CHAPTER 6

KAYLA’S POV

"Holy shit-balls, this place is amazing!" Dee beamed. She grabbed my hand, grabbing me through the crowded nightclub, and she made a beeline for the VIP lounge upstairs.

Once we reached the bottom of the stairs, a buff bouncer stepped in front of us with a glare, and his huge biceps stretched across his chest.

With a huff, Dee slipped our passes out of her clutch and passed it to him. He looked down at the passes, back at us before letting us pass through the brass stanchion.

Once we reached the top of the stairs, she tightened her hold on my hand and walked us to the right part of the lounge.

The VIP lounge had little lighting and the bass of the thumping music was way quieter here. With red strobing lights and a small stage where sexy strippers were slithering up and down four steel poles while hundreds of dollar bills rained down on them, it gave a different vibe from what was happening downstairs.

We walked passed a group of men seated on a luxurious red cushions, drinking from tumblers of expensive vintage bourbon, sniffing drugs I could not name off of a naked brunette's body, one with a buzz cut and a buffed up body kept talking to another lanky one with a blonde in between his thighs- after a few seconds of watching her head bop up and down, I was so sure she was giving him a blowjob- while he probably talking about the next flashy sports car he was going to get to the surrounding men.

Next to them, seated in their own section, were middle-aged ladies who were singing loudly and spraying dollar bills on the ass of a black woman straddling and twerking on one of the brunette.

We reached our section, and I knew that because we were suddenly facing two women who looked like they were way past tipsy with how loudly they were singing.

Immediately, they realized they had an audience. They stopped and screamed once they saw Dee.

"Oh Em Geee, you came!" One of them, a black woman with a blinding white smile, screamed. She tugged Dee down to the chair and I tensed.

I wondered if they knew she was pregnant.

I was not so sure though, considering with what just happened.

I looked at Dee, who had a genuine smile on her face and my shoulders released their tension. She did not look like she was in pain.

"Amelia," She said, laughing as she air-kissed the black woman. "I told you I would come. This is my friend Kayla." She gestured to me and I laughed nervously when I realized I was still standing awkwardly before them.

"Hii." I greeted with a small wave, moving to sit next to the second lady. I averted my gaze, internally worrying about what they would say about my eyes.

It hurt that till this day; I feared what people thought of my eyes. Bullies were one of absolutely the worst people on earth.

They're taunts and snarky comments still followed me till this day and I despised myself for still believing their words.

I sneaked a glance at the woman seated next to me. She had straight jet black hair, and had on a white lacy Dior jumpsuit. Once I sat next to her, she adjusted a little, moving closer to her friend.

With a small smile on her lips, she muttered something to me but I could barely hear her over the thumping sound of the hip-hop music.

"Emma." She said loudly herself, and I realized she was introducing herself when she outstretched her slender hand towards me.

Even with the nerves flittering through me, I grasped her hand, shaking it lightly with a small nervous smile. "Kayla."

"It's so nice to meet you, Kayla. But we need to cut the pesky introductions and order more shots!" Amelia yelled, sending me a wink while signaling for a bartender.

I waited for them to make a comment on my eyes as we waited but they didn't. My tensed body relaxed a little.

The bartender, a busty lady with legs for days and cool tattoos stood before us in minutes and Amelia immediately ordered another round of tequila shots.

Apparently we were going big tonight but I had no objections, even I wanted to go big.

The last time I went to a nightclub was four years ago with Aidan and a few of his friends from college. Initially, I had refused to go because I knew how Aidan got whenever he got drunk.

It was going to end in two ways; him constantly making a mockery of me in front of his peers and people who he said were above me, or hius being thrown out of the club because Aidan had a knack for throwing hands whenever someone stared at my ass for longer than three seconds.

And I wasn't wrong.

I was never wrong.

It had ended badly because Aidan had overheard the bartender compliment my smile and he got pissed off. Once the bartender had gone out for a smoke break, Adrain and his group of drunk college friends attacked him and we were kicked out of the club. And when I mean kicked out, I mean the owner of the club called the cops on us. Thanks to Dee and Josh we got bailed out.

Since then I loathed the idea of going clubbing with Aidan.

Or going clubbing, ever.

Except tonight. I needed this.

It's a Friday night and I officially had no obligations, at least for now. The reminder of life, except for Estelle that is, hits me and I immediately take a shot.

"Yes girl!" Dee and Amelia cheered me on, I take another and then another and I'm drinking until I well and truly do not give a shit about Emma's unfriendly stares, my unfulfilled life, the sexy stranger and my mother.

Our section was filled with the cheers and loud singing from Amelia and I.

