I should have seen the arrival at a nightclub coming from a mile away. Or really, all the way back at the house when I was handed a mini-dress. Perhaps some part of me had completely ruled it out, considering the danger out there, and figured Kristen wouldn’t have considered it.

My eyes slid over to Kristen and gave her a look as the taxi moved to the front of the building.

"Are you sure this is a good idea? You know what’s going on, don’t you?" I asked her in a low voice.

"Of course I do. Who’s going to try and pull anything in the middle of a busy club? Just stick with me, don’t wander off alone, and things will be fine. I don’t want you to think about that anymore for the rest of the night, okay?" Kristen replied.

I swallowed and shuffled around nervously but sighed and nodded. "Okay. Deal."

Once the taxi came to a stop, we shuffled out of the car and walked up to the building. I was amazed by the sheer amount of people lined up outside of the club, gathering in globs and yelling to talk over one another. While my sister and I had just been shopping, it felt weird to be in such a crowded place. I couldn’t quite pinpoint the last time I was in a place like that.

Except the Auction House.

No, I wouldn’t let my mind venture to such a place. This night was meant to be about Kristen and I living a little, about letting loose and living life, even if it was reckless. That was what I was going to do.

When I positioned myself to move to the back of the line, Kristen grabbed my hand and tugged me toward the door. Before I could inquire as to what she was doing, the bouncer was smirking at us and gesturing us inside. I guessed that Kristen had her connections, and I wasn’t about to turn my nose up to it. I was in desperate need of a drink to calm my nerves so I could properly enjoy the night.

The music was loud enough to make the room feel as though it were pulsating. The lighting was somehow dark and too bright, with ambient lighting not being a thing, but accent neon lights lining every wall, column, and booth. There were also LED dots dancing about the space from a projector. Never had I ever been to a place anything like that. The only outings I had ever been on had been with my father, and those clubs had been stuffy, old, and creepy.

Kristen quickly obliged my silent request for a drink, ordering us both jello shots and margaritas. I couldn’t hold in the giddy giggle as the jello squished around in my mouth. It felt so foreign and silly, but what a fun way to get your drinking done. They stayed crowded around the bar with the other patrons as they pounded down enough drinks until Kristen turned to her.

"Let’s go dance!" Kristen shouted over the music.

"Oh, no," I replied, shaking my head no vehemently. "I don’t know how to dance to music like this."

"Then it’s good news that you’re married and not trying to impress anyone," Kristen smirked.

Just like that, she pulled me to the dance floor. She was smiling and moving my arms around as she began to sway to the beat. At first, I moved minimally, terrified of embarrassing myself in front of all those people. Then, as the song went on, Kristen’s words really began to ring true to me. She was absolutely right, I had no one to impress. That night was meant to be about having fun and letting loose. Besides, the room was rather dark and everyone was drunk.

By the time the next song started, I was fully in the spirit of things. We danced together, laughing and dancing in a carefree style. Waiters came around, offering shots and we indulged in them. I had never understood the appeal of a night out dancing, but I was finally beginning to understood.

After several songs, a man approached Kristen from behind and began dancing with her. She turned around and peered up at the handsome man before looking back at me. I waved her on to have fun. I was enjoying myself, and I didn’t want to stifle Kristen’s night out. She went on and I made my way across the club to the bar, ordering myself a "bahama mama" before finding a nice little corner to post up in while I enjoyed it.

The moment the glass was empty, I found my way back out onto the floor. The alcohol was all hitting me by that point. I felt light, giggly, and pleasantly dizzy. I danced by myself shamelessly, not caring if anyone was looking or judging. That night was meant to embrace being young and that’s what I was going to do whether or not I had a dancing partner.

I moved to the music and allowed myself to get lost in the experience. It was something so different and unique to look around and see that everyone was having the same experience. People were dancing together, or alone, but were all one with the music, and all under the influence of alcohol or something more. I wasn’t there to judge them if they were.

Time started to slip away from me. The waiters kept coming by with more and more shots and drinks. I gladly drank up and was beginning to border on drunk. I was feeling myself swaying without meaning to by the time I noticed Kristen approaching me.

She had a strange look on her face that my intoxicated mind couldn’t make sense of. I was giggling at her, "E-everything okay, Kristen?"

Her eyes shifted all about. I was beginning to piece together that she was nervous. "I think we should get going. We’ve probably been out long enough."

I snorted and looked at her. Had I been sober, I probably would have been at the very least concerned that something had happened to her. That someone made an unwanted advance or something, and she needed time to get away. However, my drunken mind couldn’t make sense of it and was determined to have that night. It might be the only night away that I had for a long while, or maybe ever.

"No, we haven’t. I haven’t had enough fun yet," I replied to her before slipping away. 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

I danced my way through the crowd, finding my way to the bartender to get myself another cocktail. Once I secured it, I made my way back into the crowd, determined to continue my good time no matter how awful I would feel come morning.

By the time I had emptied the glass and handed it off to a waiter, a man was towering over me. He was handsome and was starting to dance with me.

For a moment, I gladly complied. It wasn’t sexual, just more rhythmic swaying with his hands on my waist.

It was fun, but began to make me feel a little weird. I couldn’t pinpoint why at first, as he looked nice enough, and I was still a fun level of drunk.

But then it hit me. The thought of Roman.

I was feeling weird because I was dancing with a man that wasn’t my husband. While I didn’t think there was anything necessarily inappropriate about the way we were dancing, as we weren’t grinding or touching on one another, it made a wave of guilt come over me.

Even in my slight stupor, I was realizing just how poorly I was handling the entire situation with Roman. I had a right to be upset, but I didn’t have the right to be putting my life in danger or going out drinking in the town. If he had done such a thing, I would be so hurt and upset.

Kristen had meant well, and she had only been offering what I had sought her to help with. I had needed a distraction, and she provided it. No one could be upset with her for that.

No, the only person I was upset with was myself.

I shouldn’t have shut down. I should have talked through how I was feeling with Roman, no matter how irrational it was. It would have let me get it out, and we could have worked through it together.

I wanted to find Kristen and get home.

It was only then, when I tried to look around, that I realized that the man had danced us into a corner. I shot him a nervous look and tried to side step, no longer getting innocent vibes from him. However, when I tried, he blocked my way.

Then, in the next movement, he had me by the arm and dragged me through a little entryway. My drunken mind was spinning, dizzied, and confused.

Then, I was shoved into a room. My blood ran cold. Nothing was good about this.

I should have stayed home.