Bodies upon bodies. Flashing lights. Pulsating music. The heat of bodies making an inferno rage inside me. My conciseness drifted; one minute the world was too bright, noise too loud, atmosphere too thick, then in the next breath my surroundings drifted away, and there was nothing but me.
The alcohol flowing through my veins, lowered my inhibitions, and made me one of the many inebriated bodies moving uncoordinatedly against the coloured floor. My hips swayed â in time with the music, I wasn't sure â alongside those of the man behind me. Our bodies moved together, his hands griping my hips, my back flush against his chest.
I didn't care about anything, and I guess that was the point. The alcohol allowed me to not think. It gave me the chance to breath for a while and the nightclub gave me a free pass to be someone else. The world outside no longer existed; The Caleb that I was before I stepped inside, before the first drop of alcohol touched my lips, was no more.
I moved freely, my body seemingly out of my control, the music my puppeteer. I allowed myself to be turned around until I was face to face with the nameless person I danced against. The man, now in front of me, was attractive, that couldn't be disputed, so when he leaned in closer, I didn't stop him. I let our mouths move together, though I didn't give up the control he was looking for. After a while he relented, allowing me full access to his mouth, his hands gripping my waist tightly and pulling me impossibly closer.
I wouldn't see him again. That I was almost certain of. I had no intention to seek him out another time, but for now, in this small, isolated moment between the two of us, he was what I desired.
I could faintly hear the drumming of the bass as it reverberated through the densely packed room, but I allowed it to become background noise. I focused on the feel of his body against mine, the stickiness of his skin that was now glistening with perspiration, the firmness of his muscles as they tensed underneath my grip, and the dryness of his lips as they moved clumsily against mine.
I willed my mind to stop for a moment and just feel.
I pulled away when my lungs called for air. His head chased after mine, eager to claim my lips again, but my mind had reworked and attuned to my body's desires. My parched throat called to be replenished and I took his momentary daze as an opportunity to move away.
The crowd was dense and what was only a short distance felt like miles as I maneuverer my way through dancing bodies.
I debated searching for my friends but decided against it. I couldn't make out distant faces from my vantage point and no volume of voice would overcome that of the music. It was a moot task.
I had lost my friends long ago, a face I had accepted. The familiarity of the club we had so often frequented offered reassurance. The small and compact space, the way the bass of the music pulsated through the floorboards until it could be felt in your bones, was comforting almost.
There was a lingering smell of sweat and sick in the air, but the drinks were cheap, and the people drunk enough not to care about anything but - me included. Many a drunken nights had taken place in the dark and dingy club. Memories that can no longer be recall, or were blurred through alcohols lens, had been made within this room, both good, bad, and in-between. People had been kissed, bathroom stalls seeing more than they were built for and the innocent of youth wiped away. All in the name of fun.
As I turned around to do one final sweep of the space, I spotted one of the two faces I had been searching for. Shane stood towards the edge of the dance floor. His arms were wrapped around the lithe figure of a girl as they danced sensually to the beat.
I moved my gaze across the rest of the crowd once more; Marcus was nowhere in sight.
This fact was unsurprising. The three of us had a habit of getting lost, but like unassuming dogs, we would find our way home when called. Our rendezvous destination was the smoker area at 2 am, a bold and ambitious ideology our younger selves claimed. We either failed to stay out that late, overestimating our tolerances, or found ourselves somewhere when the countdown ended. After getting lost or waking up to a myriad of phone calls and texts one too many times, using our phones to check in with each other and share our locations became the norm. Now if we knew meeting at the rendezvous point was unattainable, we let the others know.
Funny how it took us so long to realise how great modern technology was.
The bar was packed when I reached it, unsurprisingly so, and I squeezed my way through the static bodies towards the counter, ordering a double vodka, lime and soda once served. I didn't need more alcohol, both my hangover and bank account would not thank me later, but I wanted to keep remain in this hazy mindset. This freedom from thoughts, the blur of my surroundings, and my enjoyment of the otherwise ear bleeding music.
So, I drank.
With my body still warm, the dance floor looked unappealing. My clothes were already clinging to my damp skin and my face feeling inflamed from both the heat and the alcohol. An empty seat near the bar and a momentary reprieve called my name.
I didn't make it far.
The presence of a familiar figure towering over me blocked my path. He looked good, though he always did. His lead body, though hidden beneath a baggy t-shirt and loose fitted jeans, was still obvious through the visible muscle definition in his arms. His facial features were sharp, the flashing lights accentuating the dips of his cheek bones and his sharp jaw line. Some of his short twisted braids fell just above his eyebrows, the others reaching just below his ears.
His eyes were the things that stood out the most, a dark abyss that pulled you in, a multitude of stories hidden inside.
If he eye's didn't watch him where ever he went I would be surprised.
There was as look of clear surprise on his face as he took in my presence.
"Well, you're definitely not old enough to be here." He said in a big brother like tone.
