In Disguise

Scene 12

By the time his set had finished the sun was beginning to set. He came off the stage to an immense applause and deafening screaming, his cheeks pink and sweat droplets on his forehead from the energy he used during the performance.

His team and friends congratulated him, hugging and heckling him, before he turned to me and lifted me into the air.

"You were so good!" I beamed, wrapping my legs around his waist as I planted a kiss on his lips.

His smile was wide and shining.

We all returned to the same room backstage, the atmosphere bursting with much more excitement and exhilaration than before. Plastic cups of alcohol were soon being passed around the room and everyone held up their glasses together in the middle to congratulate him on the show.

Someone began playing music through a speaker and we enjoyed the evening as if it were a party, everyone chatting animatedly and drunk from the thrill of the show.

Eventually, after helping to pack away some of the equipment from the stage, we left the venue and were greeted with the dark night sky. The black canvas was sprinkled with stars like glitter, twinkling like dimmed versions of the lights from the concert.

His best friend drove to the club and he sat in the back with me, another one of their friends in the passenger seat, his arm resting around the top of my torso. I laced my fingers through his hand which slung over my shoulder.

When we arrived at their favourite club in the city, the music was so loud that we could hear a muffled version of it from outside, the tune of the song almost recognisable.

He reached for my hand when we got out of the car.

"Are you sure you're happy to go?" His voice was quiet so only I could hear him.

His thoughtfulness always took me by surprise.

"Yeah of course."

Normally, going to a club would be at the bottom of my list of things I would want to do, but the various occasions which I had been clubbing with him since we'd been dating had increased my confidence in going and made me actually begin to enjoy them.

Also, I was with him.

I knew the attention he would receive that night would be just as insane as always but I didn't mind; as long as he was there I felt okay. Even through all of the people, he never failed to check in with me and show me affection.

Instantly, the bouncer recognised him and his friends and gestured for us to go to a door around the side, entering the club from the back.

"They know me so we can go around the back." He winked at me.

The surroundings of the peaceful car park were rapidly replaced with the manic club. Dimly lit with flashing lights like shooting stars, the room was thick with people and the synchronised singing of the song being blasted from the speakers.

We went to their usual table in one corner of the club whilst one of his friends went to get the first round of drinks. There were other people nearby who knew him or recognised him, and not long after, clumps of girls and fans began coming over and begging for his attention.

The evening played out much the same as most club nights; the table was busy with his friends and other people, the girls were on him all night but he somehow politely managed to keep them at a distance, everyone was laughing and chatting over the booming noise of the music, still on a high from the energy of his concert, and there was never an empty glass on the table.

Another group of girls were crowding around him then, their phones out capturing the moment on camera as he chatted to them. His best friend next to me laughed at the squealing coming from their group.

"Hey hey!" He threw his arms in the air smiling as one of the girls tried to embrace him. "My girlfriend's sitting over there."

He smiled in my direction and the girl shot me a glance. Then, her and her friends turned and made their way back towards the dancefloor whilst he came over and sat back next to me.

He slid along the padded bench and pressed the side of his body against mine so there was no space in between us.

"The other girls are too jealous," he whispered in my ear, the perfect guilty smirk visible on his features as he pulled back to look in my eyes.

"You still get all the attention huh?" His friend scoffed beside us.

"I'm the flyest in the place," he laughed. "I liked having the attention when I was single, all the girls going crazy, but it's too much now I don't want it."

"I never thought I'd hear you say that." His friend chuckled. He rolled his eyes and leant over to swat his friend.

Reaching over to grab his drink, he took a swig from the glass and swallowed, the muscles in his face tensed attractively, before he offered me the half full glass and I had a sip.

Our gaze was then diverted to some girl his best friend had spotted at the bar.

"Is this what you used to be like before we got together?" I teased. "Always on the hunt for girls in the club."

Him and his friend laughed.

"Well if I hadn't been like that I wouldn't have met you." He said quietly in my ear.

When his face pulled back I saw his perfect smirk, and in that moment I was suddenly overwhelmed by how handsome he looked.

His features were tinted with the darkness in the room, which only added to the alluringness of his charm, and his expression was flawlessly composed into a confident grin. His posture was self-assured and relaxed, his eyes cheeky and dark to match the surroundings.

He must have seen me looking at him because he smiled mischievously and kissed me. His best friend whistled beside us, laughing whilst he paused the kiss to make a rude comment aimed at him.

Snaking his arm around my waist, he pulled me impossibly closer to him and flattened the palm of his hand on my hip, his thumb making circle motions on my skin.

He was already an affectionate person with the people close to him, but this only seemed to increase the more alcohol he had consumed.