Sometimes I checked on Dee to see if she was still sipping on her fruit juice.

My eyes clashed with Emma's in a haze, she looked back at where my eyes left- Dee's flute- before looking back at me with a raised eyebrow.

I ignored her, stood and grabbed Dee's and Amelia's hand so I could  drag them to the stage where the strippers and other ladies were all grinding on each other.

I moved myself to the thumping bass in a way I haven't done in years. I closed my eyes and tilted my head back, emjoying the slow burn of the alcohol streaming through my system as it numbed me both physically and mentally.

We laughed and danced, and screamed until we were sticky with sweat and our throats were hoarse and then we danced and screamed some more.

Some minutes later, Amelia left and came back with a tray shots, that I gladly dived into, water for Dee and Emma behind her.

It was not until Dee protested how tired she was and how she needed a break that I finally came back to my body. I could feel everything. How much my dress was sticking tp my skin, how my thighs felt chaffed from rubbing on each other for too long and my feet were numb from dancing in them for too long.

But...what struck me the most was how much I didn't care. For the first time in a long time, I wasn't thinking about anything.

 I wasn't thinking about work or how close it was to pay for rent. I wasn't thinking about my grandma and how badly I was letting her down. I wasn't thinking about my mum, how she disowned me and how long it's been since I last saw her. I wasn't thinking about how she refused to come see Estelle after she was born, even after knowing what happened with Aidan and I. And I was thinking about how bad I needed to provide the best of everything for Estelle.

I wasn't thinking of any of that.

I was, however, thinking of him.

The brooding, sexy stranger.

Thinking about had my face aching from how big my smile was and we merely exchanged more than three sentences.

He was consuming my every waking thoughts.

Fuck, he was even consuming my dreams, and I knew I was getting delusional at this point.

My eyes scanned the small crowd and sections in search of a man I knew wouldn't be here. A man like him didn't belong in the club scene. It was too loud for someone like him. Too crowded too. I like to think of my stranger as a confident introvert.

Dee waved at me, shouting that she was going back to our section. I debated following her, but before I could think further, Amelia tugged me back and I got lost in the music once more.

My hips swayed in time to the slow and sensual beat and I got lost in the bodies pressing in on me from all sides. I jerked in surprise when someone plastered themselves behind me and I relaxed when I realized it was Amelia. She sensually dragged her down my sides and I shivered and closed my eyes when she pressed a hand firmly on my hips to move our hips together. Amelia shrieked and cheered me on when I reached behind her, intertwined my hands behind her neck and rocked slower. Until my skin prickled with awareness.

There was a stark difference between dancing around people and people actively watching you. Even with my eyes closed, it was easy to feel the change and right now? Someone's eyes were drilling a hole into my flesh. I didn't know if it was someone on the dancefloor or someone standing next to me or someone watching me from the VIP sections.

A sane person would be reasonable enough to ignore it. A paranoid person would panic, open her eyes, and survey her surroundings.

But I was neither that.

I relished in the sensation and as I did; the stare turned to a glare.

The hairs on my sweaty neck raised, and I pressed myself against Amelia harder.

As I danced, I subconsciously hoped the person staring was my stranger. My heart rate picked up, and I struggled to swallow when my mind conjured up different thoughts about the whole situation.

What if he was seated at the darker sections?

Was he thinking of me as much as I was thinking of him?

My nerves picked up, and I suddenly wanted to go back to our section. I turned to look at Amelia, who looked like she was having the time of her life. Her curly hair was coming out of its bun, she noticed, hooked a finger under the fancy band and ran her hands through the bouncy curls after freeing them.

I told her I needed a break.

She clearly didn't hear because she leaned down to yell into my ear and I took a waft of her hair, which scented like freshly picked strawberries when she did. "Huh? You want more drinks?"

I laughed and shook my head. "No!" I yelled back into her bent form. "I said I need a break. My feet are cramping terribly from these shoes. You coming with?"

She laughed, "Oh!" then she shook her head, "Sure. My throat feels like I just crawled through the Sahara." She turned her head to side, and the looked behind me. "Where's Emma? I think she needs a water break, too."

I looked behind her, and I found a more than tipsy Emma dancing with a young lean guy. I pointed behind her, and Amelia turned around.

She winced as Emma cheered loudly when the beat of I feel like I'm Drowning by two feet came on. "She definitely needs a water break."

Before I could say anything, Amelia marched over to Emma and the stranger. She came to a stop in front of them and tried to grab Emma, but the stranger moved back with Emma.

I moved to walk to them when but stopped when Amelia glared at him, clutched Emma's arms before speaking rapidly to the bloke whose eyes widened the more she spoke.

