Letting Go

Chapter 1

Ben

I can't see anything as we enter the dark club at the hotel; the air around us is thick with sweat and alcohol. The music is blaring and the thump of the bass is already giving me a headache. I glance down at my Rolex to start the clock on how long I have to stay before I can get back to more important things than getting drunk at my best friend's bachelor party. It's 9:30. I think midnight is about right, so I roll my shoulders and take a deep breath. I can tolerate this for a few hours.

It's times like these that I'm grateful for the height that I've inherited. At 6'4" I stand a few inches taller than most of the people in here. As my vision begins to adjust to the lighting, I try my best to resist reaching out to ineffectively bat away the fog being misted from the DJ booth. The lights are flashing and bouncing around the packed dance floor as we make our way over to the table reserved for us. It perches a few inches above dancers below giving us an excellent view of all the action.

We're rolling pretty deep tonight. The twelve of us have all been friends since high school and while our career paths have taken us to different places, we have still managed to keep in touch. Our small private school was once our playground, but now we've spread our wings a little farther, making quite a reputation for ourselves in this city. All of us are single except for Keith; he has fallen victim to the American Dream. His loss.

I watch as two blonde, barely dressed waitresses engage in a verbal altercation. While it's too fucking loud in here to hear my own thoughts, let alone their conversation a few feet away, I can tell by their constant glances in our direction that they are arguing over who will serve our table. As always, our group emits money without even trying. We come from money, and we have all been successful at making our own, on top of what our families have provided.

Figure your shit out ladies, I need to get a buzz if I'm not going to bolt early or spend the next few hours doing business on my phone. They must have come to some agreement because the bustier of the two women is making her way over to us. The boys begin to yell their orders to her over the music, and then not-so-covertly talk amongst themselves about which of us will take her home. We might be in our mid-twenties, but when we're all together we tend to act about fifteen.

"What about you, handsome?" she asks, looking up from under her long lashes in a move I know she's perfected while working here. She twists a little, back and forth at her hips, drawing my attention to her small waist. She's shoved her breasts up around her neck, putting them on display. No class, but I'm sure she brings home a lot in tips.

"Jack and Coke." I think for a minute about whether or not I will throw my hat into the ring and try to take her back to my room just to add some entertainment to this night. When she turns to leave, I watch her go, but find myself losing interest when she peeks back over her shoulder to see if I'm watching. She adds a little extra sway to her step when she catches me. I'll never understand why a woman would put herself on display.

Another quick glance at the time ramps up my frustration. It's only been twenty minutes since I checked the first time. Our waitress is back and I decide to send a clear signal that I'm not interested. I take my drink and then turn my back on her slowly to watch the dancers. Out of the corner of my eye, I notice her shoulders slump. I would feel bad if I thought it would ruin her evening, but women like that know the score. She'll move her focus to one of my friends before she even heads back to the bar.

Across the dance floor I spot a group of women, all wearing ridiculous bachelorette party items. The bride-to-be looks completely trashed, singing along to the music in her sparkly tiara and white sash. A few of her friends are dancing around her, but one of them is on her phone, fidgeting with her "Bridesmaid" sash where it touches her bare neck. She's unbelievably beautiful and I feel a rush of adrenaline as I watch her.