I could fall asleep while walking down the campus hall. Completing my assignment at almost three in the morning gave me only a few hours to doze off before my class started. Luckily, my last class finished before noon on Fridays, so I could go straight home and claim my bed for the rest of the day.

To keep myself awake, I browsed about all the stupid stuff as our professor was busy answering questions from students. We only did a quick summary and general discussion today; the last day of the term. I wished nobody had raised their hand because this was a freaking Friday, the day people left school as early as possible, but of course, the world worked against my desperate wish.

It was still twenty minutes until the class ended, and I contemplated leaving in the middle of the discussion. Weighing my options, I opened the email icon on my screen out of habit, and a pang of disappointment hit my gut. There was no reply from him. Despite my disagreement with Mr. Andrew's insensitive point of view, I weirdly looked forward to his messages.

Maybe I was just bored, or it might have been the effect of lacking sleep for days, maybe weeks. But I couldn't shake the thought of sending him one last email; a thank you email, perhaps?

The phone vibrating in my hand made me jump, and I almost tipped off my chair. Glancing at my surroundings, I was glad no one was paying attention.

Dean: Going to see Dad for lunch. Your mom will be there too. Coming?

Me: I'll have to skip. Need my sleep.

Dean: Alright.

Me: Say hi to everyone.

Me: Hey Dean, is everything ok?

Dean: Huh? Why wouldn't it be?

My fingers hovered over my phone screen, wondering if I should tell him about Susie's concern.

Me: Just checking. We haven't hung out for a while, we should really go this weekend.

Dean: Yep. Gotta go. Can't type.

Me: Have fun! Don't be too hard on your old man.

Dean: *straight face*

***

"You're not going to fall asleep again, right, Jen?" Lea shouted from her room. "It's time to get ready!"

I lay on the couch with my feet up against the wall and the remote control in my hand. My eyes were fixed on the TV screen playing Oprah's show. After my precious six-hour nap in the afternoon, I was pretty much awake with a tummy full of chicken schnitzel and potato salad Lea made for dinner.

"Get ready for what?" I asked.

"Don't tell me you forgot about our plan! We are going out tonight." She stuck her head out of her bedroom door. "Get your ass to your room and get dressed!"

I whined as I changed the channel again. "Can I take a rain check? It's almost ten! Too late to go out now, isn't it?"

"Exactly! It's ten o'clock on Friday evening, which is a time for people to have a life, especially someone who spent the entire week buried in her studies and a shitty part-time job."

"Since you reminded me, I have to work tomorrow, you know that, right?"

"Not until two in the afternoon. So?" In one blink of an eye, Lea was in front of me with her hands on her hips, blocking my sight from the TV. It was rather funny to see her upside down like this. Her black long-sleeve sequin dress gleamed against our living room light, causing her purple hair to glow from the reflection. The sight reminded me of my mom's favorite singer, Cyndi Lauper.

"And what about my eight-hour sleep? You know I desperately need it."

"You are getting it, alright! We're just going to check out this new nightclub lounge. People at the bar have been gushing over, and we'd better not miss out. Just a few drinks and then we will leave before two." She grabbed my wrists and prompted me to get up. "You promised you would go with me after you're done with all that never-ending school report shit. No more excuses!"

Despite her skinny figure, Lea was surprisingly strong. One jerk was enough to pull me up into a standing position. And before I could drop onto the couch again, she grabbed me by the waist and herded me to my room.

"Okay, okay! Jeez. You're such a woman on a mission."

"That I am!" She grinned. "The guys will be here in forty minutes. You have more than enough time to get ready."

"Come again? Who's coming in forty minutes?"

Lea swatted her hand in a dismissive gesture. "Just a few guys from work; the usual! It comes in handy if we are in no condition to drive home, right?" she blurted before closing my bedroom door right in front of my nose.

"Why do I have a bad feeling about this?"

"Thirty-nine minutes!"

***

I walked to our flat parking lot exactly thirty-nine minutes and thirty-nine seconds later, where my roommate was waiting with her friends. Since Lea's colleagues arrived five minutes ago, Lea went down to meet them while I was panicking from screwing up my eyeliner. I recognized Brad and Josh, but I had never seen the third guy. He looked younger than the rest, but something about him was intriguing. Was he new?

Brad spotted me and smiled from ear to ear, followed by all heads snapping in my direction. Lea whistled.

"Damn, girl! You look hot!" she squealed.

I picked a short A-line dress with a halter neck and an open-front style. Its supple material clings to my torso perfectly, exhibiting the curves of my body yet leaving enough for imagination. The royal blue shade contrasted with my red hair and my crimson shoes. What could I say? I didn't want to look like a dull assistant beside Lea's dazzling appearance.

After a brief greeting, we jumped into the cars since we didn't want to waste more time. Lea, Josh, and the new guy — Garry was his name — went in Gary's car, which left me alone with Brad. I knew it! Lea must have planned this.

During my early years in college, Lea and I used to chill at Bailey's, where we made an acquaintance with Brad, the bartender. Soon after Lea joined him to work at the bar, she learned that Brad had a thing for me, but I was dating someone. Apparently, he wanted to continue where we were left off this time, with Lea's help, of course. That little devil!

