Chapter 4: Collision Course

Emily’s POV

My legs felt loose and heavy at the same time as I stumbled back toward the bar. The music pulsed louder in my ears, each beat slamming against my skull.

Kara’s warning from moments ago still rang in my head, but I pushed it away.

“Another one,” I told the bartender, slapping my hand on the sticky counter.

Kara appeared beside me instantly, grabbing my elbow. “Emily, stop. You’ve had way too much already. You’re going to regret this so badly tomorrow.”

“I need it,” I mumbled, grabbing the fresh cocktail.

The glass felt slippery in my fingers. “Everything still hurts, Kara. Every time I close my eyes I see him kissing her. I just want it to stop.

Her face softened with worry, but her grip stayed firm. “This isn’t the way. You’re not yourself right now.”

I took a long gulp anyway. The sweet liquid slid down easily, but my stomach twisted in protest. The club lights blurred into streaks of blue and red. My head felt too heavy for my neck.

Kara exhaled sharply, running a hand through her curls. “Okay, that’s it. I’m calling Julian. He can pick us up and take you home. Stay right here, Em. Don’t move. Promise me.”

I nodded vaguely, the room tilting as I did. “Yeah… okay.”

She hesitated, searching my face like she didn’t quite believe me, then pulled out her phone and headed toward the exit, weaving through the crowd. The moment she disappeared through the door, the loneliness hit me like a truck.

I tried to steady myself against the bar, but the nausea came fast and vicious. My stomach rolled violently.

I need to go to the  restroom.

I pushed off the bar and staggered forward, one hand pressed to my mouth. The floor felt like it was moving beneath me. People blurred past, laughing faces, dancing bodies, flashing lights.

I bumped into someone’s shoulder, mumbled a weak “sorry,” and kept going. The glowing restroom sign at the back of the hallway seemed miles away.

The nausea surged again, stronger this time. I was going to be sick. I turned a corner too fast and crashed hard into a solid wall of muscle.

Strong hands caught my arms to keep me from falling. I looked up, blinking through blurry eyes, and my heart stuttered.

Alex.

“Emily? What the fu—”

Before he could finish, my stomach rebelled completely.

I doubled over and vomited all over the front of his expensive white shirt. The warm mess splattered across his chest and stomach. The smell hit me instantly, mixing with the club’s stale alcohol scent.

Alex froze completely, hands still gripping my elbows. For a long, terrible second, neither of us moved.

Then he let out a slow, shocked breath.

“Jesus Christ,” he muttered.

I wanted the floor to swallow me whole. “I’m… I’m so sorry,” I whispered, voice cracking. My cheeks flamed with embarrassment. Of all the people in this club, it had to be him.

Alex looked down at the disaster on his chest, jaw tight. Without a word, he released one of my arms and yanked the ruined shirt up and over his head in one smooth motion. The fabric hit the floor with a wet slap. He tossed it toward a nearby trash can like it personally offended him.

He stood there shirtless under the dim hallway lights, revealing a perfectly sculpted hockey body wide shoulders, defined chest, ridges of abs that looked unreal.

A faint trail of dark hair disappeared into the waistband of his jeans. He was all power and heat, and I suddenly felt smaller than ever.

“What the hell is wrong with you, Emily?” he growled, voice low and rough. He ran a hand through his messy dark hair, clearly pissed.

“You’re trashed. Julian’s going to kill me if he finds out I’m even near you like this. Do you have any idea how bad this looks?”

I tried to speak, but another wave of dizziness hit me. There was no mockery in his eyes. Just frustration mixed with something almost like concern.

“I didn’t mean to,” I said weakly, tears slipping down my cheeks now. “Everything’s spinning and I… I saw Lucas today and he was kissing someone else and I just wanted to stop feeling it and now I ruined your shirt and I’m so stupid—”

My voice broke completely. The humiliation, the heartbreak, the alcohol — it all crashed down at once. I looked up at him through wet lashes, my bottom lip trembling.

He let out a heavy sigh, rubbing the back of his neck.

“Shit,” he muttered. “You’re really messed up, aren’t you?”

I nodded, another sob escaping. Without thinking, I stepped closer, drawn to the warmth radiating from his bare skin. He smelled like clean soap and faint cologne, even after what I’d done.

I collapsed forward into his bare chest, my cheek pressing against the warm, solid muscle. His arms instinctively wrapped around me to keep me upright. I could hear his heartbeat, strong and steady, thumping against my ear.

“Don’t let me go…” I whispered, voice barely audible. My fingers curled weakly into his side. “Please, Alex. Just… don’t let me go right now.”

I closed my eyes and let myself lean into him completely, whispering again, softer this time.

“Don’t let me go…”