The short black cocktail straw spins around my icy drink as I tap my nails against the moist glass. Nodding my head to something Charlotte says, I grab the drink and sip from the straw. My eyes scan the crowd before flickering to her sweaty face.
"Do you think I should be worried? Ugh, I don't know what to think." Charlotte hangs her head in her hands. Her curly brown hair cascades over her shoulder and slips into her dry martini.
"What are you talking about?" I question.
Charlotte's head slowly lifts up to gaze over her shoulder. I peek into the distance, curious about her drunken mumbles. I know I should have been listening, but the loud volume of the music pumping and my headache makes it hard to focus.
Axel busts out his routine dance moves which creates a small spectacle. Ben tries to unsuspiciously slip closer to Axel's grooving body as the dancefloor becomes compact. Axel grabs Ben's arm and tugs him closer.
One of the men dancing alongside Axel and Ben turns around. Their short dark brown hair mushes in a sweaty flop against his forehead. As I gaze into his brown eyes, I realise it is Kyle. I watch as Kyle slaps Ben's but which results in Axel returning the slap. The three of them laugh before falling into sync with another dance move.
"Kyle live with Ben . . . do you think?" she asks.
My head hits my hand as I take a deep breath. The tip of my elbow begins to sting from the pressure pushing it into the hard wooden bar top. As much as I love Charlotte, her insecurities are tedious.
When she saw me as a threat, Charlotte tried to push me aside so that she could move in and take my place. I gave her the space she wanted, but I don't know how that'll work with Ben. The pair live together and he's strong willed. Ben won't let Charlotte weasel in and ruin his friendship with Kyle.
Even though Ben scares me, I like that endearing quality about him. When it comes to his friendship, he's honest and true. It reminds me of Kyle and our friendship. However, Ben looks hard and cold even though he can also come across as feminie.
"I think you're being ridiculous, Charlotte. Kyle is handsy with all his friends," I say.
"Okay." She slowly nods her head. "Do you think I should talk to Ben? See what he thinks about Kyle's behaviour."
I sigh, "Leave it be, Charlotte, he's just having fun."
Again, she slowly nods her head. From the blank expression playing on her face, I can tell she's still confused about the situation.
It's hard being the person people go to for advice. I could never know everything, even if people wished I did. I wouldn't have so many problems if I knew this information for myself.
Charlotte polishes off the remainder of her beer before wobbly climbing off the stool. She tugs down her short tight black dress and wanders into the crowd. Charlotte wraps her arm around Kyle's waist and kisses his cheek.
Kyle's back turns on the pair as he tugs Charlotte closer. His lips find her neck and a grin spreads across Charlotte's face. Despite the more than welcome reaction, I bet she's still worried about Kyle and perhaps she might always worry.
It's hard to say if Kyle could be gay. I kissed Axel and fooled around, thought he was straight but now he's dancing with Ben. Maybe Kyle is bisexual too? Though, Kyle spent a large chunk of his life loving me, so maybe it really is boy fun at the club?
Blake's arms wrap around my waist as he kisses my cheek. His bony jaw prods into my shoulder line as his head rests. I let my head lean back and fall against Blake. The throbbing in my head intensifies but I try to ignore the pain.
"Do you think Kyle swings both way?" I ask.
"Nah," he replies. "But if it helps, Ben swings in every direction." Blake's comment reminds me of an excited puppy on a lead running in every direction because they're so excited to explore the new world.
"I think everyone knows that." I laugh.
We never discussed Ben's sexual orientation, in fact, it's never came up. I'd assumed he wasn't straight when we played spin the bottle, though, I never thought about mentioning it to Blake. I like that we didn't have to talk about it, that his sexual orientation wasn't cast as something different about him. Ben is Ben regardless of who he takes to bed.
"They probably do." He agrees. "Would you like another drink?"
"No." I shake my head.
"I know you're waiting for your friends to show up, but I'm going to leave," I explain. "My head is killing me and I need to sleep."
Before I can shuffle away from his grip, Blake's arms squeeze around my middle, almost like chains binding me to a wall.
"Don't worry, I'll let them know we can hang out another time," he replies.
