He didn’t seem to notice- or rather, if he did see, he didn’t let on if he noticed how sickening his touch was to her. He pulled Sophie onto the dance floor, where the smell of alcohol and body odor greeted her. Immediately, the faces around drew her attention as she tried to pick out her friend from the crowd. When she saw Eliza, there was a moment of relief followed by embarrassment. She and the man were wrapped around each other like they were each other’s life support. She was grinning like a drunken fool while her fingers found their way wrapped around the man’s perfectly tousled mop. Her head dipped back, letting the ends of her chestnut-colored locks tickle at the man’s forearms. His mouth was searching for something along her neck and collarbone… Oh. Oh! He was kissing her. Immediately, Sophie’s eyes turned back to the broad chest in front of her while her cheeks flushed a darker red. 

“Can I ask you for your name?”

She nearly forgot about the mountain of a man in front of her. “My name is… Sophia.” Was it wise that she gave him her real name? She didn’t think it would hurt since it was only her first, and that was the name she used on her fake ID. But her mind couldn’t come up with another name at that moment. 

“Beautiful,” he spoke the word in a hushed whisper close to her ear, and she made a grimacing face safely out of his sight. “My name is Brandon.”

Was his name Brandon? What was she expecting? Mikail? Alastor? She scolded herself, but a small part of her still clung to the idea that maybe… maybe he gave her a fake name. 

“You seem rather young to be at a club like this.”

He didn’t leave room for a question in his words. He said it as if it were simply a fact he read in a book once. His tone caused Sophia’s eyes to drop to the floor and her throat to close briefly from panic. Why couldn’t she think clearly? Why did her stomach flip and threaten her with every second she remained in this damned club? She cleared her throat in an attempt to refocus herself. She spoke as calmly as possible despite the anxiety that continuously wreaked havoc on her nerves. It didn’t help that he had to lean down for her words to reach him over the deafening music. His closeness gave her a chill to her overly hot skin, but she wasn’t pleased with the effect. Really, it only caused the hair on the back of her neck to stand up on end. 

“I will take that as a compliment.” This was the only thing she could muster. 

He pulled away to scan her face. She tried her best to make her expression give nothing away. Brandon returned the favor by only indicating a slight confusion from the tilt of his eyebrow. She forced a smile onto her face and tried to find the beat with her hips. It seemed like that is the style of dance preferred on this dance floor, at the very least. He reciprocated by settling his massive hands on her waist and swaying with the music. He pulled her closer to his body and leaned down again to speak directly into her ear. 

“Places like this could be dangerous for girls like you.”

The color drained from her face, and she felt herself stumble over her own feet at his direct words. Was it a threat or a warning? “I think I should sit down,” she admitted, prying herself away from the stranger as quickly as possible. 

Sophia caught a glimpse of a smirk from the towering gentleman, but it was all she dared to see. She started to head towards her table to flag down Eliza and hightail it out of there. Unfortunately, it seemed her partner had other plans. He reached out and grabbed her arms with a surprisingly gentle grasp that effectively kept her in place. Brandon’s body was so close she could feel the fabric of his slacks against the back of her bare calf. His breath tickled her hair against her ear as he spoke. 

“Just one second, let me get the other two’s attention, and we will head there together.”

The small group found themselves back at the small table, now cleared of the old glasses. As swiftly as they came to sit on the vinyl booths, a waitress was dropping off fresh drinks, much to Sophia’s disdain. Both she and Eliza already had more than enough to drink. Her friend could barely sit upright though that didn’t stop the gentleman across from her giving her little fluttering touches with his fingertips. 

While she was distracted by the man, Sophie took the opportunity to take the glass in front of Eliza and down it as quickly as possible. Her face screwed up in an unpleasant display as the heat filled her once more. She slid the glass in place without much fuss and turned back to her own full drink. She felt Brandon’s eyes on her with each little movement she made. The world was turning all topsy turvy like a rollercoaster, and she wanted off. Sophie put her head in her hands and was surprised at the cold sweat that coated her skin. She needed air. She needed to get out of this dark club with the bad smells and booming bass. She looked up at Eliza with wide eyes and a pale complexion. She tugged on her elbow to get her attention discreetly and was graced with her unfocused blue eyes landing on her. 

“I am not feeling well, lets go.” The plea came out as a soft whisper. 

Her friend pouted and turned to the males across the table. “Luka, Sophie is not feeling the venue anymore. But, maybe…” she trailed off with a hopeful expression gracing her young features. 

Luka pounced on the chance instantly. “How rude; I didn’t notice she needed some air. Why not come back to our little condo to sober up a little. I don’t mind taking you both back home when you feel like it.”

No, no, no. That was not okay at all. Sophie tugged on her arm more forcefully. “Eliza.” Her name came out more firmly than she expected. It hid the underline fear and anxiety she was feeling at the moment. “I don’t think that is a good idea. We don’t know these people-” A scoff cut her off. 

“Don’t be like that, Sophie. Are you supposed to be here having fun with me, remember? You said you wanted me to show you a good time. So just trust me and don’t ruin this for me.” Her tone softened, perhaps picking up on her friend’s fear. “Please, we won’t stay too long. Just give me one hour- do you see how hot this dude is?”