Second Lanark

In the Club - Part 27

The music was pumping so loud that it felt like it was vibrating through my liquid body. Everyone from the floor had come out for the night as a pre-exam stress relief and to meet Lark's boyfriend. So far, no one had slipped up and mentioned anything about Lark's odd behavior the last few months. But it felt like the ticking clock on a bomb.

Rob was right; it was inevitable that someone would slip up. I was praying it wasn't Rob; I didn't know how to navigate that scenario. Lark would never forgive him, and I'd never hear the end of it.

I came out of the bathroom, and Rob grabbed my wrist, pulling me behind him to a dark corner of the bar, where there were fewer people, and the music wasn't quite as loud. He spun me around, and I laughed, enjoying the feel of the alcohol coursing through my veins. My back brushed up against the wall, and he put one hand on the wall beside my head, leaning into me, pressing our bodies together before kissing me deeply.

I wrapped my arms around him and pulled him closer; his arm left the wall and swept around my back, gathering me to him. When we finally broke apart, I looked up at him and smiled, but there was still something off in his gaze.

"I was worried you were mad at me," I said, reaching up and pulling him into another kiss.

He gave me a quick kiss and pulled back. "Not mad." His brown eyes searched mine, but there was an undercurrent I wasn't catching.

I was feeling just drunk enough to start a conversation I'd been avoiding, but she was here again tonight, and I was Little Miss Curious after all. "Why was Rachel so upset at my birthday?"

Rob sighed and leaned into me again, kissing me lightly. "You really wanna know?"

"Yes?" I wasn't sure I did want to know, but I felt like I might need to know.

"She'd been telling people we were seeing each other," Rob said, shifting back so there was now a little space between our bodies.

I frowned, my drunken brain taking a moment to process his words. "She told people you two were dating?"

"Yes, apparently several people." Rob took my hand and started playing with my fingers, not really meeting my gaze.

"Why would she do that? Is it possible you led her to believe there might be something more?"

Rob's eyes rose back up to mine. "I didn't lead her on. I knew she fancied me; I probably should have handled it differently." He sighed. "I probably should have told her about you before."

"Right." I nodded, feeling a little lost. If he hadn't led her on, if they hadn't been dating, why did he need to tell her anything? Would I have been surprised if he'd ended up with Rachel? Maybe, but I wouldn't have been pulling him aside to cry during her birthday party.

I heard Lark laugh and turned my head to see her and Cal coming towards the dark part of the room that we'd been using to steal a few moments of quiet. It appeared as though Lark had her hand down Cal's pants. I glanced back at Rob and shook my head, but he wasn't looking at me. He focused on Cal with a thoughtful frown on his face.

"Please don't say anything," I whispered to him, pulling him down to kiss me instead of zoning in on them.

He gathered me up and poured himself into me, so much so that I wondered if I could somehow convince Tricia to move out of our room for the night. I wanted to feel my body pressed to his; I wanted to feel his heart beating in sync with mine. I wanted to feel like this was going to last, that this bad feeling in my stomach was nothing more than too much alcohol.

"Oh," Lark giggled. "Sorry, Liz."

Rob broke the kiss and laced his hand with mine. But, he didn't turn to look at Lark immediately, instead, he looked deep into my eyes. He gave me a quick peck and then turned to look at Lark.