So far, this silly plan of mine isn't going well. Our third round of Mojitos arrives, and yet again, the glasses are full of ice. So disappointing. It takes all of two sips through my straw, and I'm right back to square one.

Although my clubbing experience can be counted on one hand, isn't getting wrecked and dancing the whole point? And I need to be wrecked in order to dance, so stingy drink pouring is detrimental. Elsie notices my dilemma and hands over her untouched drink. Just as I'm about to question her, she beckons over a bartender and begins demanding a jug of Strawberry Mojitos.

I'm envious of Elsie's feistiness. Among other things. My next move was to order something else like shots, but she's adamant. Over the pounding beats, I overhear her telling the stunned bartender, "It's my new favourite drink, and I actually want some in my glass this time". I bite my lip, trying to subdue my giggle; the poor bartender looks stricken just like Jay did earlier.

I feel that odd sensation as someone's eyes rake over me. Turning around it's the same sharp-dressed man who was talking with Jay before.

"Hi, I don't think we've met I'm Aiden," he extends his hand out for me to shake. The gesture seems a little bit stuffy for the setting. But on second thoughts, it's a much better greeting than being pashed and manhandled. Well depends on who's doing it.

Smiling wide I return Aidens handshake. "I'm Kyra, Elsie and Jay's friend."

"Its nice to meet you Kyra. Friend huh? You and Elsie look identical."

"We're pretty sure we're not related. But short of a DNA test, who knows." My shoulders hike into a shrug before I slurp up the last of Elsie's cocktail. "How's your night going?"

"The opening seems to be going well, so I'm happy. How about you?" I quickly hide my surprise at his words. Of course, Elsie had told me one of Jay's friends owned the club, but I hadn't expected him to be so young — Aiden looks barely thirty years old. A photographer hovering around the lounge hones in on us.

"May I take a photo, Mr Richardson?" The man asks eagerly already fiddling with the lens. No doubt they want some promotional pictures of the opening and I'm instantly flattered at being deemed worthy.

Aiden nods, stepping closer to me just as Elsie appears next to us. She looks triumphant from her 'discussion' with the bartender but quickly realises she's photobombing. Aiden reaches his arms around both of us as the flash blinds me. The photographer seems pleased and ends up taking a bunch of shots. I'm surprised by how much fun it is posing for the camera. Typically, photos make me scurry for the hills, but I feel strangely confident for a change between my sexy dress and the makeup plastered over my face.

"Thank you for the photos, ladies. I hope to see you both on the dancefloor soon," Aiden says with a smile before walking off to mingle with another group.

"Look at you cosying up to the owner," Elsie winks cheekily at me as I roll my eyes to the strobe lights above.

"He had his arms around both of us."

"True. But Aiden's not off-limits for you."

"Let's get our jug!" I say as a distraction.

I'm unsure whether Elsie is simply the queen of confrontation or the bartender saw who we were posing with. But an absolutely massive jug of Strawberry Mojitos and fresh glasses await us at the bar. I carry it back to our booth, not trusting Elsie and her excessively high heels with the precious cargo.

I sense Jay before seeing him, my pulse picking up tempo as I approach the table and set down our jug. Pathetically I want to occupy that seat next to him, but I claim Elsie's seat so the two love birds can be next to each other.

"Where the hell did you two get that?" I hear Jay chortle over the music, no doubt referring to our colossal jug. Shakily, I fill our glasses, trying to concentrate on pouring instead of the blue eyes regarding me intently across the table. I don't know why he's staring, and don't care to find out the reason. Out of my peripheral, Elsie leans into Jay's neck to shout something in his ear, and he cranes his head down.

Taking a drink of Mojito, I almost gasp by what appears to my tastebuds to be straight rum with a few strawberry pieces and mint leaves floating in it. There's not an ice cube to be seen. I clearly need to get Elsie to do all my negotiations. Maybe she can bully my landlord into cheaper rent.

That responsible part of my subconscious is screaming 'drink water' over and over again. Still, I can barely hear my inner monologue over the DJ set and the new-found jealousy swirling in my belly. It's completely irrational to feel envious of someone I don't even know, someone whose not even mine.

Throwing caution to the wind, I chug back my glass and distract myself with pouring another. My concentration is shattered to smithereens when Jay's pants leg touches my ankle underneath the table. My eyes flick upwards, catching his electric blue gaze for a moment before he turns back to Elsie. Geez, a fleeting glance and brush of the leg, and I'm practically panting.

