Scars Like Ours | Red View Romance #2

🍂 Twenty

Saturday came before Annie was ready for it, though she wasn't sure she ever would be. The club--a converted old warehouse with brick walls and industrial-style furniture--seemed to pulse around Annie, its dance floor and bar both bustling with people. The building was all warmth and sound, gyrating bodies, laughter, and the smell of mixed drinks that was so potent it almost stung.

How the quartet managed to get one of the tiny round tables at the edge of the dancefloor was no mystery--all Gabriela had to do was look around and a nearby group of guys waved her over to flirt and invite everyone to sit. When she explained it was a girls' night, the men still insisted they have the table before heading over to the bar. Annie tried not to notice or care that they looked at everyone but her.

Under the colorful LED lights with loud, bassy music thumping around them, she didn't feel nearly as out of place as she expected to. Sure, there was an inkling of pressure in her chest, a little flutter of panic in her heart, but there was too much of a buzz from the thrill of a new experience to get swept up in the anxiety. She was in an underbelly of the world that she'd only ever seen through movies and TV shows, and she found herself wanting to paint all the excitement in heavy brushstrokes of neon. Still, she was glad she'd volunteered to be the designated driver--she felt dizzy enough just from the atmosphere.

"You're sure you don't want anything to drink?" Gabriela still asked her anyways as she reached into the neckline of her dress and pulled out a credit card. "The party's on me, and one or two drinks'll be out of your system by the time we leave."

Annie nodded. "I'm sure, thanks. Me and alcohol don't mix well." She was still plagued by the memories of getting wine drunk at the reception of her mother's wedding, having to be driven home early by her grandparents, and spending most of the night on the bathroom floor more nauseated than she knew possible. In the end, she realized it would have been easier just to face the occasion soberly, and figured that was probably the case with the rest of life, too.

"Fair enough. But don't think that means you're getting out of dancing." She turned to Layla and Kenzie. "First round is a surprise."

She was strutting away to the bar in a flash, drawing more than a few head-turns on her way there. Gabriela's life was a wonder to Annie, akin to watching a magician perform. It was something she'd never understand or be able to replicate--all she could do was look on in fascination and imagine what it might be like to wield such a captivating mix of confidence and beauty.

"Is this a lot different from clubs in New York City?" Kenzie, who was all smiles, asked Layla.

Her red hair looked like magic under the purple lights. "It's more similar than I expected, actually."

"Well, it's the closest thing like this around. Any closer to Red View and the only thing remotely like a nightclub is the bar in Millhead that has line dancing on the weekends." Kenzie laughed, shaking her head. "But I guess that's why I love the country. It's got... innocence. Like Annie."

Annie flushed at the joke as Kenzie nudged her, but her lips twitched with a smile. There were worse things to be compared to, and she couldn't pretend it wasn't accurate. "Maybe that's why I like Red View so much."

Before either woman could respond, a tall man with neat, sandy blonde hair had sidled up next to Kenzie's chair, flashing a wicked grin. "Hi. I'm Aaron."

"Hi," Kenzie laughed out the word, clearly caught off guard by the introduction. "I'm Kenzie."

"Kenzie," he repeated her name with a drawl that seeped interest. "Can I buy you a drink?"

"I appreciate the offer, but my Maid of Honor actually just went to get us some."

"Your...?" His eyebrows raised, gaze scanning the group. Annie had watched her older sister reject men enough to recognize the look of seared disappointment. "Well where's the lucky guy?"