Dean

I heard the click of stiletto heels shuffling along the cement past me. Hurried little excited steps that sounded like firecrackers on my heart. In her haste, she ran right past where I stood leaning under the street light. The same spot where I had been standing for the last half an hour, in fear that I would miss her if she decided to be early for once in her life. I would have stood in this spot for hours, had it meant that her eyes would finally look upon me again. 

I saw her run into the sand in those ridiculously high heels, sinking down into the warm beach like she had stepped in quicksand. The moonlight cascaded down around her, bouncing off the water and onto her bare shoulders. She looked like calm and peace, wrapped up in the moonlight and I stood in awe for too long, just staring at her beauty.

She continued to turn and look in all directions, searching for something and for a moment, I forgot that it was me that she was searching for. I could see what appeared to be tears illuminated by the moonlight and I stood up straight and left my spot where I had been standing. 

I smoothed out my black short sleeved button up shirt. I stepped towards her, thinking that she probably didn't see me in her hurry, because I was clad in black.

I ran a hand through my hair and then across my stubble, as I lightly stepped in her direction. She turned in my direction and I saw the moonlight catch her eyes, which were now wide. A large smile formed on her face. Her pace picked up as she started towards me and soon she had dropped her shoes from her grip and wrapped her arms around my neck. 

My arms wrapped around her waist and I lifted her in the air so that her face met mine, our eyes locking onto each other. When she pressed her lips to mine, I could feel the smile that had formed underneath them. I braced her back with my arms, holding her tightly against me as I kissed her. I kissed her like I hadn't seen her in forever. I kissed her like this was the first time all over again. She opened her mouth and I slid my tongue in, taking her into me. 

Her hands grasped my hair like puzzle pieces locking into place. The emptiness I had felt since she left was a distant memory. If someone stopped to check my pulse right at that moment, it would have felt like a sledgehammer beating against hard concrete. Her legs bent behind her and her grip tightened around me, and I knew that no matter what happened between us, she was mine right now.

She looked like diamonds dipped in chocolate in that outfit—the perfect outfit for the perfect girl. My hands traced the bare skin of her exposed back and for a second I caught my breath and remembered not to rush the moment. I pulled my lips from hers and looked into her beautiful blue-grey eyes, eyes that not only trapped me, but calmed everything about me. 

"Ari—" She cut me off mid sentence, by lightly pressing her lips to mine again. 

"Hi," I stammered, as I looked at her when she finally released her lips from mine. Truth was, a simple hello was about all I could manage to articulate after that run into my arms earth shattering kiss that just happened. If this had been some kind of chick flick romance, that would have been the point where they would've rolled the happily ever after credits, only to flash back in midway through, to a happy couple with a house in the suburbs and a budding family along with a golden retriever playing in the yard.

"Hi, Dean. I can tell you missed me." When she said that, I shifted a tad, because I realized that my body had told her exactly what I was feeling when I was pressed against her.

"Ha! Yeah, I guess it's apparent what you do to me," I commented, as I discreetly shifted the weight of my right leg, adjusting myself a tad while her gaze was locked on me. "I missed you. I'm really sorry about everything that happened." She pressed her slim finger to my lips to silence me before I could continue. 

"You don't have to explain anything. I was being unreasonable with jealousy and I was hurt. I wasn't really sure I knew how to handle this, between us." The fact that she used us in that equation brought a smile to my lips. "You said you had something to tell me, Dean."

"I do actually, but I was wondering if maybe I could take you somewhere first."

"Where exactly do you have in mind, I mean this is a perfect place to tell me your big reveal." She looked at me with those eyes and for a minute, I almost melted like butter and gave in, but I also knew that for her to realize I was being honest in my reveal, I needed to put a little bit of work into the night.

"Actually, it might sound silly, but I would really like to take you dancing right now."

A club seemed like the perfect opportunity to prove to her that there was no reason to doubt what this was between us. Clubs and our relationship during this trip, had been somewhat bad luck and it was time to show her that moving forward, it would no longer be a problem. 

"Dean, I'm not sure that's a good idea. We don't have the best track record with nightlife outings." She laughed a single solitary laugh, which signaled a bit of sarcasm, along with some deep seeded disappointment.

"That's exactly why it would be the perfect idea, plus you look too fantastic to waste that outfit on anything else." God, she looked like a Greek goddess clad in black and sequins. I tried to imagine something other than what that outfit would look like on the floor of my room, otherwise I might have had to adjust myself in public once again.

....................................

We headed back to the club where Pierce and I had conducted our experiment almost a week before. Before we arrived, I put in a group text to Pierce and Venise who both agreed to grab their significant others and meet us. We headed in and the minute I entered the building, I realized that my girl looked better than every other girl in the room, hands down. 

