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How obvious do I have to be for a server to figure out I’m in pain?
Jealousy must be written all over my features because my best friend kissed someone, and the man wants everything from her while I…
“Earth to Jimena.” I blink, realizing Luna is waving her hand in front of me. “Are you okay?”
“Yes. Just a little bit shocked you’ve been in a relationship…for how long?” I pick up the spoon, dip it into my ice cream, and lift it to my mouth, the sweet taste doing nothing to wash away the bitterness stuck in my throat.
Not my proudest emotion, but at least I don’t hide from it. My best friend gambled and won while I lost everything.
I’m happy for her, but I’d like to have a minute to be sad for myself.
We are allowed to grieve for a moment to mourn our lost hopes while still feeling proud of our friends and their accomplishments.
“Almost a year. We kissed on Christmas last year.” My hold on the spoon tightens, and I dip it again, munching on my ice cream. They even kissed on the same day as we did! “I wanted to tell you, but there never seemed to be a perfect time. Then you ran away to Europe, and it became an even bigger secret.” A beat passes as she grabs her fork and burrows it in her cake. “What about you and Florian?”
“I understand. I’m not mad or anything.” I wrap my hand around the steaming coffee and take a tentative sip. “There is no me and Florian. I confessed to him and kissed him while he pushed me away and basically told me to get lost. It’s been awkward between us since then, and it’s why I avoided coming home. I should have never done it.”
“Babe, I’m sorry.” She touches my hand, but I gently slide it away. “I had no idea. You must have been devastated. You’ve crushed on this guy since you were fifteen.” Red colors her cheeks. “And here I’m—”
“Stop.” She stills at my harsh tone, so I quickly soften it. “It’s no one’s fault, and I’m sure with time we’ll all be okay. I’m super happy for you, though, and want to hear all the details.”
“I’m a ward who lost her virginity to her guardian. I’m a textbook case, babe.”
“Well, at least you didn’t try to start something with a man who practically raised you, where the whole world considers him your brother, even though you feel anything but brotherly love toward him.”
We clink our mugs together and take a sip just as the music changes to a faster yet sensual tune, sending prickling sensations down my spine, and I perk up. “Oh my God. I love this song.” Placing my mug on the table, I grab Luna’s hand, pulling her toward the dance floor while she barely has time to chew her piece of cake. “Let’s dance.”
Dancing and playing the harp have always been my passions. Listening to music does something to my insides, and I love letting go and allowing my body to move however it wants. It clears my head like nothing else, and right now, while my wounds are still fresh and hurting more than ever with all the newfound knowledge about my friend’s private life, dancing is my only cure.
“I can’t move for shit,” Luna hisses but still goes with me as we slowly immerse ourselves in the masked crowd, starting to dance in tune with the music while Luna just shakes her arms up and down in a weird manner. “If my awkward moves get on socials, I’m blaming you.”
“No footage allowed, per club policy,” I shout back at her as we move farther and farther into the dance floor until we’re right in the middle, dancing with all the people around us as our hips shake to the fast beat and heels tap on the floor.
For a moment in time, nothing else but this exists. The heavy breathing, the scent of expensive colognes, and the sweat mingling with alcohol while the loud music consumes my entire being with hard bodies pressed to us from every corner, yet none of those touches makes me uncomfortable.
Everyone is lost in sensations, and I take a deep breath, welcoming the freedom tingling my insides and serving as a soothing blanket over all my scars that might bleed, but I’ll be okay.
My nirvana doesn’t last long because my eyes snap open when my friend shrieks, “What are you doing here?” I see Vincent sneaking up on her from behind and spinning her around. “Let go of me!” she shouts, but he just smirks, dips down, and throws her over his shoulder. “Vincent!” she exclaims as he moves toward the stairs, clearly heading to a VIP room on the second floor. She catches my gaze. “I’ll be back, Jimena.”
Yeah, somehow, I don’t think so.
I grew up around obsessed men who adore their women, and Vincent displays the same character traits, so my friend won’t be available for the foreseeable future.
I ignore the sense of sadness and, once again, the stupid jealousy that’s so embarrassing and wrong, and continue to dance. However, I bump into a hard chest, and for some reason, a zap of electricity rushes through me, awakening every hair on my body.
I swiftly turn around, only to gasp when my eyes collide with cold and curious emerald ones. He wraps his arm around my waist, bringing me closer to him, and the air hitches in my throat. “Hi, darling. Are you lost?”
His voice is akin to silk, gliding over me and squeezing my insides even tighter while thousands of emotions travel through my veins, each one crazier than the other, while only two thoughts remain in my head.
Florian found me.
And he clearly has no idea who I am if he’s using all his charms and that seductive tone of his.
Oh God.
What am I going to do now?
CHAPTER NINE
