Half of My Heart ✔️

28 | deep brown eyes

I should have known.

"Do you want to leave? I can turn around," Mya offers, shifting the car into park outside the club to give me time to look outside and think. "We can hang out at your place and watch a movie. I'll wash your bedsheets. I think they're molding."

I stare at that stupid, little, unassuming building. The night's still young but there is already a line of people wrapping around the building. How come everyone seems to know about this place?

"No, I'm fine," I say, unbuckling my seatbelt. Mya seemed super excited to come here, to see what all the hype around The Bunker was about, and I don't want to ruin her night. I'll just suck it up. "He's probably not even playing tonight."

"Knowing your luck, he probably is," Mya points out. She shifts the car into drive. "Come on, let's go back to your place."

"No," I insist, unlocking my door. "I'll have to face him sooner or later. Might as well be while I'm hidden in a crowd of people. Let's get in line before it gets too long."

Inside, it looks exactly the same as when I was last here with Jack on Halloween, except without the fake cobwebs and smoke. We meet up with two of Mya's friends that I've met a few times before, Brianna and Lucy. They're both super sweet, but we don't know each other very well, so it's mostly just small talk between us. But I could see myself getting close to them.

Fortunately, it's a different band on stage. I don't say anything about how they don't sound as good as Levi's, but I don't doubt that Mya notices me glancing toward the stage ever so often. I can't tell if I want him to be here or not.

At one point, I pull out my phone to check social media. Just to add onto my fortunate luck this evening, the first picture on my feed is posted by the UNC basketball team. It's of a few guys on the team working out in the weight room. They're all extremely fit, but my eyes immediately go to Jack, who's spotting another guy's bench press. He's shirtless and focused with sweat coating his exposed skin.

I shove my phone back into my pocket. Wanting to distract myself in whatever way possible, I take up Lucy's offer to go to the bar with her to get drinks. There, two guys around our age start hitting on us and, without anything to lose, I go along with it. I pound back three shots and let loose.

Que sera sera.

Next thing I know, I'm dancing in the middle of the floor with Lucy and the two strangers. When Mya and Brianna find us and join in, Mya asks me if I'm having a good time, and I give her an honest 'yes.'

Lucy leans in, her fair strawberry blonde hair sticking to the sweat on her cheek. "It's not even nine and I'm already drunk," she says, laughing. I laugh with her even though I'm only a bit tipsy, still dancing with this guy whose name I've already forgotten.

The music stops but I keep dancing, waiting for the next song to start. Nameless guy's hands trail lower and lower on my body, and I don't care to stop him. It's only after someone introduces the next band, thanking the last one for coming, that the music starts up again. That familiar music that's been growing on me for months.

But I don't look up. I don't even think about the guitarist that's no doubt playing up on stage. My mind bears no traces of his brown eyes or the prominent veins in his skilled hands. Nope. As far as I'm concerned, he's not even there. And I'm somewhere far away, dancing with a random cute guy who doesn't need a name. If Levi's eyes are on me, I sure as hell don't feel them.