Page 1 of A New Days Don

Prologue

Mila

Six Years Prior

The heavy bass throbs, vibrating against my heels and up my legs. Bodies grind against one another, hips gyrating as the air thickens with sweat and pheromones. Lights flash and swish to the beat of the music like a pulse come to life in a rhythmic entanglement of colour.

I have never been in a club before today. Despite many of my friends entering with fake IDs, I never saw the allure until now. The sensory overload sends my adrenaline into overdrive, producing a euphoric high as I shimmy through the grinding masses of sweat, heat, and arousal. It’s addictive and hypnotizing, making it harder to discern if this is reality or some dream conjured by my subconscious.

The beat of the music dips for a moment, shifting the way the lights around the club flash. I pause midstride to eye the somnolent pulse of dark purple light. The dress I’m wearing rides up my thighs, and I tug it back down to keep my body as covered as possible. I know Karmin told me this dress would be perfect for the evening, but I am starting to wonder if I would have felt more comfortable in something a little less tight.

The thunderous bass pulls me out of my trance. The sound is almost ominous. It sends a chill down my spine as I continue further into the bar, looking for my best friend. I spot her almost instantly. Her broad grin and pale blonde hair are hard to miss as she chats with another woman I have never met. Karmin’s brown eyes meet mine, and they light up with excitement as she waves me over. The song ends, but there is barely a split second before the heavy bass of the first one blends with the silky thrum of the next. As if it would be a crime for the overly loud music to pause for even a moment.

Karmin’s face lights up blue, red, and white with the beating lights. As I approach her, she pulls me into a hug before spinning me to face the purple-haired female she had been speaking to before. She eyes us both, her blue eyes looking between us suspiciously before Karmin speaks, or rather yells, over the music, “This is my friend, Mila! This is her first night out!”

The purple-haired female seems to relax before she shouts back, “I’m Rain!”

I wave to her, and she laughs before leaning over to say something into Karmin’s ear. Karmin’s face turns beet red, her big brown eyes looking up at the slightly older woman with interest. I make myself busy looking away from the two, feeling like I have interrupted and pussy-blocked my friend by showing up.

I didn’t know Karmin was seeing someone, but then again, it isn’t something out of the ordinary for her to meet someone new and enjoy a night of ecstasy together.

A group of rowdy men comes barrelling in, drawing my attention to them. Despite the loud music, their boisterous laughter can still be heard from across the bar. One of the men, a taller man with hazel eyes and mocha coloured hair, meets my gaze. He gives me an intense look, one that would make my own cheeks warm if I wasn’t already boiling between the bodies crowding the bar. The man winks at me before returning his attention to his wild friends.

I bite my lip, tracking him across the bar. He doesn't look too much older than me. Maybe twenty-seven or twenty-eight.

I feel Karmin’s elbow, and when I turn to her, she is grinning wickedly, “Looks like someone liked what he saw!”

I giggle along with her, my cheeks turning cherry red as I pull my attention away from the group. Rain smirks at us as if enjoying the way my friend becomes giddy with me over another person subtly flirting across a crowded room.

Karmin has been trying to set me up with men and women since we were juniors in high school, although back then, I suppose they were girls and boys rather than grown men and women. I rejected most of the advances, too introverted to want to spend more time than I have to around people I don’t know and who, in turn, don’t really care about me, but after insisting it’s a part of the high school and early university experience, I accepted a handful of dates. Regretfully so. All of them ended with me dodging their advances, paying for my half of the bill, and taking myself home.

I don’t know what is wrong with me, but anytime I contemplate dating or kissing someone, the thought of their bacteria-infested mouth on mine grosses me out. Karmin thinks it’s because I haven’t met the right person. I think the germaphobia may just ruin my chances at any relationship in the near or distant future.

“What can I get you girls to drink?” I yelp, turning to an older gentleman behind the bar, his lips pulled into a sheepish smile as if to apologize for scaring me.

“Three cranberry vodkas!” Karmin orders for us all, and he nods.

“IDs please,” the three of us pull our IDs from our clutches, and once satisfied, the man behind the bar gets busy making the three drinks. I hand the man my credit card and allow him to charge me for the three of us before I follow Rain and Karmin toward the quieter corner of the bar.

“Thanks for the drink,” Rain drawls, sliding into the booth beside Karmin. I take the empty side across from them and smile up at her.

“Anytime,” two people stumble past us. A woman and man who are both clearly far more inebriated than what should be allowed. The woman doesn’t even wait until she is behind the bathroom door to take her top off, giving us all a view of her perky breasts.

Rain and Karmin both start laughing, so I turn my gaze on them. Rain calms herself enough to say, “Look at that face.”

“Is this how it is every night?” I ask, shifting on the bench.

Karmin has always been the more outgoing one out of the two of us, but I'm surprised by how much time she spends in a place like this. Crowded with people who are drunk and either high on the music and lack of oxygen in this place, or whatever drugs were passed around before I arrived. The music shifts to a remixed song, and the people on the dance floor hoot and holler at the DJ.

“Pretty much,” Karmin relaxes back into the crook of Rain’s arm.

My gaze sweeps across the sweaty crowd of partygoers one more time as I turn back to Karmin and Rain. They are both mumbling back and forth with each other. Something Rain says makes Karmin giggle. I can't help but smile as I take in her happiness with Rain.

Karmin and I have known each other since high school. We both shared similar interests in the arts, although she has always preferred dance and drama, I delved deep into the world of fine arts. Using my hands to create and express what could never be said. Karmin has a knack for pulling emotion out of you with her body and words. I can't wait to be in the crowd watching her entertain and pursue her passion on Broadway.

“Now what?” I ask, taking a sip of the cranberry vodka. I sputter on the burn of alcohol, and Karmin smiles proudly at me as if this is the most entertained she has ever been. I grin back at her.

“Whatever you want to do, Miles. In a minute, we can head for the dance floor.” Karmin offers, and I nod distractedly looking back at my drink and the way the liquid sputters with each thrum of the bass.