REMIND ME // Calum Hood

Twelve // stage

Calum's POV

I knew something was off the minute I stepped foot inside this club. The way my heart was pounding against my chest couldn't have been normal for a regular night out. My eyes wandered around the place, searching for what I'd been looking for the past year. Every time I found myself in a crowded room, I'd look for her. Every time someone said her name, I'd turn around in hopes that it was her they were calling. Every time I spotted a dark haired girl, I'd wait for her to look my way just so I could be sure it really wasn't her. Even if she had dyed her hair blonde, I'd still look for my dark haired girl.
No matter the hair color, I'd still recognize her with my eyes closed. I'd smell her sweet perfume in the air or feel her touch burning my skin even from a distance. I hadn't felt it in so long I wondered if I still remember what it's like. If I could still feel her presence in a crowded room or if I'd lost the power.
If somewhere along these 11 months, we'd lost our connection.
But tonight is different.
There's something different in the air tonight that makes my palms sweat and my heart race.
And that's how I know Georgia is here even before I find her in the middle of the crowd.
"Booth 5 was already reserved for you and your friends, Mr. Irwin" I hear the guy say to Ashton, leading us upstairs towards the VIP area "My name is Wyatt, I'm the manager here. You call me if you need anything"
Lights are out and Party Rock by LMFAO is blasting through the club. Everyone has their fists in the air, chanting to the song like its the best night of their lives. Resting my elbows over the railing, I lean forward to look downstairs, hoping to spot Gia partying with her friends. The lighting in the room doesn't help seeing as the only source of illumination in the entire place comes from the DJ booth. An improvised stage facing the cheering crowd where a few members of the staff serve tequila shots.
Once my eyes land on that stage, my pounding heart stops beating. Music stops playing and I stop breathing.
My gaze locked on her. Hypnotized. Mesmerized.
I watch as Gia swings her hips to no music, her laughter echoing in my head. Her dress too short to be up on that stage without flashing the people below, my temper wearing thin. She is putting on a full show, teasing the crowd and pissing the hell out of me. The way she dances reminds me of the night we've met, I still have the video on my phone. Only then she danced on top of a ping pong table instead of a stage.
Only then, she danced just for me.
Instead of a hundred fucking people.
As much as I hate to share that view with a bunch of strangers, I can't help but lose myself in the way her body moves. Gia is glowing with confidence, she's attracting all the attention and she's loving every second of it. Everyone is loving every second of the show she's putting on, including me.
"Wooah!" Ash joins me by the railing, looking downstairs "That's what I'm talking about"
I hear him say, wondering if he's seen Gia already, but I don't dare tearing my eyes away from her. I don't think I could, even if I wanted to. One of the girls dancing onstage approaches her, grinding to her side, taking off the apron she has around her waist. The two of them seduce the crowd, making the room erupt in wilderness.
"Is that...?" I can hear the doubt in my friends voice "What the fuck?"
What the actual fuck.
That's exactly what's going through my mind as I watch Georgia and her friend tease each other. I see red as my eyes watch the pair practically make out on that stage. If I had never imagined Gia with another girl, now it was impossible not to. The thought itself made my jeans clung tighter around me, the two versions of her tormenting my memory. My sweet girl and this devilishly sexy woman. The same person, yet one could barely recognize the other.
"That is...?" Ashton tries once again, himself having trouble recognizing the girl on that stage
Could've been his intoxicated state that he thought was playing tricks on him. Could've been the surprise clouding his mind, preventing him to believe what he was actually seeing. Or could've been the concern that by saying her name out loud Ash would wake me up from the frenzy state I found myself in.
As hard as it was to believe, that was Georgia.
Up on that stage, dancing like a fucking stripper.
Acting as provocative as I've never seen, even in our most sensual moments.
"That is hot!" Luke exclaims with laughter, joining our side "Holy shit, bro"
It is hot, indeed.
Georgia looked absolutely fantastic dancing like that, the way her body swayed reminding me of the times I had my hands all over her, that same body on top of mine, moving in sync to my own. It was hot, so hot I could jerk off just by watching her show.
I felt hot all over just by looking at her, as if the club had been burning down in flames while I stood there, frozen. Amazed yet horrified. I loved it, and I hated it.
"That girl looks exactly like Georg-" That's when Luke realizes "Oh, shiiiiiiit"
He laughs, throwing his head back like someone just told him the funniest joke on Earth and Ashton is quick to join. Both my friends too high off of their faces to give a single fuck. The lights shift, going back to the neon spotlights when the LMFAO song comes to an end. Gia and the others leave the stage, earning a cheer from the public as my eyes follow her every move - even though I can only see the top of her head from where I stand. She walks in between the people in the main area, some guys turning around to talk to her but Gia just ignores them. My blood boils thinking that's what she has to deal every single night, thinking that other guys look at her the way I was doing just moments before.
"Two vodka cranberries , a scotch on the rocks and three beers" I hear Ashton ordering our drinks in the back of my mind while my gaze follows Georgia approaching the bar downstairs
