36 - SOME SLIGHT DISTRACTION

*SOME DRUNKEN YEARS AGO
ARIA’S POV

It was just the day after Kyle had dumped me at his birthday party and a sat on the couch snuggled up in Sam’s arms as the tears poured out of my eyes. Sam’s smoothing my hair did little to nothing to calm me down.

“You needed to see his face Sam, he couldn’t even look at me – ” the tears streamed down my face as I recounted the scenario a dozen times in my head.

*We’re done

“How could he do that to me?” I asked questions that she didn’t have the answer to but she only pulled me closer

“He’s not worth it Aria” she counted, her tone was sharp and there was a hint of anger in them and Sam wasn’t the type to repress her anger, no matter the situation “So basically, his mother was right. He was the type to spiral, you know – sometimes Aria, women can be crazy but there’s always a hint of truth behind all that resentment and anger”

I said nothing, I didn’t want to think about him anymore. I sneakily checked my phone and there was a tiny part of me that expected a text from him but there was none, the blankness of my phone echoed back at me mockingly and I slammed it on the couch.

“You know what babe, we should go out” Sam announced suddenly, pushing me off her and jumping to her feet.

“I don’t feel like” I slammed the idea before she even got the chance to go further. But I could see the excitement in her eyes already, Sam would do anything to get me out of a depressive episode.

“You don’t have to feel like, I’m forcing you to. It’s better than crying here and moping around because of Kyle. I get it, he’s hot but he dumped you and I bet you a thousand dollars, he’s not moping around either” she was spewing facts and it infuriated me but still, I didn’t feel like moving an inch away from this comfortable couch that allowed me to sink in its warmth and it wasn’t going to wake up one morning and decide it wanted nothing to do with him.

“I’m still hung over” I admitted which was partly true, there was a dull ache to my head but I presumed it was mostly from crying too much.

“The best cure to a hangover is to keep drinking, you know that better than anyone” she counted. Ugh! I hated her, Sam had a answer to everything. Suddenly, she pulled the covers off me and I felt a blast of imaginary cold wind hit me in an instant and I groaned in frustration.

“So there’s this club opening down side, I met a random dude at the party yesterday and he told me to come along. I didn’t want to go but I think you need it, I can’t have you moping around here so let’s go put on our sluttiest dress and party hard”

I stared hard at her, and she held my gaze with her hands planted firmly on her waist, a defiant look on her face which meant she wasn’t going to back down until we were both dressed and on our merry way to party.

“Fiineeee” I groaned loudly “God, you’re so annoying”

“You’re welcome” she echoed back.

In no time, we were both dressed. I wore a cut out dress that exposed my tummy and Sam put on a mini skirt that stopped just above our butt. Our lips glossed, and our lids painted while we also sprayed glitter on our hair and before I knew it, I was walking into the usual settings of a club with the mixed smell of booze and sweat hitting my nose. Sam held my hands firmly, pulling me with her and I basked in her confidence when in actuality, I really wanted to be moping around at home with tears streaming down my face.

“There’s Hunter” she yelled amidst the loud music and I raised my brows in confusion,

“Who?” I asked, squinting my eyes in the dimly lit hall searching for the so-called Hunter even though I had no idea what he looked like.

“The guy I told you about, there he is” she pointed at a blonde guy behind the dj booth and he waved at her, a flirty look in his eyes. We stayed where we were and before I knew it, Sam was pouring drink after drink in my mouth and in no time, I was swaying my body to the electric beat of the music in reckless abandon. The buzz began to hit and I wasn’t thinking about Kyle, my hands flew in the air and I flailed them about in a controlled manner, I ran my hands through my hair and messing it around my face as I danced. I took shots after shots, and the world swirled around me in a way that didn’t let me think of anything else. I felt ecstatic even though I still felt an occasional hint of sadness but I didn’t let it register, I pushed it down with my shots until my head was swimming in the clouds.

“There’s handsome bloke in the corner staring at you” Sam whispered to me and she pulled away from the strange dude that had latched unto her the moment we started dancing.

“Where?” I wasn’t really curious but at the same time, I still needed a distraction

“Over there” she pointed at a corner “He looks mysterious, I know that’s your type” she winked at me and when I turned in the direction she was talking about, I saw the guy she was talking about. Tall, lanky and leaning against the wall with a drink pressed to his hand. Truly, he was looking at me and when I turned to him he smiled.

“Go on” she urged me and before I could protest she had propelled me in his direction and before I knew it, mysterious guy had his hands on my waist while I whined my body on his. He smelled of cigarettes and paint, so I presumed he was an artist. I was too drunk to care about his details, he seemed like the perfect escape to the night. I turned around to face him, wrapping my hands around his neck after the music changed tempo, and his hands felt like a permanent accessory on my waist as he pulled me closer even to the inferno emanating from his body. I avoided looking at his face, he wasn’t bad looking at all but each time my eyes met him, my drunken brain saw Kyle instead and he was last person I wanted to see, especially not at that moment

“I’m Dan” he whispered in my ears.

“Aria” I said back

“Do you want to get out of here?” he asked suddenly. I didn’t so I gave no response yet, instead I offered a sultry smile

“We could dance for a little while” I said and while he kept his eyes fixed on me, I stared just above his shoulder to an archery sign hung on the wall.

“Come on” he said instead, taking hold of my hand and pulling me with him despite my slight hesitation, but I walked with him instead when suddenly, someone else caught hold of my other stopping me from moving with him.

I turned around in a bid to see who it was – and even in my drunken state, my heart skipped several beats when my eyes locked with Kyle. He was the last person I wanted to see but at the same time, there was a part of me that felt a slight relief.