Since I spent the whole week wearing my grumpy pants, Leyna grabbed me on Friday and said, "Listen, you know how Gonzalo's working as a bouncer, right?"

Gonzalo was her boyfriend, a six foot, three inches behemoth of a man who cried when the bachata was too heartfelt, but who could flatten a whole man with a single slap.

"Well, there's gonna be some big event at the club tonight and he got VIP tickets." She pointed a finger at my face. "I think you should come with."

"Why?"

She rolled her eyes. "Because you've been a sourpuss all week and we need a happy puss instead."

"Ugh, you're so gross." But she almost made me laugh. Almost.

Which was how, Friday night I dolled up. I wore the tightest jeans in my arsenal, with a few strategic rips showing some skin but not enough to get me arrested for indecent exposure. I put on an emerald green blouse that made my eyes pop, even in the dim and flashing lights of a club. It was cut pretty tight, with a plunging neckline occasionally hidden by the frills of the blouse. My hair was done in long, perfect waves, makeup was on point and heels were sky high.

I was ready to put the week behind me and welcome the weekend while shaking my booty.

Leyna picked me up, along with one of her Dominican friends, and off we went. The line at the front of the club was so long, it actually continued onto the next block but we knew better. I'd only joined this party on counted occasions before, but ever since Gonzalo got this job, he would always sneak us in from the back of the building.

That was precisely what we did. Leyna's friend, Andrea, and I, waited until Leyna and Gonzalo were done greeting each other, enjoying the night air of downtown Orlando while they enjoyed each other's tongues.

"Siempre lo mismo," Andrea said and I chuckled.

If I had a loving, devoted boyfriend like Gonzalo, I'd probably greet him the same way every time. But I was here precisely to forget such things.

I clapped. "Okay, okay. Let's go."

That tore the lovebirds apart and Gonzalo finally let us through. I vaguely motioned at his mouth, which Leyna had left smeared in her bright pink lipstick. Gonzalo didn't seem to mind, though.

The club vibrated with electronic music. It wasn't quite my favorite, though sometimes there were a few true jams here and there, but this club was pretty good with the music variety. They'd play EDM for a bit, then switch to some Latin music, a few oldies and so forth. A bit of everything for everyone.

And everyone seemed to be packed into the place. We had to squeeze our way through the throngs of people to reach the entrance to the upper floor, where the VIP section was. The tickets Gonzalo had given Leyna let us through, and even the stairs were a crunch. I'd never felt so many body parts brushing against me outside of a dance floor.

"Whew, esto está loco," Leyna said, once we finally took our place in the high top table Gonzalo had reserved for us. It had a great view down the balcony to the massive dance floor below and the stage.

"What's the deal? Why's all Central Florida here?" I asked—and when I said asked, I meant shouted.

"Some big shot artist is going to show up," Leyna shouted back.

Andrea volleyed back with, "I heard it's a hot debut."

No importa, I thought to myself, glancing around until I spotted a waitress. I waved her over and asked for a bottle of Venezuelan rum. I knew this place had a couple of brands I was familiar with, and rum was just the thing I needed to stop thinking about that last dinner with Tae Yang, and how we hadn't talked since.

When the bottle arrived, I poured myself a long shot and downed it at once.

Leyna cringed. "Se va a prender."

This vaguely registered because the music shifted to the latest reggaeton hit, and the three of us switched on like lights. We danced around the table until my legs shook, and still I danced some more. A couple guys appeared out of nowhere to try to join us, but we ignored them. At least on my account, the only guy I wanted tonight was the bottle of rum.

After a while, Leyna ordered glasses with coke and lime and mixed us some Cuba Libres. When she handed my glass to me, she said, "You need to slow down, bitch. Or you won't last the night."

I blew a kiss at her and drank the cocktail, although I wasn't quite sure I wanted to last the night. I wanted to know if I closed my eyes and the world of my drunken dreams was different, if in there I was braver and could say what I really felt, instead of hiding from it.

The more I drank, the more I missed him and the more I needed to go to the restroom. The latter was the only thing I could control, so I extricated myself from the table and told the girls where I was headed. Of course there was a humongous line for the women's bathroom, but at least I could lean against the cool wall and catch my breath.

What was Tae Yang doing tonight? Was he going out on a date with Ga In?

Ga In was such a pretty name, if one pronounced it properly, instead of like the cleaning brand. That made me giggle.

Right as it was my turn to get in the bathroom, there was a huge commotion all around and some crazy screaming as though this were a concert. A man's voice announced the time was finally here to start the main attraction, but either I skipped my turn in line or I skipped the big announcement. I chose the latter, if only because I knew I was drunk as fuck and didn't look forward to making a mess of myself.

Finally, I was a free woman. When I emerged from the bathroom, the whole VIP section was assembled at the front of the balcony, where our table was. I didn't feel like braving that crunch and in contrast, the VIP bar was free.

I headed in that direction, my body vibrating with the beats of a song I recognized too well. It was that dumb, electronic love song that had premiered this week and inundated every air wave.

