Page 88 of Bad Influence
I pull my phone from my pocket and note down the address of the store where the girl went. It’s then I notice that I have a text from Killian.
Killian
Have a great time. Don’t forget to use the pepper spray if you need it.
Realizing I’m too drunk to write a text, I sent him a voice note.
Caroline
Thanks for the reminder. Though I’m not sure it’s a good idea for me to use the pepper spray given how much I’ve had to drink. I’ll probably end up using it on myself.
“Boyfriend?” The girl in front of me turns around to ask.
In my drunken state, I admit the truth, “Ex-fiancé’s older brother who I’m living with and obsess over.”
“Is he hot?”
“So hot! No one should be allowed to look like this.”
“Get it, girl! I’m so proud of you.”
I don’t know why I suddenly feel like I’m going to cry because a drunk stranger is proud of me for the fact that I’m obsessing over a hot man. After we finish our business and before we part way, we hug each other like long lost sisters. We’re probably never going to see each other again and didn’t even ask for each other’s names.
Before I walk back to the dance floor, I see if there’s another message from Killian.
Killian
You can always break a bottle and use it as a sharp object.
Caroline
Good idea. I’ll do it with the next guy who tries to dance with me. Eve has a whole lineup for me.
Sliding my phone back into my pocket, I walk back to the dance floor a little drunkenly.
“There you are! We thought you got swallowed by the crowd,” Eve says, leaning forward so I can hear her.
“I just went to the restroom.”
While I was gone, she’s had the opportunity to pick up our half empty bottle of tequila and she holds it out for me now. I put it to my mouth, taking a sip before handing it back to her.
We go back to dancing. Sometimes it’s just the three of us. Sometimes we merge into a group of girls beside us. Sometimes there’s groups of men who come too close and we push them away, lost in our own little space.
I’m laughing and dancing and maybe crying a little, thebottle of tequila held high in my hands as I gyrate my hips to the music. Eve’s arm is around my waist as she holds me steady, laughing along with me. She wraps a hand around Lilith’s neck and pulls her in for a kiss.
“I gotta sit down,” I shout over the music. I’m sweaty, breathless, and my feet are killing me.
As I walk off the dance floor, I stumble, and someone reaches out and wraps their arm around my waist to steady me. The roughness and width of the hand pressing against my stomach immediately tells me it’s a man. Reacting instantly, I raise my arm and elbow him in the stomach.
“Jesus, butterfly,” he breathes out.
The nickname makes me pause and I look over my shoulder to see Killian. With his other hand, he’s massaging his stomach where I just elbowed him.
I cover my mouth in horror. “I’m so sorry. Are you okay? I thought it was a random man grabbing me.”
“I’m fine,” Killian says. “It’s good to know you can defend yourself without the pepper spray.”
“I told you not to doubt my abilities.” I hand him the bottle of tequila. “Here, this will make you feel better.”
