have great taste in drinks"
I roll my eyes at her with a smirk
"Please! At least entertain them for me?" she pulls out her puppy dog eyes and my heart sinks.
Please dont do this to me Immy. I look over to the men in conversation. Very brushed up with designer wear on, all the way to diamonds and gold. They clearly like to show off what they have.
"And what do I get?" I laugh at her, she looks at me for a minute thinking.
"I will buy your favourite coffee for a MONTH" she holds out her pinky with her elbow balanced on the table.
"Ugh you know how to get to me!" i hook my own pinky to hers and she giggles with success
"Yay! Now, drink up and get your flirt game on!"
"Fine but if they touch me i will bite back" we stand and pick up our belongings, including our drinks. We approach the table of three men, all of them looking to be around their late 20's maybe 30's and their eyes are ultimately all over us, especially Immys weekend friend. We get let through the VIP gate which is always guarded since it's a name only area unless invited and we take our place beside the men.
Immy sits on his knee and gives him a kiss on the cheek.
"I've missed you handsome!" she smiles at him seductively, he bites his lip then looks at me.
"Who is your friend baby? I've never seen her before"
"Im Rose" I smiles sweetly at him
"Gens never brought you to us before! I'm Oliver, this is Liam and james" he points to them and they look at me.
"Nice to meet you all, I hear you give 'Gen' a fun night"
"Always always, never a miss for an extra body though!" Liam speaks and I almost have to stop myself gagging, whether it meant how it sounded or not. I sit back in my chair and daze out, my head loses focus and I sip on my drink quietly. I turn my eyes to the dance floor and watch the people on it move so carelessly, I'm almost jealous. I hear Immy giggling with the men but it seems she's all the entertainment they need. I place my glass down, pick myself up from the chair and almost just sneak myself away but as I was walking out of the VIP area I bump into a tall body.
''Oh I'm so sorry!'' I have to raise my voice slightly over the music
''Ross?'' The deep voice replies
Wait, is that? I look up and my intuition is right, beside him stands 5 other guys, prepped up in casual suits. One from behind him approaches me and reaches his hand out.
''You know Jasper?'' he speaks with excitement and side eyes, well, jasper. I giggle and clasp his hand in mine in a shake response.
''Briefly'' I smile but my eyes turn to Jasper in response.
"Come sit with us! We'd love to hear more!''
''I think she was about to lea-'' Jasper tries to speak but is cut off by his friend
'' Oh let the lady speak, what do you say? Drinks and food on us?''
''Sure, why not'' I smiled at him and followed them up a layer of about five stairs to a table. I place myself at the end beside the now known Jasper and I'm handed a menu.
''So, what are all your names?'' I ask nervously.
'' Im Alex, the best looking of the five as you can tell"
"Don't knock us out of the run, she has her own eyes!''
''That's Matt aaand beside him is the young Alfie who you will be lucky to get a conversation out of'' Alex speaks and Alfie raises his hand in a wave motion.
"Next to no words is Cove and on the end is Marc"
"Its nice to meet you all, thanks for having me at your lush table" they laugh.
The waiter comes up to the table and they all order their liquor.
"And for you miss?" the waist asks me with his notepad and pen in hand
"Could i get a sparkling Rose' wine please?'' he nods in response and leaves the area.
"So how long have you known Jasper'' Matt asks me, putting his elbows in wonder on the table, and the other four seem to have an eager look in their eyes waiting for my answer.
''This morning" Jasper replies
"What do you mean this morning?'' Alex looks at Jasper then to me as i speak
"I didn't even know his name was Jasper until you mentioned it" I laugh and Jasper looks a little embarrassed.
"So how did this happen?" Cove asks from the bottom of the table
"Jasper forgot his wallet at the coffee shop, so i bought his, then he walked with me to the museum'' I tell them
"Jasper, you let a lady buy you coffee and not even tell her your name?" Matt laughs and the rest join in.
"I was too focused on getting hers" Jasper replies and i feel slight butterflies in my chest, but let's just blame the music.
The waiter comes over and lays out the drinks onto the table.
"Do you dance?" Marc asks me while looking over to the dance floor
"I love it" I take a sip of my drink and you just know by the flavour it's a pricey kind, the fruit and flowers blend together seamlessly and it's the perfect feeling of bubbles.
''You want to join me?" Mac asks and at first my instinct is no, but then Immys voice fills my head telling me yes.
"Sure, lets go" We both stand and he holds out his hand in a polite manner taking me down the stairs and eventually to the dance floor.
Marc holds my hands and we dance with the fast paced music, the club almost feels electric while on the dancefloor. Everyone seems to be feeding off the smiles and laughter being emanated by the crowd, Marc twirls me and I laugh, I see the lights bouncing off my dress and I feel completely free. Marc pulls me close, not quite touching bodies but speaks into my ear.
"Jasper never comes down to dance, i really thought he would change his mind when he seen you here with me"
"Why would I change his mind?"
"Jasper doesn't care about the name of anybody" I raise my brows slightly, and Marc and i continue to dance, he's actually incredibly funny! and a gentleman. He never makes a move of disrespect on me plus his conversation between the dancing makes me feel comfortable. It's a club right? People like to catch a feel. It's been around half an hour and I tell Marc I'm going to head up for a drink. I leave him on the dance floor with his friends.. Even Alfie. The only person left at the table as I walk through the VIP rope is Jasper, and once there I sit next to him. I take a sip of my drink and sit back in my chair, looking at Jasper whose eyes are watching his friends.
