CAYDEN'S POV
I caught the look on Vina's face almost immediately and my smile dropped. I looked back at my friends, who were already enthusiastically making their way out of the restaurant so we could all head to one of our favorite clubs. I hadn't been in a while and I was excited to go back. They played the best music there and the crowd was always a good time. As soon as it was offered, I knew I wanted to go.
And then I remembered that Vina had said she didn't really want to go out tonight.
I weighed my options—I could ask her nicely to go, telling her that the club was fine and we'd only go for a little bit. I could also tell everyone that we weren't going to go out tonight and we'd catch up with them another day. I didn't know what to do. The thought of going home, knowing that my friends were out having a good time, didn't sit right with me. I wanted to go. I wanted to have fun.
I liked New York, but it was much different from Miami. Compared to Miami, the nightlife in New York was much more low-key. It was honestly nice to be somewhere that had a different nightlife scene—one with more to offer.
My friends jumped ahead of us, leaving me and Vina a few paces behind. "Vi," I said, reaching out for her hand. She accepted it, but it was fairly loose, definitely not the kind of handhold that I was used to. Vina was definitely not happy with me.
"What do you want to do?" I asked.
"I wanted to stick to the plan we originally agreed on," Vina said. "I don't really have the energy to go out tonight and I'm not particularly interested. I thought that was what we'd both said before coming out."
"I know," I said and then sighed a little. "Do you want to go? Just for a little bit? I promise it'll be fun."
Vina stared at me, and I wished I could read her mind. I could tell she wasn't happy, which I hated. I didn't like seeing Vina upset at all, and I really didn't like the idea of knowing that I was the one who had hurt her.
"I don't really want to go," Vina said softly.
I studied her face, feeling like I was at a complete crossroads. On one hand, I wanted to make Vina happy. She'd made this huge change to come down to Florida with me, she didn't really have anyone or anything down here. On the other hand, I was excited to be back around my friends and I really wanted us both to enjoy time with them since we wouldn't be down here that long.
"I could drop you off at the house instead of you going out with us?" I offered. Vina narrowed her eyes at me. "I'm being serious... I don't want to take away from your night, but I also do want to go out."
"Yeah, but I want to spend the night with you. I wanted to have a night in with just the two of us at the house. I don't want to go back by myself. That's ridiculous."
"So, do you want to come out with us or not?" I asked and I realized as soon as the words came out of my mouth that I'd pushed it too far. I'd sounded way too blunt. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean it like that."
"I guess if it's going to be this way then I'll just go out with you," Vina said. "I'll save us both the effort."
"Are you sure? I don't want you to feel forced."
Vina shrugged. "Let's just go," she said and then walked ahead of me, leaving me behind. I watched after her, desperately wanting to make things okay with her but also not wanting to give up what I wanted. I had no idea what the right course of action was.
I'd been in a relationship before, but they were never anything serious. I would hop in and out, sometimes a few months with someone, and then be single for a little bit. There were ups and downs that came with that, especially with my most recent and most serious ex—Zera—but there hadn't been anyone like Vina.
Vina had come into my life and completely thrown me off balance. She was shockingly beautiful and kind. I couldn't stop staring at her that first night I met her at the Meleri's. And the more I learned about her, the more I was completely and entirely entranced by her. I tried as hard as I could to learn how to be good for her—to communicate and be kind and take care of her. I'd stumbled a few times, but I really tried my best. She was the first one I'd gone the extra mile for.
I took a lot of pride in that, but I also knew that it meant that I still had a lot to learn to be good for Vina. There were still things about me that I didn't even realize were bad habits and things I didn't realize would hurt her until they did.
I followed behind Vina, pulling my car keys from my pocket. I felt a little bit like I'd gotten put in a doghouse, probably because I had. We'd had so much external stress going into our relationship that there hadn't been much time to be a normal couple—one who misunderstood each other and occasionally argued and wasn't always on the same page and had to learn how to compromise.
Now, we could be a normal couple. And as exciting as that was, I also knew it meant that there would be days where I was inevitably the bad guy.
Vina wordlessly waited for me to unlock the car doors and then got in. She didn't say anything to me as I pulled the car out from the parking lot—she also didn't say anything as we drove toward the club because I didn't know what else to do.
"Are you sure you don't want to just go home? I can come meet you later. I don't want to keep you out later than you want to be."
"It's not about how late we're staying out, Cayden," Vina said. "I've already told you that I don't really want to do this."
"Please, can we just have some fun with my friends?" I asked. When I found parking for the club, I pulled in and found a spot. When I turned off the car, I unbuckled the seatbelt and turned to Vina. "We won't stay long. I just want to go out for a little bit. I promise it's fun. I really wouldn't drag you here if I thought it would lead to a shitty night."
"Sorry for not just going along with it."
"I don't want you to just go along with it," I said. "We can compromise on this."
Vina turned to look at me. "Let's just go into the club and meet up with your friends."
"Vina—"
She hopped out of the car and I joined her, knowing there was no use in arguing. I liked how strong-willed Vina could be, but it also drove me fucking crazy sometimes.
We walked up to the club together, Vina not touching me at all which was unusual for her. We were greeted with huge bouncers, dim lights, and pounding music. It immediately felt familiar even though it had been a while since I'd been around.
"Can I buy you a drink at least?" I asked.
Vina turned her head in my direction and I was nearly stopped in my tracks. Her long hair fell from her ponytail effortlessly, her face a little tight with irritation but in a way that kind of turned me on.
"Something with tequila," she said and I smiled a little bit. I headed right over to the bar, hoping that maybe a drink would help the time go by. I'd only keep us there for maybe an hour, just long enough to see my friends and dance a little. I knew I couldn't drink that much since I was driving us home.
After ordering and retrieving the drinks, I walked over and handed Vina her request. She took a sip. "Where are your friends?"
I checked my phone and saw that I had some texts from the group chat specifying where they'd all set up for the time being. They'd found a booth toward the back.
I led Vina out that way and as soon as my friends saw us, they waved us over.
"Hey!" Mia greeted us. "So glad you guys made it."
"Yeah, of course," I said and settled into the booth. Vina followed after.
We all chatted, catching up and drinking before inevitably heading out to the dancefloor. The conversation was quick and familiar, all old stories and references. It was nice to be around people who understood me like that, who'd experienced that time in my life with me.
"Vina, I love your dress," Jazzy said and I suddenly remembered that Vina was with us. I immediately felt guilty that I hadn't been doing more to include her.
"Yeah, so pretty," Mia agreed.
"You're so pretty, too. We never thought that Cayden would get locked down, but sure enough, here she is," Jazzy teased. "I guess you have the magic touch."
Vina smiled tightly and suddenly stood up. "I'm going to run to the bathroom really quickly."
Authors Note
Yikes... This was probably one of their first disagreements as a couple. How do you guys feel about it? After seeing both of their perspectives of the night, are you siding with Cayden or Vina? Do you think Cayden was wrong for wanting to go out? Or do you think Vina should've made it less of a big deal? Let me know how you guys feel<3
Love u all,
Weekendlustt