We arrived at the club at quarter to eleven, and the entrance queue was already making quite a line.

"This better be good. If standing in line for fifteen minutes, wearing these freaking heels is only going to get us into a crappy club, you will be cleaning the bathroom for three months straight!" I said.

"Hey, that's so inhumane level of punishment!" she replied. "But I heard only excellent reviews about this place. So, don't get your hopes high, girl. The bathroom will still be yours to clean this Sunday."

After a never-ending banter over life hacks about cleaning the house, we finally got in. Loud dance music ambushed my eardrums once we passed the entrance gate, waking my impulse to move my body. The main floor was enormous and already cramped with people dancing. The sideline was also packed with guests standing and drinking while enjoying the beat.

Deep purple and blue laser lighting blared from the ceiling, flashing across people's faces, while the big screen behind the DJ podium was playing an animated abstract line. The lounges sat on the left side, near the bar, separated by a glass wall, which I assumed would block the thundering sound from the dance floor. It looked like the best spot for people to chill and have more human interaction over drinks. On the right side, two gigantic doors stood next to an elevator, which I learned later that they led to smaller rooms for different music genres.

The boys offered to grab us some drinks and disappeared into the crowd, leaving Lea and me standing on the sideline, watching the DJ in action.

"So, Garry, huh?" I shouted in her ear, grinning widely. "Your new toy boy?"

"I wish!" She rolled her eyes. "But no, this guy is off-limit."

"What? Why?" I didn't lean closer to her ear since we started to sway our hips to the beat, but I was sure she could read my lips' movements.

"No!" Lea shook her head and glanced at our surroundings, probably to make sure the very person wasn't back yet. She then scooted closer to my ear. "He's the son of the bar owner. He's here to watch and learn. They are opening another bar soon."

"Even better! No string attached!" My thumb and forefinger formed a circle, then I moved my other forefinger back and forth inside the circle. "Just bang bang and" — I waved — "bye bye! He's hot! Come on!"

Lea burst into laughter when she saw my silly gestures. "I know." She shrugged and leaned into my ear again. "His dad warned him: no fooling around. His stay is strictly for learning. Zero distractions. But boy, is he so yum!" She ran her fingers over her neck, giving me a seducing glance, and then she swiveled on her heels before swaying her hips to the music again.

I cackled as I threw my head backward. Lea was anything but fake. She wore her heart on her sleeve; the ultimate reason I loved her so much. Unlike with Susie, or any other girls, I never had to guess when it came to what Lea wanted. It was always easy with her.

From the corner of my eyes, I saw the trio making a beeline toward us with a few drinks in their hands. I pulled to me Lea and leaned in her ear. "On that note, you're going to pay for this. You're setting me up with Brad!"

She threw her hands in the air, grinning. "Guilty as charged. Come on, Jen. Brad is cool, and you're single. Give it a chance!" she said, but I couldn't reply to her since the boys were already in front of us.

Garry handed Sex on the Beach to each of us, which I couldn't remember that I'd even ordered. "On me." His lips' movements said.

"Thank you!" Lea and I said in unison, raising our cocktails to them before taking a few sips of our first drinks.

Soon after the alcohol substance entered my throat, the familiar sensation hit my nerves, making me feel relaxed and pumped at the same time. Slowly but surely, the music beat thumped rhythmically inside me, as if it was my heartbeat. I closed my eyes and swayed my hips when the DJ played my favorite song, letting my body take over. It was absurd to think how tired I was in the morning and wanted to be a couch potato for the rest of the day. And yet, here I was. Beads of sweat ran down my cheeks and more alcohol entered my system, but I kept moving.

I had no idea how long we'd been dancing when a hand slipped around my waist, followed by a warm body pressing behind my back. I craned my neck sideways and saw Brad smirking at me as he fastened his grip. And I let him. It had been a while since I had someone touching me like this, and I missed the sense of intimacy more than I'd thought I would. I was a girl with needs, after all. Or was this the alcohol talking? I wouldn't know.

Lea grinned and dragged Josh and Garry away from us, but Garry didn't budge from his spot. Instead, he pulled his phone out of his pocket and checked his screen. He then looked at the lounge area, squinting in the direction.

"My cousin is there!" he said above the deafeningly loud music, pointing to the lounge. "Do you want to sit?"

"Oh yes, please! My heels are killing me!" I said, earning a chuckle from Brad as he rubbed my back.

Garry beckoned us to follow him as he made his way out of the dancing floor, passed the glass doors, and strode ahead, heading to the last table.

The booth was darker than the rest because of how it was situated; the light didn't reach the spot fully. It was hard to make out faces from a distance. All I could see was the silhouette of two people sitting closely, facing in our direction. They must have spotted us since they raised their hands to us — well, to Garry.

Garry laughed from ear to ear. "Hey, man. I didn't know you were coming here!" he said.

The person he talked to stood up and had a quick brotherly hug with Garry. "Me too. It was a last-minute change," he replied. "Thought it would be better to share this booth with a bigger group."

Once I could see his face, I stopped dead in my tracks. Blake Andrew, the very person who recently had become an unwanted resident in my mind, stood before us, looking charmingly intimidating. Just like how I remembered him.