"Do you want to join them?" I ask him swallowing my drink
"I don't dance" he speaks without looking at me, so i turn my body directly to him
"What about me?" his face turns to mine, since we are sitting down we are actually eye level and his blue eyes latch onto mine.
"You want to dance with me?" he asks almost innocently and it makes me giggle
"Why wouldn't i! Come on?" i reach my hand out to him and he almost second guesses himself while reaching out for it
"I don't bite, promise" I say standing to my feet, and when he stands to his i forget just how differently tall he is. I keep clasp of Jasper's hand all the way down to the dance floor and I can hear his friend's through the music almost scream in excitement. I guess he really never has danced. At first he just stands there furrowing his brow and looking around himself, and before I know what I'm doing I grab his hands and place them on my waist.
"What are yo-" But i cut him off before he can continue
"It's okay, follow my rhythm to the music" I start off to the base of the beat, moving my body in time before starting to add in a more jump like pounce in my step. Jasper's silver like hair almost glows in the lights, and a smile actually occurs on his face which is the first i've seen. His perfectly white teeth shine and he has a dimple on the left side of his cheek. I grab his hand to spin me and on my way back our bodies are closer than before, I can practically feel the heat radiating from him to me.
"Were you and Marc this close?" Jasper speaks leaning into my ear, and I can smell his aftershave from his neck. I bite my lip gently.
"No-no we weren't"
"Im glad" his deep tone flatters the sweet tone he used in his reply and a flush fills my cheeks
"I'm going to go back for a drink, do you want to join me? Or have i vanished your fear"
Jasper nods his head towards the table and leads the way, and I'm not sure if he notices but his hand is still holding onto me. I feel his sweaty palm against mine and once again back at the table he lets go, I'm almost disappointed by the cold air that reaches it. We both take our drinks and the cold bubble slides down the back of my throat in relief. In hoping it takes my flush away I completely finish my glass and take my phone from my coat pocket. 3:02am displays on my phone.
"Crap" I sigh out
"Are you okay?" Jasper asks
"I should probably go home, i have boxes to pack" i tell him
"You're moving?"
"Kind of, not far though. Just for a new job"
"Let me walk you" Jasper speaks, rising to his feet but I pull him back down by the rim of his black shirt. The cotton fabric holds his heat and i pull my hand away sharply once I realise what i was actually doing.
"I'm not far, I can go alone.. But thank you"
"I insist, it's not safe at night"
"Amarthine is one of the safest places in the kingdom unions, I promise, I've done this a thousand times!" I speak in a preppy voice so he knows not to be concerned but his brow is still slightly frowned. Jasper doesn't speak and I made the unlikely of me decision to give him my phone number.
"Do you have a phone?" I ask him and he brings out an old flip device and I can't hold my laugh back.
"Sorry I-" I keep going and Jasper looks amusingly offended, when I calm my laugh down to a smile I take his phone from his hand and type in my number and call it to mine to get his.
"There, I will text you when I'm home okay?" I pass his phone back to him and he looks at the screen.
"What do I save you under?"
"That's up to you, silver"
"Silver?" he looks at me quizzingly
"Your hair.. And the flip phone" I laugh
"I'm not old you know"
"Are you sure?" I return mockingly and he sits with a smirk on his face.
I put my coat on and I peered my eyes to where Immy once was, but is not anymore. I text her letting her know i'm going home and to call me when she's somewhat sober.
"Can I walk you outside at least?" Silver asks me and i nod in reply
As we are walking past the dance floor, Silver's friends wave me goodbye as they jump around to the music and i put my hand in the air as i walk to farewell them.
The air has turned colder since coming to Leonards and I put my hands to my shoulders, silver takes his coat from his arms and holds it out to me.
"You know that's a classic move right?" I giggle to him
"But it's polite, isn't it?" His voice is genuine and it makes me smile, he takes the coat and wraps it around my shoulders.
"Thank you, I had fun. Good luck dragging your friends home"
"I'm not, i'm leaving now too"
"Oh, will they be okay?"
"I believe they are staying at the hotel space here, ive to be home"
"Ah, you live with your parents?" I ask him and his frown twitches
"You could say that" and he says nothing more
"Okay well, i'll text you soon, good night silver
He takes my hand in the most delicate way and kisses the top of it, the head from his lips electrifies the chills from the cold night air and the flutter reappears.
"Goodnight Ross" his voice is sweet and deep, just like on the dance floor. I smile at him and turn to the direction of my studio. The cold air feels like fire against my hot cheeks and for the first time in forever I was impulsive, and my decisions so far have made me happy. I haven't felt so giddy in a long time.
I get in the door and I'm greeted by the sweet little meow of mellow. I kick my shoes to the floor and walk over to the bed, throwing my body like a sack of potatoes onto the mattress.
"Mellow you'd be so surprised at me tonight, i let my guard down" I speak loudly to the empty room and my fur ball jumps on the bed beside me. He comes over and sniffs me and takes a step back.
"What's wrong boy?" I look down at myself and see Jasper's coat on top of mine. I sit up and take them both off and just stare at his in my hand.
"What an odd man you are silver" and in that reminder i send him a text.
"Im finally home, I hope you got to yours safely too!
Thank you for tonight, i had a lot of fun with you
And your friends! Rx"
I press send and lay my head back onto the pillow, but tiredness overwhelms me fast and slowly, i fall asleep in everything i left in.