FOURTEEN

Skye

The lights were flashing across the entire club, and the music was loud. We ultimately settled on going to the Expose Club despite my promise to Mandee that we would have a girls' night out. The fact that I never had to wait in line to enter the club and that my father was well-known made this place appealing to me. Mandee enjoyed it because it allowed her to relax, have a few drinks, flirt with gorgeous people, and let all the stress from her graduate school worries go. In light of the recent anxiety that everyone had experienced, it was undoubtedly an excellent use of our time on a Saturday night. Derek had already sounded troubled when we spoke the last time, which worried me. I let all of it go, though, and tried to have fun as Mandee and I danced around the club while admiring the sight. I wanted to make sure Mandee enjoyed herself because she didn't go out much.

We had a few drinks to start, did some dancing, and then stopped for a while to have a few more drinks before going up to the bar for more shots. We spent some more time on the dance floor before dancing back into the bar and through the club while giggling uncontrollably as we walked up to a few seats. My forehead was sweating profusely when I sat down and placed another drink order. I rolled my eyes when Mandee drew up the chair next to me and asked for a water.

“What?” she asked. “I'll have a terrible hangover tomorrow if I don't stay hydrated right away. .”

“I don't think you'll benefit by drinking one glass of water for every three Jack and Diet Cokes, for whatever reason. ,” I said, chuckling. “But nice try .”

“Hey, it’s worth a shot,” she said, clinking her water against my drink. “So, how are things with you and Derek ?”

“Even though our relationship is fantastic, I'm beginning to wonder if telling my father would be a smart decision ,” I said .

“Really?”

“Yeah.” I nodded. “We've pretty much made it clear to one another that we intend to stick it out. Both of us considered ending it, but neither of us had the courage to do so. We are excessively attached to one another .”

“Good,” Mandee said, causing me to furrow my brow. “You two are happy. Good to know. To be honest, I didn't immediately take it seriously. I originally thought it to be nothing more than a casual encounter between you and an older man, but now I understand that there is more to it. Skye, I genuinely just want you to be content, feel secure, and make wise decisions. Tell your dad if that's what you want to do. Regardless of how he responds, you will still have Derek and he will still have you .”

“Wow,” I said, laughing. “Thanks a lot. It feels right to have you on our side in this situation. You are my best friend, and I don't know how I would get through this without you. Having no one to discuss my issues with has made me feel alone already. Without our little talks, I doubt I could have continued .”

She responded, "I'm glad you did. At last, you're content and at ease. Therefore, let's dance to get me there. ”

She got out of the chair and yanked me back toward the ground level nightclub by grabbing my arm. I ran after her, holding around her waist, and we danced to the music. It was a wonderfully fun night with lots of dancing, drinking, and no tension at all. We both chose to ignore the males who were making overtures to us in favor of a great girls' night out. It had been a while since I had been able to let my guard down and just have fun. I used to constantly check myself in the mirror, ponder what I was doing wrong, and worry that my father would disapprove of me for being young and irresponsible, as he loved to say.

We both ended up being rather inebriated by the end of the night, but Mandee was worse off than I was. I called a cab, got us both in, and gave the driver Mandee's address. Throughout the entire ride, we laughed and spoke while leaning against each other.

“I love you,” Mandee said, and took a deep breath. “You're like the sister I never had. .”

“I love you, too,” I slurred. “Can I tell you something? A secret ?”

"Always," she slapped my leg as she answered .

“Derek has really captured my heart. I am really in love with him ,” I whispered .

“I knew it,” she yelled. “I knew it! Aww, I wish I could be head over heels in love with someone. Damnit!”

I laughed and replied, "Hopefully someone you don't have to sneak about with."

“Yeah. She laughed, "I'll take my eyes off my father's buddies."

Looking back at us in the rearview mirror, the driver chuckled. I sloppily bent forward and gave him the finger. I put my hand on his shoulder and he smiled.

I sharply told him, "Don't you judge.

He said with a strong Italian accent, "I would never judge. My wife is ten years younger than me, so.. ."

I replied, "See, and you love her just the same."

"Of course," he responded, grinning.

I pushed her but got no response so I replied, "See, Mandee, it all works out."

“Mandee? Oh, you've fallen asleep. Great ."

As we rode into her Brooklyn apartment, I swept her hair out of her face and gave her a forehead kiss. She was really the cutest, and I could tell she didn't drink frequently. I will admit that I was somewhat wasted, but she was completely wasted. How I was going to get her into her apartment intrigued me a little. I shrugged and put the idea on hold until we got there.

She was only partially conscious when we arrived, so it was difficult for me to carry her upstairs to the flat. It took me almost twenty minutes to get across the hall and up one flight of stairs with one of her arms wrapped around my shoulders. When we entered, I brought her to her room and let her sink face-first into the bed. I took off her shoes and covered her with the blanket since I knew that when she woke up, she would have a terrible headache.

I left the room, less drained now, and shut the door to her bedroom behind me before falling back against it to collect my breath. My phone started vibrating in my pocket as my lungs began to relax, and I tried to take it out. I didn't even turn to face the caller before responding. My heart melted as soon as I heard the friendly voice on the other end. .

“Hey, you okay?” Derek asked .

“Yeah,” I said, laughing. “I just dragged Mandee up to her apartment, half passed out .”

Derek laughed. “I’m assuming girls’ night was a success then .”

“It was a success,” I said, slightly slurring my words .

“Good,” he said, chuckling. “Look, I won’t keep you. I’m sure you’re tired. But I need to see you tomorrow night. Will you come over at around six for dinner ?”

“That sounds amazing,” I said, noticing something off in his voice. “Derek ?”

“Yeah,” he replied .

“Is everything okay ?”

“Everything Is going to be fine,” he responded. “Get some sleep, and I will see you tomorrow night .”

“Okay, sweetie.” I yawned as I lay down on the couch and pulled a blanket over me .

“Bye,” he said with a smile in his voice .

“Bye, bye,” I replied, hanging up the phone and dropping it on the floor .

I flipped over on the couch and peered up at the ceiling in an effort to quell the spinning that was consuming me. Derek's voice had been so comforting to hear, and a part of me wished I could have been in his bed at that moment, tucked under the duvet and in his arms. Though I was aware of my feelings for him, I wasn't yet ready to confess my feelings to him. Simply put, I was relieved that I had managed to hold it together while speaking to him during my drunken haze. That was not romantic at all and would have been mildly humiliating. I wanted it to be special with Derek, not ordinary. In a way that we would both remember for the rest of our lives, I wanted to express to him how I felt. A one-way street was another thing I wanted to be sure of. To someone who didn't share their sentiments, no one wanted to declare "I love you."

In any case, while I lay there on the couch with one foot on the ground to attempt to halt the spinning, my thoughts turned to Derek and what he was doing at the time. I couldn't wait for the day when we weren't forced to keep our particular possession a secret any longer. Nothing, in my opinion, could stand in my way.