the crowd of people. I’m preparing myself for the inevitable letdown, my breath frozen in my chest, my heart hammering a quick rhythm, and then I see him again.
Aiden.
He’s standing at the edge of the dance floor, and his black shirt matches his hair. His mouth is unsmiling as his eyes lock with mine. Strobe lights cast him in contrasting colors, red then yellow then green then blue. He starts to move toward me, and I think I’ve had one too many drinks. Either that or I’m asleep and this is just a vivid dream.
It feels so real. It feels like I’m still in the club, watching Aiden slowly slice through the crowd to get to me. Bodies crush in against me as I stay stock-still. An elbow hits my ribs, but it doesn’t hurt. Nothing hurts anymore now that Aiden is here.
He gets closer and I see his eyes, pale green in the dark club.
It really is him.
He’s here, a few yards away from me, and then a few feet. He disappears for a moment, ducking around a couple, and then he’s standing right in front of me, tall, solid, real.
I drag my gaze up over his chest, higher, until our eyes lock.
My mouth drops open in shock.
He smiles and a dimple pops.
I shake my head in disbelief. No. No. He can’t be here. How is he here?
I feel a tear on my cheek, but it’s gone quickly, swiped away by Aiden’s thumb.
I’m careful not to speak. I’m scared to blink. If this is some cruel spell, I don’t want to wake up from it. I want to live in it forever.
Aiden steps closer to me as the music pulses around us.
I glance back to look for Lucy, but she’s gone.
It’s just me and Aiden in the center of the dance floor. He reaches out to take my hand, and he weaves our fingers together. Someone bumps into me from behind and I fall forward. Aiden catches me deftly, but he doesn’t put me back on my feet; he tugs me against him, pressing us together.
My hand reaches up to flatten against his chest and he keeps my other hand in his as he starts to move us together, in time to the music. The beat is fast, but we catch the slower rhythm, unbothered by the crowd around us.
Aiden tips his head down and presses a kiss to the edge of my mouth, then lower. His lips touch my neck and then he stays there, folded into me. I move both of my hands up and around his neck, hoisting myself up on my toes so we’re completely flush as we continue to dance.
His hands grab my waist and his fingers gather the loose material of my sweater dress, bunching it up a few inches so that the backs of my thighs are exposed. It doesn’t matter. No one can see us, and if they can, they don’t care.
We’re just another couple, dancing close in the club. We’re invisible.
I whisper his name, and he turns his head to look at me.
His lips are so close I can’t help myself. I lean in and kiss him softly.
It feels like I haven’t seen him in so long, and the kiss is so sweet, so long overdue that when we break apart, we both immediately fall into another kiss. His hands tighten on my waist. I clamber higher, trying to even the score. I wish I were taller. I wish I could flatten myself against him completely, feel him from head to toe.
His hands start to roam on my body, dragging up along my side and then back down, lower, cupping my ass, bringing me up against his hips. He rolls me against him, and it kills me that we’re in a club with so many people around.
One of my hands leaves his neck, moving lower to the hem of his shirt. I toy with the waistline of his jeans, dipping my fingers a few centimeters down into the denim.
He sucks in a sharp breath, almost like he’s in pain, and I get it. God, this is torture, being with him in public after going so many nights without him in my bed.
We’re making up for lost time. Our mouths barely part even when we both need air. His hands sweep my hair out of my face, angling it up so he can stare down at me. His gaze flits back and forth between my eyes as if he’s unable to