Perennial

Chapter 23

"So is this club mixed?" Tessa asked Mason, watching as Brett turned around and began dancing with a shirtless man.

Mason tilted his head to the side. "Ish."

They continued watching Brett for a minute, Mason and Tessa with much more interest than Liam.

"Alright. That's enough of that," Liam said, turning the two of them away from Brett.

Tessa sighed. "Okay. I need a drink anyway."

Liam sighed but he and Mason walked over to the bar with her anyway.

~~~

Tessa had lost Liam somewhere in the crowd. Mason and Tessa were very tipsy and had ended up making their way over to Brett.

"Wow, Dunbar, you clean up nice from the field," Brett smirked at Tessa.

She rolled her eyes but she couldn't help the laugh that escaped her lips, or the words that came next.

"You're not too bad yourself, Talbot. Though I do have to say, I prefer you without a shirt on."

She didn't have time to realize what her drunk self had said before Brett was standing up. Downing his drink in one gulp, he set it down before moving closer to her.

"We can make that happen," he said.

Tessa had to crane her neck to see his face. His close proximity and extreme height with her lack of height made for an uncomfortable angle for her neck. Not even the five inch heels she was wearing made much of a difference. She didn't mind though.

He smirked down at her and she barely noticed that Mason had wandered off to dance with another guy. Before she knew it, she and Brett were on the dance floor, grinding against each other to the beat of the music.

She'd lost count of how many shots she'd done and at this point, her mind was a blur.

Tessa felt Brett's lips on her neck and she tilted her head back, reaching back to wrap her arms around his neck while his were wrapped around her waist.

He spun her around, pulling her even closer. His lips found hers and she lost track of time as their mouths explored one another and the music carried on. They kept dancing and Brett's lips went back to her neck, his hips grinding against her.

Tessa threw her head back when he hit a particularly sweet spot with his lips and he smirked, gently biting and sucking on the area until her legs felt like jello. As her eyes fluttered shut, a strangely familiar sound echoed through the loud music.

Opening her eyes, Tessa saw that behind Brett was a tall, strangely dressed man. He held a cane in one hand and as he stared at her through his old fashioned goggles, she felt a chill run down she spine.

She didn't even realize that Brett was calling her name.

"Tessa? Tessa!" He shook her slightly.

Tessa's eyes snapped to his face and then back to where she had seen the man—The Doctor, her mind said but she didn't know why, he didn't look like a doctor—he was gone, just a shirtless man dancing where he had once stood.

"Are you okay?" Brett asked her, pulling her towards a less crowded area of the club.

She let out a shaky breath. "Yeah, sorry. Just kinda zoned out for a second."

He looked at her strangely, pulling her over to a couch and sitting her down. He sat down beside her, turning to face her.

"Tessa, you said something."