Vivica knocks back another glass, the strobe lights and obnoxious beats losing its mystifying effect.
She'd made it to the big 21, the age where you can legally drink and it's not frowned upon. Well, for her at least; she barely touched a drop of liquor since she was 16 and it was a dare by her old high school classmates she has yet to reunite with.
Her party animal friend Meridian dragged her to this club; it's one of those clubs where you have to have big money in order to even be considered on the waiting list; if Meridian hadn't been fucking the DJ there's a high chance they'd still be outside, freezing their asses off and waiting to get in. She looks to her left; Meridian is busy twerking on the DJ, speak of the Devil...
"Hey, girl. Want to dance?" a guy says in Vivica's ear. Ugh.
"No, thank you." She answers thinly.
"C'mon, baby...the night's still young..."
"No. Thank you." She responds with more conviction. The guy finally takes the hint.
"Alright, then. Have a nice one." He smiles thinly and walks off, muttering "bitch" under his breath before disappearing into the sea of dancers. Vivica leans against the bar stool, watching the club come alive over some new single the DJ wanted to introduce.
It's supposed to be her birthday; she's supposed to be the life of the party, have eyes on her while she makes a scene twerking on some random guy she may or may not fuck that night. She should be laid out on the tables, letting the bartender pour liquor down her throat while Meridian does jello shots off her navel. She should be having DJ's playing her favorite songs while everyone cheering her on as she eats her birthday cake and champagne with VIP status. Instead, she's posted against the bar, watching everyone have fun and life goes on without her.
She feels lightweight salty.
"Vivica?"
She jolts.
She knows that voice everywhere.
She turns around and sees none other than Caleb, her ex-coworker.
"Caleb!" She hugs him.
"How are you? It's been a while since I've heard from you!"
"I've been good. My uncle owns this club so I figured I'd drop by. What brings you here?"
"It's my birthday."
"Deadass? Why you posted up on the wall? Aye, Farina!"
The bartender looks up.
"Get this girl anything she wants. Drinks are on me." He pulls out his wallet, dollar bills crammed in every crevice.
"And a bottle of Cristal. It's her night." He winks at her. Warmth creeps up Vivica's cheeks.
"Why don't you come with me? VIP status." He guides her to the VIP table.
"Farina's gonna bring the drinks to you. So, birthday girl, what's your poison?"
"I don't know...I usually don't drink alcohol..."
"You want to try some of mine?" he hands her a half-drunken shot glass. It's a light blue and it looks cloudy, like those drinks one would see in the movies. Sex on the Beach or something like that.
"Want to see if you got a strong liver. You gon' get fucked up tonight. It's your birthday, the night is young, and we ain't seen each other in a minute. We got a lot to catch up on."
~~
Vivica giggles, the alcohol finally taking its toll. She's slumped against Caleb, laughing at his story.
"...and then he says, 'Bruh, that's the last time you take my ass to Atlanta!' and then I died!" he lets out a hearty laugh. Vivica giggles with him, sighing deeply. The club dies down and slowly people are dancing cheek to cheek to some slow trap song that's passing itself off as an R&B track; it seems anybody can make their shitty song marketable as long as they got a trap beat. The blue lights bathe the two in a soft glow, and she looks to him.
He's smiling at her, those pearly whites made for movie stars glowing, those deep brown eyes making it hard for her to sit still.
She had a thing for him when they were just some fresh out of high school coworkers working minimum wage at a department store both of them secretly hated. Only, he left before she did; she kept thinking about his cologne, his small stature but immaculate state of dress that made her tighten up her fashion sense just to impress him. He's so cute, so sweet, smart, laid-back, and most of all...
Her fingers brush against his wrist.
He's right there, in the flesh, and she could make her move.
"Are you single?" the words slip from her lips before she could even think.
She just wants to slap herself.
"Sorry, I—"
"Don't trip." he laughs. "Yeah, I am. Why? You tryna...?"
"I liked you. I liked you when we worked together. You always smell good, look good, and you make me want to tighten up my game to impress you." She confesses. Whatever's in her drink is becoming a truth serum; she unloads her secrets out onto this man who probably only wanted to be nice and is now probably getting turned off the second he...
He kisses her. He kisses her like she fantasizes: slow, sensual, with just the right amount of subtlety that makes her want more. He pulls away and she feels air fill her lungs once more. His delicate hands cup her face, his strength hidden in his grip. He looks her in the eye, and Vivica feels wired, seconds from snapping and losing control. She wants to slam him against the couch, get on top of him and kiss him until her lip prints will be engraved on him forever. She wants to give in to her desires, but she has to let him take control, let him take it to wherever he's comfortable.
"You want to do this?" He asks her, his tone lacking the humor it usually has.
"I don't want to do anything until I know that it's not the liquor talking and you're comfortable. Do you want this?"
"Yes." She whispers. "I want this, I want this a lot."
"Okay." He kisses her cheek and grabs her hand.
"Follow me." He smiles at her. She stands, taking care to not fall on the heels she's now struggling to walk in (why she even bought these ugly ass shoes, she'll never know), and follows.
She finds herself at a door with the golden placard: "VIP" stamped on in pretentious font. Caleb puts the key into the door and opens.
The room is a studio apartment damn near, with a view of the partygoers down below dancing their cares away, oblivious to the two watching them. Caleb locks the door and shuts the blinds, bathing the room in darkness. He claps his hands and black light comes on, giving the atmosphere a trippy vibe.