A nice enough looking redhead escorted us to our table and I put in word with her to show our friends over when they arrived. I ordered a drink for both of us when the server finally came by.

"Hi handsome, bottle service again tonight?" the platinum blonde server asked, as she leaned in closer to me.

"No thanks, not just yet. Make sure you get whatever my girlfriend wants though. I'll have a jack and coke," I stated, as I diverted my attention back to Ari, who had a look of shock on her face at my non-flirting moment with the blonde and unusual drink order . 

"You don't want bottle service, Dean?" 

Ari's face turned towards me and I answered, "No thanks, love. I'm not looking to get drunk tonight." I wrapped my arm around her waist and pulled her closer to my side as she draped her leg over mine and leaned into me. 

Pierce walked over to the table, wearing what I could only classify as a real Don Johnson, Miami Vice white suit, with a dark blue henley underneath. His hand was attached to Priya's and she walked behind him looking stunning as ever in a navy blue long sleeved mini dress.

"Hey man, what's with the whole Miami Vice look? Priya I can't believe you let him leave the suite looking like that." I bumped fists with Pierce, who then stepped aside so Priya could sit down first. 

"Don't blame me for Pierce's whole when in Miami look, Dean. He was adamant that he needed it and we should do the cute couples coordinating thing tonight." Priya giggled as she looked over at Pierce. 

"I was channeling my eighties vibe baby, plus you said I looked good enough to eat." Priya slapped his arm and blushed. He took and moved her closer to him and planted a soft kiss on her dimpled cheek. Looking at them was total relationship goals and I hoped that Ari and myself would one day be as happy as they were. 

"Man, where are my manners? Pierce, Priya, you guys remember my Ari." Ari's eyes darted to mine when she heard me call her my Ari.

"Of course, Dean. Ari, I'm so glad to see you again. We should really hang out, just us girls before we leave. We've never really had the opportunity to become best friends," Priya stated, as she leaned in and gave Ari a hug, while Pierce casually waved in Ari's direction.

A few minutes later, Venise and Patrick showed up and I could tell that Patrick was a tad uncomfortable when he saw me, paired with another equally handsome dude. What could I say, team Pierce and myself up and we made an irresistible pair. 

"Hey Patrick, you missed the memo that Pierce sent out, which said we all needed to dress like huge douches from eighties T.V. shows." I could see that Patrick had no clue what I was talking about and I remembered the whole personality of a potato thing and added, "Sorry, he thought it would be a great night to get our Miami Vice on."

Again nothing, wonderful! Then finally, he chimed in, maybe he realized what it was that I was saying after all and laughed. "Oh yeah, sorry. Sorry Pierce, I guess my email account sent that one to the auto reject bin." Oh my, did Patrick the Potato Personality actually crack a joke? I was actually impressed. 

Pierce laughed and slapped Patrick on the back, Patrick tensed up a tad at the thump. The server came by again and took drink orders and us guys sat in uncomfortable silence, while the girls were knee deep in conversation. I looked at how engaged in the moment Ari was and knew that in my lifestyle, she would fit in well. She had the kind of personality that people gravitated to. It was one of those genuine caring natures that seemed to be rare in the City of Angels. 

I couldn't help to stare at her face while she talked. It was amazing to see how beautiful she was, when she was genuinely happy. She was breathtaking before, but happy, that was another thing entirely. 

Our server brought us all a round of drinks, our table lined with the typical array of glasses—a few brightly colored drinks with chunks of fruit on the rims and those cute little paper umbrellas, Ari's famous go-to drink choice a whiskey sour, and lastly a champagne cocktail. 

I looked over at the girls to get a sense of who ordered it, then I saw Patrick reach for it and sip on it. I couldn't resist the opportunity for a little fun.

"Hey Patrick, you know hookers from the 1950s used to drink those."  His eyes lit up and he paused mid-sip. I was waiting for him to blow up at me. Maybe I shouldn't have made a joke at his expense. 

"Well, Dean, I guess I'll have to ask my grandmother about her summer of 56' pastimes then." He broke out into laughter, much to the rest of the group's shock. It was a different side to Patrick and I had to admit that I actually liked this side. 

The whole group broke out into rounds of laughter, as we sat enjoying our drinks, while the music played on. Ari leaned over and placed a sweet kiss on my cheek before setting her empty glass down on the table.

"What was that for, beautiful?" I asked as she started to get up.

"I wanted to give you something to remember while I went and danced. To keep you occupied." She flashed me that beautiful smile that lit up the fire in my heart. She reached towards the girls and pulled them towards the dance floor. 

