SHE

SHE-1

"You're going to have the most amazing night, Lara. I promise you that." His words were like honey and I couldn't take my eyes away from his face. He was easily a foot taller than I was, towering over my five foot three frame. His hair was dark and his eyes were also brown, maybe hazel or green. It was dark in here and hard to tell. His jaw was angled and he had facial hair, something I loved.

What caught me the most was his smile. It wasn't fake and it reached his eyes.

"Dance with me, Lara?" He was clearly asking more of me that to dance but what the hell, right? I only lived once. He grabbed my hand and pulled me towards the dance floor. I stopped suddenly, realizing I didn't even know his name.

"What's your name?" I asked with a smile.

"Dance with me and I'll tell you," He said, taking my drink from my hand and setting it down on a ledge. There was no way that would be safe to drink when we came back but I didn't buy it.

Captain Sexy pulled me to the dance floor and I let him take the lead. He grabbed my hands and placed them around his neck. Then he placed his own hands on my hips and pulled me to him. I felt his breath on my neck and it made me shiver. He moved us around the floor, swaying to the music. It felt almost hypnotic in the sense that I didn't care what happened, as long as this man didn't let me go.

Every so often he would moved his hands down my thighs or around to my ass and squeeze just enough to make me want to pant for more. As the third or hundredth song played, I couldn't remember which, he pulled me from the floor.

"Do you want something to drink, water maybe?" He moved closer to me and kissed my cheek.

"What's your name? I danced with you, now tell me." I snapped at him and my tone caught us both off guard.

"Alright sassy pants. My name is- John." There was a slight pause before his name and I rolled my eyes.

"Have a good night," I said and I turned around, deciding I'd had enough seduction for one night.

"Wait, Lara. I'm kidding." He grabbed my arm lightly and I stopped but didn't turn to face him again. I felt him press against the back of me and his breath fanned over the side of my face.

"We aren't supposed to give our real names, but my real name is Derek."

I spun around and smirked. "Well, Derek. That's for the drink and dance but I'm going to head home now. I need to wash my hair." I covered my mouth with my hand and looked up at him.

"I'm so sorry." I felt my face turn red and I turned from him, almost running for the door.

"Lara, wait," I heard Derek call after me but I didn't stop. I ran past the weird guy who let me in, only to see him smile and wink at me. That was all the motivation I needed to pick up my feet and run. I ran down the block, past the crowd of people trying to get in. They were loud and smelled of booze and cigarettes, making my stomach turn. I didn't know where I was going and when I turned down a dark but quieter street, I was thankful as well as nervous.

I leaned back against a wall and placed my hands on my knees to catch my breath. What in the world happened back there? It was like I was suffocating but I couldn't catch my breath. My body started getting hot and my skin tingled all over. I clutched at my chest, my heart feeling like it would pound out.

"Help me," I tried to yell but it came out a whisper. I pressed my back against the wall harder, trying to use it to keep me up. My knees gave out and I slumped onto the ground.

"Lara?" I heard my name but I couldn't say anything. I couldn't breathe.

******

I woke up with the worst head ache of my life. I rolled over and pulled my pillow more under my head. I took a deep breath and felt this awful ache in my chest. That caused last night to flash through my mind.