Once she was done, she marched right back to me, huffed out a, "I hate men," before walking right past me with Emma. I laughed as I followed behind them closely. "Me too, hunny."

And I laughed harder when I looked at Emma who looked like her favourite candy had just been snatched right out of her hand.

And maybe it had.

Dee had a smile on her face as she noticed us trudging towards her. "That was entertaining to watch." She said, sipping on another fruit juice.

"I don't understand how men still can't take no for an answer," Amelia huffed as we all sat down. "I mean, does it really bruise their ego or all they all empty skulls?"

Dee glared at her. "Not all of them, and you know that." Her lips tipped into a smirk. "I bet you don't say that in front of Michael."

Amlie rolled her eyes, mirth swimming in them. "You bet your ass I do." She raised her hands up, signaling for the waitress. "I need a bottle of water but not as much this goof here," she glared at Emma, who was so out of it, she was sprawled on the soft cushion.

Amelia's eyes met mine and she asked, "What's your story, green eyes?" Her eyes scanned my face. "I haven't seen you at Dee's spa before. And I go to Dee's spa a lot."

I stilled at the mention of the color of my eyes. "Me?" I laughed nervously. The alcohol was clearing. "There's no story whatsoever. But I have a daughter and she's the sweetest person ever."

Dee smiled at the mention of Estelle. "You should meet Estelle! She's the cutest, chubbiest baby ever. She literally gives me baby fever." She looked at me. "Show them a picture, Kayla."

I dived into my purse to bring out my phone, and I regret the decision immediately as the screen lit up. I suddenly felt conscious of the model of my phone.

It was 2023 and I was still using one of the oldest models of the Iphone. I was sure Amelia and Emma were both using the newest models.

Heck, even Dee was using one.

I found an album of Estelle's picture only and I passed the phone to Amelia, whose hands were already outstretched.

They all gathered around my phone, gushing at Estelle's pictures and my heart warmed at the sight.

I never hesitated to show of Estelle to anyone. And it made me proud to call her my daughter when people gushed at her beauty.

"What's your husband's name?" Emma asked and I snapped my head up to meet her sharp gaze. She looked less drunk now.

Amelia glared at her. "I don't understand what Kayla's husband has to do with little Estelle here, Emma."

Emma chuckled like Amelia had said something funny. "There's no harm in my question, and you know it," she looked back at me, and I tensed up, "I mean, if she has a child, she definitely has a husband," her face scrunched up, "or at least a baby daddy. Right, Kayla? Unless, you know, you're a young single mother which I'm sure you're not."

I was frozen in shock, and only kept looking at Emma.

She looked at me, waiting for an answer, and she realized I wasn't to give her one, she kept going. "Or are you?" She pressed on, "tell us his name Kayla. Maybe my husband might know him from his golf club, seeing as Dee's and Amelia's husbands are members of that same club. But then again-" she paused, looking from me to my purse atop the shiny table surface and then at my old phone with Amelia, "with how you look, I don't think he can afford the membership there. He could be a cart-boy though or one of the-"

"That's enough, Emma!" Dee snapped at her, slamming her glass on the table as she did. She looked at Amelia. "What has come over your friend, Amelia?" She demanded. "She has no right to talk to Kayla like that. Tipsy or not!"

Amelia looked like she was too stunned to say anything with the way she was staring- or glaring, I couldn't tell- at her friend.

I lowered my head to find my hands shaking and I quietly willed myself not to cry as her words repeated themselves in my head.

Once I was sure I wasn't going to cry at her words, I raised my head and stared at Emma right into her eyes.

"My daughter has a father, but he's dead. At least to us. I do not know why you're so invested in finding out his name or why you said such hurtful words to me, but I know you definitely have a problem, Emma. You scooted away when I sat down beside you. You have constantly looked at me like I spat in your favourite drink and now you think it's okay to throw insults at me and broke-shame me?" She still had that sick, bitter smile on her face and I shook my head. "You have such a bitter soul, and I hope it heals one day. Before you go around asking younger ladies the names of their husbands and enquiring about their homes, I think you should focus on yours, because you sound like an insecure, unsatisfied wife whose husband doesn't comes home every day," her smile fell, and I smirked, stood up, reached for my phone and picked up my purse. "And by the way, his name is Aidan. He's a tall asshole with green eyes who ran away from his girlfriend and unborn child, just so you know, since you're so interested in younger men so bad."

I slung my purse over my shoulders, waved goodbye to Dee, who looked like a proud mother, and to Amelia, who looked embarrassed by her friend's behavior and, with my shoulders straight, I walked out of there.