"And yet here I am." I didn't slur my words when I was drunk. Actually, I rarely looked drunk unless I was at blackout level. It was like my own personal superpower and surprisingly useful when facing compromising situations â like so.
"Clearly. My question is why?"
"Why else would someone come to a club? To get drunk and to dance." And get laid, though I had enough sense to not voice that out loud. "Why are you here?"
He rolled his eyes before huffing out, "To get drunk and to dance." I grinned at his response and eventually he smiled in return, his faux look of annoyance dropping. The flash of the lights brightened his already enticing smile, the whites of his teeth standing out more against his darker complexion."I should tell Ad." He said after a few beats, though his tone held no strength.
Lucas had a soft smile playing on his lips as his eyes focused on me. It was only summer when we had all been together, but that felt so long ago now. Lucas, my eldest brother Adam's best friend, had opted to stay instate so us crossing paths wasn't surprising. His family also lived in the house beside ours.
We â though my two older brother and Lucas didn't really live there right now â lived in a town half an hour or so away from the main city. The college campus was twenty minutes in the other direction. It was close enough that some students opted to stay at home and commute; you were in the minority if you chose to move out of town. Lucas left; his current house was just outside of the city, closer to town than his first-year dorms, but far enough away that he was independent.
"But you won't." It wasn't a question, and I didn't attempt to plead against him telling Adam that I was out drinking in a nightclub, underaged. We both knew he wouldn't tell. We also both knew that they had done the same thing at my age. If he did tall Adam, it would be hypocritical for either of them to lecture me.
Adam was nineteen, Bailey - the second oldest - eighteen and me, seventeen. My mum more often pregnant than not over a three-year period. In fact Adam and Bailey were born in the same year, just at different ends, one in January and one in December. The closeness of our ages reflected in our relationships. We weren't just brothers.
Growing up we did almost everything together â Lucas there more often than not. At around 13 both Adam and Bailey went through a that teenage angst phase. For a few weeks they deemed themselves too cool to hang around their brothers â me as the youngest especially â but that was short lived, thankfully.
Lucas was also nineteen, though being an August 31st babies meant that he could have been put in two different academic years, one where he would have been the oldest or one where he was the youngest. His parents chose the latter, placing him in the same school year as Adam.
Being an only child, I don't know if he was grateful for the chaos we brought into his life or just reaffirmed his gratitude for not having siblings of his own, a fact that is only biologically true.
"Need I remind you that you're not old enough either." I reminded him after a pause. His eyes still watched me with an unnerving intensity that I yearned to run away from, but instead I matched his gaze.
His eyebrow quirked at my comment. "Yes, but I'm an adult so it's more acceptable."
"I'm close enough."
"Not yet, little Cae."
I never entirely understood that argument. In courts of law what classified you as an adult seemed to differ dependent on what they deemed fit. So, I was old to have sex and get someone pregnant, but I couldn't buy fireworks? I'm being tried as an adult if I commit a crime, but I can't drink alcohol?
I brought my drink up to my lips in a childish act of defiance, easily chugging back the contents before he could say anything in protest.
"In a bit." I said with a two-finger salute before placing my empty cup on a nearby table and making my way back into the throng of bodies.
I found myself once again, unintentionally, in front of the man I had been with before. His surrounding friends moved themselves slightly, allowing me to flit past until I was flush against him once more. The small unease I felt from the lack of space was pushed to the back of my mind. Giving myself no more time to think, I welcomed the new flood of alcohol entering my system and, when he leaned in, let our lips reconnect.
As the nigh progressed, I allowed my world to shrink until it was just this dance floor. I was aware we were danced, that our bodies remained close, and our moths toughed frequently, but I wasn't present. Not really. And when my clouded mind cleared up slightly, the alcohol could no longer keep me there.
When I saw Lucas stood with - who I presumed were - his friends I almost found myself turning around and heading back to the dance floor, but a cold glass of water was even more appealing.
I stumbled slightly on my way to the bar; verbally I could appear as if I was sober, my body however often betrayed me. My mind liked to believe it was on a ship and my legs swayed to match the movement of the waves. A thankful bodily response to someone actually on a boat and instead a sign marking me as a drunkard. It was my downfall.
Before I could reach the bar a hand had latched onto my arm and I was turned to face Lucas. He stood with an eyebrow raised in question â though I wasn't sure what.
I smiled at him innocently.
"Okay," he started with a small smile, "where are you friends?"
Even in my drunken haze I appreciated the question, I needed to make sure they were safe somewhere. I frown as I glanced over my phone screen that displayed two miss calls and seven message notifications.
SCuM (our terrible group chat name) at 1:23
Shane: Going back with a girl
Shane: Be Safe
Marcus: Yoo bn safe
Marcus: Dont want np babby shanes knocking abouy
Marcus to Me at 1:09
Soooo drunk bro
Gooin home
Tell me whn you home saf
The messages in the group chat were sent almost half an hour ago, the one's from Marcus even earlier, so that meant, hopefully, Marcus was already safely home.