Sitting together at the booth probably isn't helping me forget either as Elsie starts laughing at something Jay said, and all I see is green. I need to get away from here.

"I'm going to dance!" I don't wait to discover whether my voice was heard over the table and walk determinedly towards the dance-floor.

Wait, what am I doing? I hate dancing.

The bass and hypnotically sweet vocals of an electropop song floods the room. This definitely isn't something I've heard on the Rock station before, but it's so hauntingly catchy. My hips sway to the thumping beat as the repetitive lyrics wash over me.

"You wanna make me bad, make me bad", the angelic voice sings. Closing my eyes, I let the music take me away.

Perhaps I'm more intoxicated than I thought.

~

My first conscious thought is ouch. The pounding in my head isn't dull at all; a sharp pain clatters directly behind my eyes. I lick my chapped lips with a tongue that feels coarse like 40 grit sandpaper. Inching one eye open, I quickly realise I'm sprawled diagonally across a bed. Mercifully I'm alone, and my handbag and a bottle of water perch on a bedside table.

Seizing the bottle of water, I guzzle it down. The cheap plastic crackles around my grip, punctuating the otherwise quiet room. The damage is already done, but hydration is still key to recovery. Or so I hope.

Clutching at my throbbing head, I wonder what the hell happened last night. After hitting the dance floor, the rest of the night became a bit of a blur—more like I was a blurry mess.

Faint voices carry through the thin apartment walls, and though I can't make out the words, they sound like Jay and Elsie. Thank goodness.

But somehow, someone placed me in bed, put a jumper over my dress and removed my heels. Elsie's the same size as me, so I can hardly see her dragging me up here alone. I pale as the image of Jays' thick arms cradling me against his muscular chest floods my senses. Was it a memory? Breathing in deeply, I can almost taste his delicious aftershave. I wanted to nuzzle into his chest, and then...My mouth goes dry as my thoughts wander. Definitely not a dream.

I creep out of the warm bed and into the bathroom to survey the damage. The oversized jumper I'm wearing definitely belongs to a man. My eye makeup is a little smudged, but the rest of me still looks decent, better than I deserve considering how much my head is pounding. I try my best to flatten my hair and brace myself for what's next.

My journey into the kitchen finds Jay and Elsie perched on barstools armed with a cup of coffee each. I eye their mugs longingly. The sound of my footsteps causes them to look over. Elsie smiles wide while Jay's eyes trail over my face before sinking to my legs that peek out under the large jumper.

"Hey." Such a simple word from Jay has me automatically blushing.

"Hey guys," I shyly wave and take the unoccupied stool next to Elsie.

"Do you want coffee? How do you feel?" Elsie asks already sliding off the barstool.

"Yes, please," I say to the coffee. "My head hurts, but I'm OK. I can't remember much. How bad was I?" Nervously, I pluck some fluff from the sleeve of the jumper I'm wearing. Someone's getting a lint roller in their Christmas stocking.

"You were a lot of fun!" Elsie's words soothe me as she places a pod in her expensive-looking coffee machine. "We were dancing up a storm until the club closed, and then we got an Uber home. You fell asleep in the car, so Jay carried you up." OK, so definitely not a dream then.

"Thanks for looking after me." My face feels hot as I continue staring at the long sleeves of the jumper. "I've never gotten that wasted before; I'm so embarrassed."

"Don't worry about it. You have nothing to be embarrassed about. I got wrecked a lot worse than that at your age," Jay says with an easy smile. I know he's trying to relax me, but there's a glint of humour in his eyes. I fleetingly wonder how old he is but before voicing my curiosity, Elsie places a fresh coffee in front of me. Eagerly I clutch at the steaming mug and murmur my gratitude.

Elsie's phone rings and she excuses herself from the room, leaving Jay and me alone. I'm immediately conscious of the first and last time we were alone together.

"Thank you again for carrying me up." My words are barely audible as I whisper them into my mug.

"No problem, Kyra. It was my pleasure." His words cause me to choke on my mouthful of coffee as a vivid dream comes bursting to the surface of my dusty mind.

Jay's up on his feet in a flash and rubbing my back in soothing circles. "Are you OK? Do you need to be sick?" A quick shake of the head has Jay rattling off more questions which I'm definitely not going to answer honestly. "Then what's wrong, Kyra? You look pale."

It's difficult to look away from the concern etched in his handsome face, but my cheeks are on fire. My gaze lands on the clock on the wall—3:30 pm. No way is it that time already.

"Oh shit."