Grunting, I took a seat by the bar and waved at the bartender. "What's like, a creamy, super girly cocktail you can make?"

"Piña colada?" the guy responded across me.

"I'll have that."

I pulled out my ID and credit card from my bra and the guy didn't bat an eye. He'd probably seen it all in this line of work.

I'd actually learned this trick in my last few years, living in Venezuela. My backpack was only for my university books, so if anyone stole it the loss wouldn't be huge. But I'd sown pockets in my bra so I could stuff my ID, money, keys and phone up there, where it was less likely I'd be frisked by petty criminals in a hurry. It came in handy for clubbing.

Too bad my phone was big enough to be uncomfortable. I pulled it out and checked the screen. There was only a message from Mom telling me to not be late, but nothing from Tae Yang. My vision was a tad blurry as I found the last text exchange with him and I was debating whether to send him a message, when the bartender placed my drink, card and receipt in front of me.

"It's a sign," I said to myself, slurring the words as I signed the receipt. I put my card and phone back in my bra, rearranging my ladies so I could drink in peace.

Resting my chin on my hand, I sipped from the cocktail and listened to the music. It was a good song. I could see why the whole place was going down with it. And the live voice was amazing, too. I just hated who it reminded me of.

Had I done the right thing? And if so, why did I regret it so much?

I bit into the cocktail's cherry as a new song came on. Someone sat beside me and for a second I worried it was a guy, trying to hit on a lonely, drunk girl. If so, Tae Yang would probably not come to my rescue anymore. But I squinted and saw it was another girl, asking for a beer. I wished he were here instead. I dropped on my arms on the bar and dozed off for a quick moment.

When I woke up again, my cocktail had melted off and I pushed it away.

"Can I have some water?" I asked the bartender.

"You got it."

A loud voice announced, "And that's our show for tonight. Thank you all for coming!"

It was followed by roaring applause. I wiped my cheeks with a napkin, giggling at having missed the entire big event. Maybe people would calm down now and I'd finally be able to find the girls.

"That was amazing," someone said behind me. "I totally wasn't expecting that."

Sure enough, people started returning to their previous spots and the front of the balcony begun to clear. The bartender put a glass of water in front of me and I chugged it down.

A couple of girls leaned against the bar beside me. One of them said, "Can you believe he's so hot? Like, I hadn't paid that much attention to him before because of Ash, but whew."

The other one said, "Girl, I always knew. I've been Link's number one fan since their Youtube days."

The girls got their drinks and left. With the space they vacated, I could still see too many people lounging around our table. I pulled out my phone and texted Leyna.

At the VIP bar.

She responded right away, We'll get you when we can move.

While waiting, should I have another drink of booze or water? I ran my hand through my hair, watching out for when the bartender was free.

"Noona?"

I was hallucinating, therefore I should drink more water. "Excuse me, can I have another glass of water, please?"

"Make that two," the voice said behind me.

I swiveled on my stool and almost fell back. A pair of arms bracketed me and kept me firmly in my seat. The eyes staring down at me were really the ones I most wanted to see.

"Tae Yang?" I asked, flapping my mouth open and closed.

I squinted but yep, that was him, even down to the black cap he sometimes liked to wear indoors.

There were two burly men around him, whose faces were a tad meaner than necessary.

I pointed at them and said, "Are these guys harassing you?"

Tae Yang let out a quick laugh. "What? No, these are my buddies Mickey and Steve."

"Oh." I waved at them, but the motion made the world tip over. All I could do to not fall flat on my face was grab onto Tae Yang's forearms. "Whoa."

"You're drunk," he said.

I opened my eyes wide, as if the more of the world I saw the more it would right itself. It didn't work, so I admitted, "As fuck."

"Ahí estás," a new voice said, which I vaguely recognized as Leyna's.

"Leynaaaaa..." I tried to stand up but my legs had turned into noodles. Fortunately, Tae Yang was there to catch me. As though conjured by a dream.

"You should probably go home," he said against my ear.

"Girl, you didn't slow down," Leyna said. "Party's over for you."

I settled my chin on Tae Yang's shoulder. "Mkay."

Leyna chuckled. "Looks like you're saddled with her."

"Cecilia," Tae Yang asked, patting my back. "Do you want your friend to take you home or me?"

"Yoooou."

"Conoces a este tipo?" Andrea asked.

"Sí, es amiguito de Cecilia. Va a estar bien con él," Leyna said.

I blew them both a kiss. "Gracias."

"Let's go," Tae Yang said. Next thing I knew, the world flipped over and my head lolled back. When I brought it back up, I could see his face very close to mine.

He was carrying me, bridal style.

"Oh."

"Is this okay?" one of his burly buddies said.

Tae Yang nodded. "Yeah, just cover me."

I let my head fall on his shoulder and closed my eyes.

SONG OF THE DAY: Incubus - Wish You Were Here

not Tae Yang being a knight in shining armor (again). what do you think is gonna happen next?