Chapter 2 ROSE

Rose

"Are you going to keep doing this?" Lauren intruded on my moment of solitude. "You've had your head buried under those pillows for hours and you haven't even left this room all day."

"Yes, I have." I popped my head out of the pillows, allowing them to frame my face.

"Going to the bathroom doesn't count." Lauren glared at me.

I popped back under the pillows, not sure I could handle criticism right now. My heart was as fragile as butter.

But Lauren had it out for me. One minute, I was contemplating my life resting in a plush environment in darkness and the next thing I knew, Lauren had dragged the sheets away from my body, leaving me feeling naked.

"Hey!"

"Get your ass up." She stretched out her hand, but like the child I am, I refused and rolled to the other side of the bed, hugging my knees.

Lauren just sighed, toeing off her shoes to lie on the bed with me, cradling my face in her hands.

We were so close, our breaths mingled and I could see how pale her eyes were.

"I'm just going to be honest with you," Lauren started. "Mike is an asshole. Shh!" She pressed her hands against my lips, keeping me quiet when I wanted to defend him. "And you need to forget about him because the moment you get back with him after this, that's it...our friendship is over."

My shoulders slumped. "But what if ...what if it w-was a-a mistake?" My lower lip wobbled, fresh tears drilling down my cheeks.

"Did that look like a mistake to you?" Lauren asked. I shook my head. "He's dead to you and me, period. Now you have two choices, sit in here and wallow about Mike, or celebrate your wins and come out to party with me."

"Party?" I knew that for Lauren to ask me, meant she wasn't taking no for an answer.

"I got two free tickets to a VIP club. Guess where?" She twirled her hair around her hair.

My mind was blank, except for the image of that lady riding Mike which was on repeat in my brain. "Skylers?" I mentioned the name of a random club.

Lauren hissed. "Skylers is old news. It's this new one on Palms Street....Club Sin."

My eyebrows were raised. "Sin?" I rolled the name on my tongue, intrigued.

It sounds decadent and refined, like those thousand-dollar bottles of wine.

Lauren tickled me, aware that she had caught my interest. Magically unleashing the tickets, she waved them in front of my face. "Come on..."

I hesitated, still unsure.

"There'll be tons of handsome men for you to grind on and one last thing...Bills on me!" Lauren whooped.

I smiled. I was sold.

I had yet to grab my things from Mike's place, so I was left with Lauren's clothes.

It's a good thing that we're the same size.

I took my shower while Lauren prepared our outfits, standing in the hot water, letting it massage and knead my tired body and soul.

Fuck Mike.

I didn't need him or anyone. If he wants to fuck other women, then so can I!

My pep talk only lasted for a minute before I burst into tears.

I allowed my feelings to come out, all the hurt, pain, and sadness I felt to wash out of my system.

By the time I emerged from the shower, I was a changed person.

"What's this?" I blurt upon sighting the straps of clothes on the bed.

"It's for you!"

I held the scraps of clothes tied together wondering what it was supposed to cover. Nonetheless, I tried it on without argument and I had to give it to Lauren.

I looked hot!

It was a black, shiny midi dress that stopped halfway on my thighs. It had spaghetti straps to hold the top up which I crisscrossed around my back.

Lauren handled my hair and makeup, sweeping my curly blond hair into a sexy, sleepy bedhead that looked hot on me.

Lauren's outfit was similar to mine and by the time we were done, it was half past 9.

We got there in less than ten minutes, with Lauren confidently sashaying to the front of the lineup.

With a smile, a sexy jiggle of her breasts, and flashing the tickets, we were in.

The club was packed to the brim, with a cloud of smoke giving it this mysterious look.

Lauren looped her hands around mine so we didn't get lost in the crush of bodies.

Finding our way to the bar, Lauren drew me close yelling into my ear. "Light or heavy?"

It was our code for whether we wanted to start the night off with a bang- heavy alcohol- or with something light.

"Light!" I yelled into her ear.

I'm not sure she heard me, because she was busy wriggling her slim body to the beat, lost in the rhythm. She ordered from the bar while I turned around, taking in the scene.

Clubbing was a good place to unwind, and feel the beat pulsing through your veins while you soak yourself in alcohol, but right now...as I watched guys and girls dance together, making out, it only reminded me of what I lost.

"Bottoms up!" Lauren yelled, handing me a glass

We clinked them together and swallowed them down in one gulp.

"Whooo!" Lauren screamed, turning to the side to face a guy who'd caught her attention.

My eyes watered from the burn of the alcohol and I pressed my hands up against the counter to steady myself.

To distract myself, I looked up, directly above me was the VIP section.

The moment I glanced up, my eyes clashed with another man's. He had a neatly shaven beard, and sexy, disheveled hair like he'd been running his hands through it...but it was his eyes that held me.

They were so intense, almost like he could see right through me.

His mouth tipped up in a grin and I sucked in a sharp breath, blown away by the raw sensuality that exuded from me.

Who. The. Hell. Was. That?