Shadows and Stars: A Darker Love ✔

Chapter Twenty Five

I expected Moon Bar to be a small, casual, and laid-back establishment. But instead I'm welcomed into a huge, blue-themed club which is, quite frankly, overcrowded, and feels as though I've just stepped into a ginormous—and rather expensive—sauna.

I follow Hailey, Holly and Will to a small booth near the wall, setting down my bag whilst Holly and Will parade to the bar to get in the first round of drinks.

"Have you been here before?" I ask Hailey, cringing as multiple sweaty arms brush past me and watching as the already crowded room gets even more crowded with the entry of more partygoers.

Hailey laughs, enjoying the vodka that's already coursing through her veins. I only had two drinks before we left, but suddenly I find myself wishing I had more. "I've been here a few times," she says, flicking her glossy, blonde hair behind her shoulder. "It's alright—the drinks are cheaper than other places around here, and tonight it's one pound for a shot."

I snigger, realising why it must be so busy tonight. "Makes sense."

The music blares as Holly and Will return with four vodka lemonades, and I decide to ignore the fact that the heaving club is making me feel claustrophobic. Taking the drink from Holly's hand, I thank them both and take a seat at the small table.

"In a bit we'll do shots. Two at a time," Holly bellows, a flicker of menace hiding behind her eyes. Hailey claps her hands together in agreement, and I catch myself and Will exchanging a look that suggests that this could all end very badly. 

"Well, there's no point in wasting time," Hailey giggles. "Let's down these drinks and go and get the shots in! It is Christmas after all!"

Before I can even comprehend what's going on, I find Hailey and Holly downing their vodka lemonades, and Will retuning with eight shots of tequila on Holly's demand.

"Here goes nothing," Will smirks, placing two small glasses in front of us each.

If my past experiences have taught me anything, it's that doing shots never results in me making good decisions. In fact, most of my bad decisions have been a result of alcohol consumption. But I want to let my hair down, so I shrug and thank Will for the drinks.

"Come on Mia" Holly booms, already wiping her lips from the second shot she's downed.

My eyes look to the clear liquid, my heart hammering for no apparent reason. Perhaps I'm excited, perhaps I'm nervous, though I don't know why. The conversation I shared with Chloe still plays on my mind: 'You can be the one to save him'. The words stick in my brain like glue, and they play over and over and over, and over. How can it be that a girl from a small seaside town can have the power to pull a man out from something so dark and dangerous? Do I really hold that much power? Do I really mean that much to Grayson? I hope so, I really do. But I'm worried I won't be strong enough, and that I'll never find it in me to pull Grayson from the dark world he lives in. That being said, I don't know if he would even want to see me, if we ever get the chance to reunite.

Six or something shots later, I find the four of us on the much too crowded dancefloor, and the more the room spins, the less I care about the amount of people who barge past me, or spill the remains of their drink onto my heels. I cling onto Hailey's shoulder, trying desperately to see the room clearly—but my attempts fail, and the spinning only causes a swirl of nausea inside of me.

"I'm going outside," I yell into Hailey's ear, watching as the three of them bounce carelessly to some Christmas party music that thumps from wall to wall. Even Will is drunk, and that's unlike him.

Hailey nods, and once I remove my arm from her, I stalk towards the exit and take a seat on a nearby wall.

The air is bitterly cold, but the alcohol has numbed my senses, and I'm actually thankful for the welcome of the fresh air into my lungs. The street in front of me is a blur of colours; the bright lights of the nearby clubs and the shades of clothing worn by the flurry of drunk people who go about their business without a care. I smile giddily, still in shock that this city is my hometown now. I'm not sure it will ever sink in, in fact.