I think about going down there to talk to her. Just to be near her once again. I have no fucking idea of what to say but I just need to have her close.
Gia leans forward, placing the bottles on the counter with the help of another member of the staff. I can't see the guy's face from where I stand but I sure as hell don't like how close he's to standing to her. Gia turns around, a smile playing on her lips as the asshole offers to tie her apron for her. Relief washes over me once I realize the guy is actually Derek, Drew's little brother, and he's a friend of hers. But my mind doesn't have time to process what is happening because next thing I know he is kissing her neck.
And Gia is letting him do it.
"We're leaving" I announce, storming off to the exit but Mike is quick to stop me
Seeing as my other two bandmates are too busy laughing at the walls to mind their surroundings.
"Chill, man" He says "We just ordered the drinks. Roy hasn't even got here yet"
As if on cue, one of the girls that was dancing with Gia on that stage minutes ago comes to our booth, carrying a tray with drinks. She places them on the table, one by one, while Ashton and Tessa pass the glasses along our group. I plop myself down on one of the available seats, the scene I witnesses just now replaying in my mind like a song stuck on repeat.
Georgia and Derek.
The same Derek she wore couple's costume with on Halloween.
I should've seen that one coming.
From her Instagram posts my main suspicions laid on Alec. After Lis mentioned something about Georgia and Alec being an item in the past, when Gia posted a picture of their weekend trip saying it was a couples retreat, I just figured Alec was the one I should keep my attention on.
But now I don't even know what to think because I can barely recognize the girl standing in front of me.
"Gia"
With a jolt, I put myself up on my feet, her name leaving my lips out of instinct. Our gazes meet and that's when I know my Georgia, the sweet girl I met at that party, is still in there somewhere. My heart is pounding, my throat as dry as ever while my mind is in a haze, completely lost inside her eyes. I want to say something after not having seen her for all this time, but I just don't know what. And while I take my time trying to search for something in my brain, Crystal beats me to it.
"Georgia! I didn't know you worked here. You looked so hot dancing up there!" She says while mine and Gia's eyes are having a conversation of their own
Like two childhood friends seeing each other for the first time after 10 years. Carefully mapping out the familiar territory.
"Hi Crys! How are you?"
I watch the two girls hug still frozen in place, Georgia looking too unbothered for my liking.
"I'm good. I'm so happy to see you!" Crystal exclaims "Since when do you work here?"
I'm thankful for Michael's girlfriend when she asks the question that's been haunting my mind the minute I laid eyes on her up on that stage.
Since when that's what you do for a living, Gia?
For the longest time I encouraged her to quit her position at PlusCO, well aware of the toxic environment and how much it affected her. But never in a million years, I thought I'd see my Gia being tipped for dancing on a fucking stage.
"I started a few months ago" It's all she says, probably not wanting to spill much about her life in front of me.
She's been doing it for months, I think to myself but the way Georgia snaps her head in my direction leaves me wondering if I said out loud. As fast as her eyes landed on me, they move to the next person sitting at the table, greeting one by one. Michael stands up to hug her, while Ash and Luke simply raises their glasses on her direction - probably too drunk to leave their seats.
"What are you doing here?" Georgia asks Crystal, my attention solely focused on her
Did she forget about my birthday?
"We just got here actually. It's Calum's birthday"
Her hard gaze lands on me once again, eyes so cold that contrast to the heat it brings to my skin. Gia doesn't say anything, she doesn't move, not a single muscle acknowledging my presence. Not even to congratulate me on my birthday.
"We came here to celebrate" Crystal adds
"Right! Yeah, right" She agrees, a small smile playing on her lips "What can I get you all?"
Georgia kneels down, to grab the tray that I didn't notice until now was on the floor. Her ridiculously short black dress riding up to on her thighs in the process and as of instinct, my reaction is to grab the tray for her, just so no one sees anything they shouldn't.
"Here" I say, handing her the object while our eyes stay locked
"Thank you"
Gia directs her words to me for the first time tonight and that's all that leaves her lips. Two words, nothing else.
The last time we spoke to each other wasn't over a month ago. We texted wishing each other a Happy New Year, the messages sending out a lot more affection than our encounter does now.
What happened, Gia?
"We'll have tequila shots. Thirteen tequila shots" Holly says
Gia simply nods, never breaking eye contact with me. I wonder what's going through her head right now. I wonder why I can't read the expression on her face when once I read her like my favorite book.
"Anything else?" She asks, eyes still on me
Yes! I want to say.
Something, anything that will get a reaction from this girl. We used to have so much more than these polite planned out words.
"No, that's all for now" Holly is the one to answer "We are good. Right, Cal?"
Georgia tears her gaze from mine, her eyes falling to my arm, where Holly touched me. I ignore her, my chest burning for knowing how much Gia hates this girl and the nasty things she must be thinking of me right now.
Does she still care?
"Perfect" She says, a smile that doesn't reach her eyes printed on her red lips before she walks away and towards the bar.