London Boy | Jamie Flatters

Thirty-eight

Present
"This is just what you need," Devyn says as we enter the noisy club, the music blaring around us. Lilly had called an emergency girl's night into order after everything that went down last night, claiming I needed to let some steam off and spend some time with my girls. We spent the afternoon getting a late brunch and shopping before cramming into my hotel room to get ready for the night.

All I've done since my conversation with Jamie is play it on repeat in my mind. I couldn't get his words out of my head. His face the only thing I can picture whenever I close my eyes.

"Is it?" I ask. I've never been much of a partier, preferring cozy nights in to nights in the club, where it's always so hot and crowded.

"Yes," Jenna nods. She's in a dress of mine, one that looked far better on her than it'd ever look on me, "You need to let loose, E. Get a drink, dance... maybe meet someone."

My brows furrow together at her suggestion, "Doesn't meeting someone defeat the entire purpose of a girl's night?"

Lilly shakes her head. She's wearing a dress of mine too, the blue colour making her eyes pop, her makeup done to perfection. Getting ready was so far proving to be more fun than the actual going out part. We'd blared music and swapped clothing and makeup, all helping one another get ready. I'd done Lilly and Jenna's hair while Lilly worked her magic and did Devyn and Bailey's eyeliner. "The point of girls' night is for you to get your mind off you know who," they've been avoiding saying his name all day, "and meeting someone is the perfect way to do that."

I let my eyes linger on the club, which is dark, besides the random spotlights illuminating the space. The dance floor is crammed with sweaty bodies, groups of girls much like our own jumping to the music and couples grinding against one another in a somewhat disgusting manner.

I didn't want to do this.

Hell, I didn't even wanna be here... but Devyn and Lilly were so confident that this was good for me, and despite my better judgment, I said yes, wanting to trust my two friends.

"I say we get some drinks," Lilly suggests, knocking her hip against mine. We all agree, minus Bailey, who volunteered to be our designated driver for the evening. She gets herself a mocktail while the rest of us order shots, our faces scrunching up in disgust as the liquid burns our throats. By the second or third shot, it begins to hurt less, and my body begins to feel lighter as I dance to the music with my friends.

We all dance for a while, laughing and singing along, my mind no longer focused on the boy I've been trying desperately to forget.

"Okay, don't look, but there's a guy checking you out," Lilly has to yell over the music to be heard, his words slurred slightly, "and he's coming this way."

I don't listen, turning my head to look over my shoulder. Lilly is right, there is a guy approaching, his eyes taking me in as he walks over, confidently. He's cute, with sandy blonde hair and muscular arms, his pale skin tanned from the sun.

"We're gonna go," Lilly says, grabbing Devyn's arm as she and the other girls begin slipping away. "If you need us, we'll be by the bar. You've got this."

Before I can object, my friends slip through the crowd, leaving me alone. "Hey," the boy greets, his eyes are blue, and his jaw is perfectly structured. He's hot, the kind of guy I'd happily hook up with.

But when I look into his blue eyes, all I can think of our the blue eyes from last night, staring into mine intensely as we argued. Get it together, Eden. I have to mentally yell at myself to snap out of it. "Hi," I smile, tilting my head flirtatiously.