The girls walked out to the crowded floor just as the DJ threw on that one Calvin Harris song with Rhianna, "This Is What You Came For", which I knew was a song that Ari absolutely loved. She always played it in my truck when we went somewhere. I absolutely hated the song, because it always got stuck in my head for weeks afterwards. To make matters worse, she would Snapchat me whenever it was on the radio and text me lyrics, causing it to happen all over again. 

All I could do was watch her as she grabbed hold of the side of her black sequin slit skirt and started moving alongside Priya and Venise. I knew the guys were trying to have a conversation with me, but I couldn't take my eyes off her. Her hands and her body moved in perfect rhythm with the music and I could tell the girls were singing along. 

Hands down, they were the best looking girls on the floor and I saw eyes move in their direction, looking for an approach. I shifted slightly in my seat, setting down my drink on the table and motioning for Pierce to look over his shoulder. Pierce shifted places, so he was viewing what I was and I knew that he'd keep an eye out so I didn't have a repeat of Seattle. 

"So, Dean, are you all set for Thailand?" I heard Patrick ask and I looked in his direction. 

"Yeah man, everything's set for the proposal. I'm thinking though it's best to do it on the beach at moonlight." I remembered how beautiful Ari looked under the moonlight. 

I know he asked me another question, but I was just too distracted. "Listen man, I'd love to talk this over with you right now, but I'm going to go dance with my girl. Catch me later though and I'll tell you all the details." Patrick nodded and I got up to head Ari's way, when a familiar cute little girl grabbed my hand.

"Hey! It's you. Remember me?" she asked as I searched for how I knew her. "I'm sorry, it's Haley from last week. You bought me a few drinks, thanks again." I was at a loss for words and then I remembered the experiment and the girl and looked Ari's way, but she was busy dancing with the girls on the floor.

"So tall, tan, handsome and quiet, you want to finally dance and maybe buy me a drink yourself?" She batted her thick eyelashes and grabbed my hand a little tighter.

I looked back at the girl in front of me and realized what was going on. "Sorry, Haley right? Listen, had you asked me a month or so ago, I would have shown you the best five hours of your life, but now I'm no longer interested. Please excuse me." I released her fingers which were around my hand and stepped away.

The DJ was currently playing Zayn Malik's "Pillowtalk" and I only had my eyes on one girl and she was swaying with the music. I slowly walked towards her, away from Haley, who had her bottom lip jutted out, pouting. I slid behind Ari and wrapped my arms around her waist and pulled her close to me.

She didn't hesitate, she knew the way my hands and arms felt when they touched her and she leaned back into me. I pressed my face in between her neck and shoulder, taking in her smell. Small beads of sweat accumulated on her shoulder from the overhead lights. She reached back with her arms and wrapped them around my neck. 

I looked up and Pierce had taken Priya and was holding her close, lightly kissing her bright red lips. Venise had disappeared, more than likely retreating back to Patrick who wasn't much of a club guy or a dancer. 

Ari slowly turned to face me and she ran her hands through the back of my hair. I pressed her close to me, the music engulfing us. My hands ran down her back to the exposed skin and she pressed her face into my neck. Her breath sent tingles down my skin and I pressed myself harder against her. Her mouth found my ear and I could hear her excited breaths, which only added to the difficulty in restraining myself further. 

I knew I didn't want a repeat of Seattle. She meant more to me than that, so as the song ended I composed myself and led her back to the table. 

"Hun, I'm going to hit the head."

I kissed her softly before she sat down next to Venise. I knew I needed a massive splash of cold water and an adjustment or I'd be in trouble. After I had taken care of business,  I stepped out and headed towards the bar, so I could order another jack and coke and whiskey sour for Ari. Haley slid in beside me as I waited patiently for my drinks.

"Your girlfriend is really pretty." 

I looked in Haley's direction. "She is beautiful actually and I love her too much to be sitting here doing whatever this is, sorry."

I threw a $50 towards the bartender and gathered the drinks up and walked towards my table, leaving Haley in the dust behind me to sulk. A small smile escaped my lips at my ability to not give in to old Dean and when I laid eyes on Ari again, I knew that I never wanted to go back.

"Here, you looked like you needed a refill." I sat down beside Ari and pulled her close to me.

"Thanks Dean, but I'm getting a little tired. I think I'm going to head back to the hotel, you can stay if you want though," she admitted, as she placed a light kiss on my cheek, before telling the girls she was going to leave. I got up, swallowed my drink in one gulp and took her hand. "Where are you going?" she asked as she looked at me surprised.

"I'm going home with you." I wiggled my eyebrows at her and led her out of the club to one of the waiting taxis.

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A/N: Hey guys!

Hope you liked the chapter, please comment and vote.

So what did you think about Dean's restraint when the opportunity to be his old self popped up?

 Do we think he can be the guy that Ari deserves? 

Amina <3