"They've left."
"They left you?" Lucas sounded annoyed, and while it wasn't the best news in the world, it wasn't uncommon. The biggest annoyance was the taxi fare.
I wanted to argue that they haven't left me intentionally, but my mouth wasn't cooperating with my brain and arguing felt too tiring. Instead, I just offer a shrug, feigning nonchalance.
"It's all good, I'll just get an Uber." That didn't seem to make Lucas much happier. His hand gripped my arm before he began pulling me towards the group he had been stood with.
"He's coming with us." Lucas said once we stopped before them, gesturing to me as if it wasn't obvious that I was the 'he' being referred to. "This is Caleb." A chorus of greetings sounded from the group barely audible over the cacophony of sounds in the small space.
"Ready to go then?" With that, the group began making their way to the exit. Lucas' grip never left my forearm, as if he was worried I'd wander off without guidance, like I was a dog and his hand the equivalent of a collar.
They were a group of five, and while I felt awkward imposing, I didn't feel too bad knowing they would've needed two Uber's anyway. If anything, I'm making the journey cheaper for them all.
"One of 'em'll be here in two minutes, so who's with me?" A tall guy spoke. He had a brown mullet with light stubble across his tanned face. His ears were pierce, a hoop hanging in place of his firsts and a stud in his seconds, both made of silver that shone in the light when he moved and matched that of the chain around his neck. The skin exposed on his arms was covered sporadically with tattoos, though of what I couldn't make out from the distance.
"We'll come." One of the girls spoke. She had a pink complexion, with light brown hair reaching just below her shoulders and a small sliver on the font dyed blue as if creating curtains to frame her face. She had long features to match her tall, lanky frame and thick platformed boots that made her reach my 5'10 height.
She had gestured to the girl beside her who had dyed pastel purple hair and a fringe. Her features were softer, a baby face still evident and giving her a more youthful look. Her cheeks were tinged a noticeable red hue, standing out against her light skin.
"Brill, let's go this way." With that they headed off down the road.
"We're this way." A voice beside me spoke. It was at this point I realised that, while they knew my name, I had no idea who any of these people were or how Lucas knew them.
The guy remaining with us had rich black skin, his hair perfectly styled into an afro, the curls defined and yet soft, and small amounts of hair above his top lip. His hair drew attention, but didn't take away from his face, his sharp features and prominent eyebrows.
Lucas and I followed as he walked in the opposite direction the other group had headed in.
"That's Bates." Lucas said, finally suppling introductions. "The others were Ollie, Rosa and Jenny. Sorry, I should've said that earlier but they left pretty fast."
"It's fine. Are they all your flatmates?"
"No. I live with Bates, Ollie and two other guys from the football team. The girls live somewhere else, but the Uber will drop 'em off."
"So how do you guys know each other?" Bates asked as we came to a stop beside him.
"We're neighbours, I've lived next door to him since he was a baby." I was surprised that he didn't first introduce me as his best friend's little brother, though it was nice to feel less like a burden; less like he was looking after me out of obligation and more genuine care.
"You one of Adam's little brothers?"
"The littlest."
"Well, it's nice to meet you. I'm Bates." I restated my name to which he nodded in acknowledgment before continuing to speak. "Why're you all alone?"
"Oh, shit yeah!" Suddenly realising I now had the ability to hear without the music deafening me, I pulled out my phone and dialled Marcus' number. "Sorry, one mo." I said to the two boys looking at me in a mixture of confusion and amusement as I held my phone to my ear.
The phone was answered after the fourth ring with an unhappy grunt.
"Just wanted to check you're alive."
"Mmh, in bed, sleeping."
"Alright, night." I replied before hanging up. Nothing more needed to be said, the call itself probably unnecessary, but the reassurance was worth it.
I looked back up to the questioning eyes before telling them who I had rang and why.
"So, they both just left you?" Bates asked.
"Well, Shane went back with someone, and Marcus left over an hour ago. I guess Marcus assumed I'd leave with Shane, and Shane probably though I was with Marcus, so no hard feelings or anything." The two boys didn't look overly reassured, but dropped it nonetheless.
Not too long after that our Uber pulled up, bringing with it a welcome reprieve from the cold night air. The three of us crammed into the back seat with me in the middle as the smallest. It was a squeezed and only as the car pulled away from the curb did I question why no one sat in the front.
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A/N [edited]
I know in the prologue I said I was literally just going to post a taster of the story, but I wrote a chapter as well so thought why not? This is in first person and the rest of the book will be written the same. It might be duel POV? Maybe. Enjoy?
I don't know about you guys but when I text drunk... no I don't. I read it back the next morning and it makes zero sense. How are you guys drunk? Do you slur your speech, hiccup frequently, laugh a lot?
I'm kinda like Caleb, I just get slightly more confident. That's not a good thing though because it leads to me doing stupid stuff.
I'm kinda liking this story and I have an idea of where I want it to go, but do you think it's worth me carrying on with?