Broken Truth (23 page)

“It feels weird not going to Zachary’s,” Charlie said as they passed the bouncer guarding the door into the nightclub. “What is this place called?”

“Vision,” Xavier replied with a grin. “And you’ll see why in a minute.”

Charlie’s interest immediately piqued upon hearing Xavier’s comments. She couldn’t remember the last time she had set foot into a nightclub. She knew it had to have been well over a year and half. Usually when she went out with Callum they only visited upmarket bars and lounges. She knew that he would be extremely pissed if he knew where she was because it was one of the main things he had drummed into her head from the early stages of their relationship. He continuously told her that nightclubs were dangerous and that they weren’t the right place for a girl like her.

“I love this place!” Charlie heard Lucy squeal beside her as they entered the main room of the club.

Taking a quick glance around the room, she smiled to herself. “So that’s why they call it Vision?” she asked as she nodded towards the mirror covered floor and walls.

He grinned wickedly before he answered. “The only place where there are mirrors on the ground is on the dance floor. If you look though, they don’t have any lights on over there.”

Charlie looked over to where Xavier was pointing and realised that the dance floor was in near darkness. She could make out the drunken bodies grinding enthusiastically against each other, but their faces were almost concealed.

The prospect of having such a scandalous and secretive encounter sent a thrilling tremor throughout her body. It appeared the sort of venue for secret lovers and affairs. The dimly lit dance floor seemingly provided people with the utmost of privacy.

“Just watch,” Xavier tried to shout over the music.

She kept her eyes focused on the darkened dancing bodies until a sudden flash of light alarmed her. Within a matter of seconds, the bodies on the dance floor parted to reveal a couple locked in a tight embrace, a spotlight shining directly over them. Cat calls and whistles surrounded the couple as they obliviously continued to devour each other.

“Every fifteen minutes they randomly pick a couple from the crowd and shine them under the spotlight for twenty seconds. It is supposed to be a moment for the couple to share. A moment for them to be in the spotlight of others and be a spectacle for show,” he explained.

“It’s weird,” Charlie shrugged. “But it’s a cool idea I guess.”

“Charlie!”

She turned around abruptly just as Amelia thrust a shot of some sort into one of her hands and a mixer into the other.

“Sambuca and a Jägerbomb,” she answered to Charlie’s unasked question. “Get them down you quick and let’s go back and get another one from the bar.”

Doing as she was told, Charlie knocked back both drinks and cringed as the alcohol hit her system. “Fuck,” she cursed, feeling her body instantly come alive. “That was good,” she smiled.

“Another?” Amelia grinned as she grabbed her hand and pulled her towards the bar.

Signalling a bartender, they waited patiently for service. Charlie laid her arms on the sticky counter surface and flicked a casual glance around at the other waiting patrons.

 “Check your three o’ clock. He is fucking
fine
,” Amelia said as her jaw dropped wide.

Charlie continued her sweep until her eyes landed on the man that she assumed Amelia must have been talking about. Leaning against the end of the bar with a drink in his hand, Charlie flushed as his eyes caught and locked with hers. A sly smirk teetered on the edge of his mouth as he raised his glass to his lips. Draining the entire contents, he placed the empty glass back onto the bar and pushed away from where he was standing.

“Shit! He’s coming over,” Amelia shrieked, slapping Charlie on the shoulder. “He must have caught us staring. Act normal alright?”

“Shush,” Charlie hissed.

She turned around and started staring at the bartenders busying themselves behind the bar. She hoped that by turning her back she was avoiding any unnecessary attention.

“Hey!” she heard a deep and gravelly voice murmur from behind. “Can I buy you a drink?”

Charlie heard Amelia scoff beside her. “Is that the best line you’ve got?” She turned towards the stranger and gave him her usual attitude. “If you want to buy me a drink then you need to come up with something better than that.”

Charlie turned around as the man cleared his throat. “I actually wanted to buy your friend here a drink,” he said, gesturing towards her with amusement. “I’m afraid I’m not a smooth talker with my chat up lines, but I can certainly put my hand in my pocket and get you a drink?”

With reluctance, she nodded her head in agreement. “Thank you.”

“I’m Jay,” he said, holding out his hand.

“Charlie.”

He released her hand and leant over the bar towards a nearby bartender. She watched him carefully as he signalled for two drinks.

Unable to stop her wandering eyes, Charlie examined his appearance from behind. She took in the short and spiky raven hair covering his head along with the blue check shirt that sat tightly across what she could tell were broad and muscular shoulders. Venturing further down, she studied the way his medium wash jeans were fitted perfectly around a lean and well sculpted waist. There was not a hint of body fat visible on his frame.