I tug away from Blake's grip so that I can swivel around on the chair and look at him. Leaning in, I press my lips close to his ear.
"You don't have to leave, Blake. I want you to stay here and have fun. Don't worry about me." I poke his stomach.
"You know that's an impossible task, right? I'll come home and take care of you." He smiles.
Blake grabs my hand and gently tugs me off the chair. I wander through the club with Blake as my guide. The compact area makes it hard to move through, but in the end, we get there.
I take a breath of relief the moment we step outside in the cool night air. My shoulders sag while the thumping in my head begins to subside. Finally.
"Shoot." I huff. "We forgot to say goodbye to everyone."
"Don't worry, I'll message the group for us."
"Okay." I nod. "Sounds like a good plan."
We walk further up the street before Blake is able to hail a taxi. When the gleaming white car pulls to the side, Blake pokes his head through the window to give him our address. The driver gives Blake the go ahead, which leads to Blake opening the back door. I climb into the backseat.
Once Blake is strapped in, the driver sets off on our journey while I try to sleep off the remainder of my headache. The image of flopping into Blake's warm squishy bed reloops in my mind. At this point, I could sleep forever.
* * * * *
As I stand on the pedestrian pathway watching the driver leave, I look over my shoulder and frown.
"Where were we?" I ask. "Because this isn't home."
The small house in front of us is nothing like our home. It's a small one story with a cosy garden filled with classic roses and other dainty shrubs littering the area.
"Did you get the address wrong?"
"No, I want to show you something," Blake replies.
He begins walking towards the house which makes my heart leap in bounds. I grab his hand to prevent him from walking any further.
"Breaking into someone's house is illegal, you know?" I whisper shout.
Instead of replying, Blake pulls a key from his pocket and waves it in the air. The glow of the moon light makes the shiny silver sparkle in the distance like a lost treasure.
"You didn't . . . did you?" I follow after Blake and watch him open the front door.
We walk down the dark hallway until Blake flicks on a light. The eerily lack of furniture confirms my suspicions. I don't know whether to smack Blake or praise him for the house.
"You bought a house?" I gasp.
"We bought a house . . . well, I pay for it, but the house is ours," he says.
"How can you afford this?" As I spin around the room, I can only imagine the glossy price it comes with. This house must be expensive.
"My parents helped with the down payment. Otherwise, it's within our reach."
"I thought you didn't want their help?" I gasp. "Why did you change your mind?"
"This house . . . I couldn't pass it up," Blake replies.
"So we have a house them?" I mumble.
"We do." He smiles. "We have our own house."
Blake walks towards the open plan kitchen and runs his hand over the marble bench top. I walk away from the passage and stand opposed to Blake.
"This place looks incredible." I smile.
"When I saw this place, I knew it was perfect. I can cook in the kitchen while you and London are in the lounge room." Blake smiles at the image of it.
"Hm. I like the idea of you in the kitchen." I wink.
He walks around the bench and tugs me towards another hallway. Blake turns the light on and then opens the door. The large white room is empty like the others but has a couple of doors.
"This room could be London's. It's got a wardrobe and bathroom attachment. The other bedroom could be a spare, for now, of course."
"Yes, it could be," I agree.
"We could hang photos on the wall, twinkly lights in the backyard. Then fill the place with furniture . . . stools, chairs, beds, and random trinkets."
"Yes." I nod. "Yes, yes, and yes!"
'This house is further away from Tori, but perfect for our growing family and close to the beach," he explains. "I remembered you wanted to live by the ocean."
"When can we move in?" I ask.
"Once we get furniture for the place, we'll be able to. With my bed, your desk we'll be screwed." He laughs.
"Don't worry. We can scramble some cash together and by the essentials for now," I say.
"That's true." He nods.
I rest my head against his shoulder. "I'll miss living so close to Angela," I mummer.
"And our little house filled with memories," he whispers.
"But we'll make new ones." I smile.
"Starting now!" Blake scoops me into his arms and we start running back down the hallway. We enter the main living area and he explains his plans. I sit on the ground while Blake consumes the area. I can already tell this house is going to be our forever.