Chapter 2- Let's dance

-Isabella-

The night carries on, and my inhibitions get lowered by the alcohol I've ingested in the mere hours we've been at the club.

I am still sitting at the booth with the other members of the Hurricanes as Alexandra and Melody approach us.

"The four of you look like spinsters," Alexandra muses with a glint in her eyes as she grabs my wrist and tugs me out of the booth.

"C'mon, let's dance," She coaxes gently, looking at the others as she starts pulling me toward the dance floor.

Everything happens so suddenly, she grips my hand, and I am suddenly yanked to my feet. She starts toward the dance floor. What neither of us predicted was that a guy was going to pass by our booth. And suddenly we collide. Hard.

He and I both grunt. And then he gets a proper look at me, for a second, our eyes lock. He was tall, muscly, and handsome, with bright blue eyes and a chiseled jaw. I open my mouth to apologize, but he beats me to it.

"What the fuck are you doing?! Do you have any sense of spatial awareness?!" He hisses into my face angrily.

My gaze darkens. I don't need this to take up any space on my current list of problems.  So I take half a step back from him, and make a show of wiping my cheek with my index and middle finger. I wiped the spit that shot from his clenched teeth as he spoke. That made his gaze harden as if I were the dirt on the soles of his shoes. Which in turn makes Alexandra's grip on my wrist tighten and her breath hitch in panic.

"Are you blind?! Watch where the fuck you're going." He spits and brushes his hands down his pristine white button-down shirt that is settled under his expensive suit as if he's dusting it off from the sheer filth that he considers my body to be.

Damn, that was an overreaction of the century. However, before I could respond or think to even open my mouth... he strolls away, and Alexandra looks at me wide-eyed.

"Isa... I'm so sor-" she looks apologetic, genuine regret filling her eyes, but I hold my hand up, my face in a scowl as I look after the A-grade asshole that passed me. I see him head up the stairs to the VIP section of the club.

"No, need for apologies, Alex. I'm fine. Let's dance." I start towards the dance floor, not waiting for Alexandra, or even any of my friends, to catch up with me. I stand on the dance floor alone in the crowd of unknown people for a second. I take a long breath through my nose and exhale it through my mouth. Standing there long enough to let the stiffness trickle out of my body through my fingertips. I let myself hear the beat of the song and start dancing slowly. Soon enough, I'm surrounded by the Hurricanes.

The music flows through my body as I dance with my friends. I'm not drunk. I didn't even drink enough to get blacked out drunk. I'm just buzzed enough that everything feels alive. And boy, do I feel alive. The flush was high on my cheeks, and a wide grin was on my face.

I let my body move, and my hands trail up and down my sides as I sway to the rhythm. I look at my friends who are doing the same. But they are also laughing and teasing each other. They are having fun. Truth be told, so am I. For the first time in a while.

All of a sudden, the air is sucked out of the whole club. The sudden lack of oxygen is constricting, but it seems like I am the only one who can feel it. I stop dancing altogether and try to discern this sensation I'm experiencing. It finally dawns on me.

Someone's gaze feels like a physical caress on my body. The sensation sent chills down my spine and made me involuntarily straighten up. It was unlike anything I've ever felt in my whole life. It made my whole body buzz and become aware of only that pair of eyes on me. I turn around, trying to find the source of it. But on the dance floor, all I can see are throngs of people dancing. Even my friends are unaware of this phenomenon.

I am unable to find the source of this gaze. That is, until I turn my head and look.

My breath hitches as I spot a guy on the balcony of the VIP section. A guy I've never seen before. Dark brown eyes, intense in their stare as they look directly at my own green ones.

From this distance, I can see that his hair was dark and polished. It didn't seem that he spent hours on it, but more like it was always like that. As if he wakes up that way, effortlessly perfect. At the front of his face, he has one strand that has slipped free and fallen onto his forehead and touched the arch of his brow.

He didn't brush it away; he didn't even move. He just kept his gaze steady on me. I swallowed hard, my throat suddenly too tight. It felt like he didn't want to take his eyes off of me for even a second.

I couldn't stop staring, my lips were parted, and my eyes were wide as I looked up at the VIP balcony. My heart was erratic. His intense stare made me forget about every single problem I've had in the past five years and even the last couple of months... Hell, even half an hour ago with the asshole who bumped into me. It made me feel seen. Like he could see past the mask that others didn't even question.

Suddenly, I was yanked to present by a touch on my shoulder, and it took me a couple of seconds to sober up from the stranger above and actually focus on her words.

"Isa, are you okay?" Vanessa's gentle voice dragged my focus to her, and I nodded quickly, too quickly. But I didn't care, instead, I spun my head back around to the balcony where the stranger is sitting. Unfortunately, he is no longer there. I feel every single nerve in my body deflate at the fact. I shake my head to sober myself of the daze that his brown eyes had put me in.

"Seriously. I'm fine. Just... got lost in thought." I smile at her softly, locking eyes with her. She doesn't buy it. I see it in her eyes, the hesitation, the worry. I tug her by her hand into me, spinning her around. A loud laugh bursts free, and I successfully shift her and my attention to dancing. Dancing, instead of the empty VIP balcony that was up and behind me.