“He’s hot,” Amelia said as she examined him also.

“We think so too,” Xavier called into her other ear as he appeared with Lucy.

“It’s alright to have some fun,” Amelia informed her. “Think of it as a rebound,” she shrugged.

“Woah! Woah! Woah!” Charlie held up her hands in a timeout gesture. “It hasn’t even been a week since I broke up with Callum. I’m still hurting here,” she fumed. “What makes you think I’m just going to go and sleep with some random guy?”

“Honey,” Lucy soothed. “We aren’t suggesting anything. We just want to let you know that it is okay to be angry about what happened and that if you wanted to try and forget then we wouldn’t pass any judgement. We are here to support you.”

“Right, here is that drink then,” Jay said, interrupting them to push a glass into Charlie’s hand. “Did you want to go and chat?” He cocked a wide smile that revealed a set of perfectly aligned and bright teeth.

Charlie bit her lip with worry as she looked between Jay and her friends. She couldn’t help but think that it was too soon for her to be talking to other guys. Her heart was still damaged and in shock following the events that had happened not even a week ago.

“Don’t mind us,” Xavier winked as he grabbed Amelia and Lucy and pulled them over to the other side of the bar.

Charlie watched on with nervous amusement as they scarpered from sight.

“Your friends seem cool,” he nodded as he drained the liquid from his glass.

She saw him watching her carefully, his eyes roaming unashamedly over the length of her body. Her attention caught at his wrist and the way he rolled the empty tumbler backwards and forwards in his hand.

She felt awkward.

Raising her glass to her lips, Charlie drained her drink in a few successful gulps. She needed some liquid courage right now to get her through this conversation. She was feeling nervous and uncomfortable stood before an unknown man who was seemingly undressing her with his eyes.

“Do you want to dance?” Jay asked, placing both of their empty glasses on the bar.

She flicked a glance at the grinding bodies in the darkness and toyed with her decision. There wouldn’t be any going back if she did decide to take this leap; she knew this. Her mind continued to race as she thought about the ramifications of the decision she was going to make. She was still in love with Callum. What would he think if he found out that she was flirting with another guy less than a week after their breakup? She knew he would be mad, which was partly the reason she was now considering doing it.

“I can help you forget about whoever he is,” Jay crooned softly into her ear.

Charlie startled as she found the distance between their bodies closer. She hadn’t even noticed that Jay had moved, let alone position himself so that he was directly in front of her. She was suddenly aware of the smell radiating off his body. She inhaled deeply as the fresh and cooling scent of black pepper and ginger assaulted her senses.

“Just a dance,” Jay continued to press as he held out his hand. “Let me have one dance with you.”

Charlie blinked her eyes rapidly as a scratchy dryness overtook her throat. She picked at the skin around her fingernails as she cast her eyes around the club.

As the reflections shone and glimmered in the mirrors all around her, she tried to seek herself out so that she could examine the position she was in.

After a few unsuccessful attempts due to various blockages with people’s bodies, Charlie’s eyes finally landed on a direct reflection of herself. She studied the sight before her and took in the way Jay was leaning so close to her body. She closed her eyes as she pictured the feel of Jay’s lips tracing along the side of her neck. The thought ignited an unknown fierceness from her that she barely recognised.

She wanted this.

She wanted to see where this was going to go.

Charlie opened her eyes to look back at their reflection and found herself instantly alarmed by what she saw. Her hand flew to her mouth with a gasp as she recognised the familiar physique and chiselled features of Callum stood in the distance.

“No, no, no, no,” Charlie pleaded with her mind.

Shutting her eyes once more, she shook her head in disbelief. She hoped that this wasn’t actually happening to her right now and that she hadn’t just seen his reflection in the mirror. It had to have been a hallucination. She knew that it was highly unlikely that Callum would be in Manchester let alone in this club.

Opening her eyes warily, Charlie felt the instant relief flood her body as she thankfully saw the reflection of herself and Jay in the mirror. She put it down to the alcohol she had consumed and decided it was toying with her brain.

“So... do you want that dance?” She heard Jay’s husky voice murmuring beside her, but she didn’t know what to do. Her mind was now fresh with thoughts of Callum that she didn’t want to have at this moment in time.

She recalled Jay’s words and his offer to help her forget. She knew that was what she needed right now. She needed to try and forget, even if it was only for a short period of time.

“Alright,” Charlie agreed as she placed her hand in his. “Just a dance will be fine.”