Winter in Cambridge

Chapter 10 - Dark Alleys

Tom thought about just casually cutting in between them as they danced.

Could he do this subtly?

Everyone would see him if he did that.

As Tom took some deep breaths, trying to think about this rationally, he heard someone say Winter's name, bringing his focus to the conversation at the urinal behind him.

"Winter. Fuck man. She is so fucking hot, James. She's making my cock ache."

"Then why aren't you taking her home already?"

"She wants to stay longer."

Immediately, Tom left the toilets, pushing through the crowd to get back out and return to the VIP tables. He had a window of opportunity that he needed to take.

Winter was still here, but he needed to see how this played out for a moment before he could focus on a plan or something to stop her from leaving with Michael.

"Hey, I thought you were going?" Jack asked Tom as he arrived back at the table.

"I changed my mind." Tom faked a smile as he signalled for the waitress to come over. "I haven't seen you embarrass yourself yet. I can't miss that," he lied, coming up with an excuse off the cusp to his friend about why he hadn't actually left.

Tom's eyes scanned the crowded space, searching for Winter as he sat in a chair facing the dance floor.

"What can I get you?" The waitress asked brightly.

"A beer and a double Johnnie Walker."

"Sure."

Jack raised his eyebrow at Tom's order. Tom had barely drunk tonight and was now ordering a double whiskey?

Tom saw Jack's face.

"It's a party, right?" he shrugged.

The waitress returned with Tom's drinks, and he immediately downed the whiskey and grabbed hold of the cold beer. His hand ached, and he needed something to ground himself. The cold seeping into his skin was helping a little, almost like a cold shower, but not as effective at refreshing his mind.

Jack was talking, but Tom wasn't paying any attention. He just nodded and smiled at the pauses in Jack's voice as Tom's eyes continued to scan the crowd as he sipped his beer slowly.

Tom's heart raced like the rumble of a car engine as the accelerator was floored once his searching eyes landed on her, picking Winter's dress out in the crowd.

Winter was on the edge of the crowded dance floor, dancing with Sarah as 'The Bomb' by The Bucketheads played.

She had her hands up in the air as she rolled her hips to the beat and moved her feet in time to the bass.

Tom watched her as he drank his beer, clinging to the bottle so tightly that his hand shook. She looked like she was moving in slow motion as his eyes appreciatively tracked her every movement, following every curve of her body.

Winter was stunning. A beacon of light in a dark, crowded room. She looked so carefree and beautiful as she danced with her eyes closed, feeling the rhythm and letting it take over her body. Her hips were like a hypnotic metronome as she swayed them side to side. She bounced on her feet, bending her knees up and down as she danced. Her hair flowed like waves crashing against the shore as she twisted her head from side to side.

Tom leaned forward more as he watched her.

He wanted to go to her. It was like she was drawing him to her, and she didn't even know it.