“Y’all ready to do this?” Mae asked, fluffing her natural curls.

“Hell yes,” Sam replied.

“Then let’s go,” she said, walking past me to the door and swinging it open.

I had never been to a club. Not one. Ever. I could dance. I liked to dance. But I’d never danced in a club. This was kind of exciting. It was something I thought I’d one day do with Crawford. Again, here I was, moving on and finding a life without him. Every day that passed, the guilt eased and the pain let up. This must be what acceptance felt like. I wasn’t sure that was okay.

CHAPTER NINETEEN

THE HOT PINK band on my right wrist told the bartender and anyone else who cared that I was under twenty-one. The black stamp on my right hand told them the same thing. Apparently they were super cautious around here. I guess with college kids they had to be. I didn’t mind. It wasn’t like I had intended to drink anyway. Although I wasn’t sure this stamp was washing off anytime soon.

Charlie and his two friends Drake and Cole met us outside the club. It was obvious that Mae was interested in Drake. He was attractive and tall. He had a bit of a scholarly look about him I wouldn’t expect Mae to be drawn to, but she was. Sam latched on to Cole immediately. Which left me with Charlie.

“You look amazing,” he said as we weaved through the crowd.

“Thanks. Your sister went through my closet and chose my outfit.”

He chuckled. “I’ll remember to thank her.”

He was flirting. He did that often these days. Which was why going anywhere with him had been getting harder. I wasn’t ready to date. Crawford could wake up at any moment, and I wasn’t ready to let that go.

“Here’s a couple of empty seats,” he said, moving me toward the bar, where there were three empty stools. “You girls can sit while we order drinks.”

“Vodka soda,” Mae said to Charlie, who wasn’t wearing a pink band or a stamp. I had never asked his age, but apparently he was twenty-one.

He rolled his eyes at her. “Try a Coke,” he replied.

She glared at him, which only made him laugh.

“Might as well order me a Shirley Temple,” she grumbled, then turned her smile toward Drake.

“Don’t even think about it,” Charlie warned her and Drake. “She’s not drinking under my watch.”

“Ugh,” Mae replied, and crossed her arms over her chest.

Charlie turned to me. “You want a soda?”

“Coke will be fine,” I told him.

He then turned and ordered two Cokes and a beer. Guess he wasn’t against drinking, just underage drinking. That was respectable and rare.

“You drank your freshman year,” Mae shot at him.

He shrugged. “My older brother didn’t give it to me, though.”

He had a point. But I didn’t say so for fear Mae would attack me with the claws she looked ready to attack him with.

The back-and-forth finally stopped and a stool beside me came open, so Charlie sat down. He slid my Coke toward me. “I kind of expected you to be at the Kappa Sigma party tonight. When Mae said you were coming with her I was pleasantly surprised.”

I shrugged. “Guess my older brother doesn’t want to help me drink or party either.”

“I wasn’t talking about Knox,” Charlie said, leaning into me, his expression serious.

Of course he wasn’t. He was talking about Slate. Everyone talked about Slate and me when we did something together. They couldn’t figure us out. Accepting that we were just friends seemed impossible. Maybe after tonight, people would realize it was true. Just friends.

“I’m sure Slate had a date. He wouldn’t have wanted to invite me, then feel the need to make sure I was enjoying myself. He’d have his hands full.” When I said it like that, it made complete sense and I almost understood his not inviting me. Almost.

Charlie nodded. “So, this guy back home is still a thing then. You’re really not seeing Slate.”

“Yes, he is still a thing so no, I’m really not seeing Slate. We are friends. Slate doesn’t do relationships. I think he’s made that obvious.”

“You going home to see your guy soon?” Charlie asked. I should have expected that.

I took a sip of my Coke and looked out at the dance floor. I wanted to dance and forget all this. Crawford, Slate, and my silly hurt feelings.

“No, not yet. We are dealing with some things.” That was the only excuse I was giving him. It was the only excuse I’d give anyone.

“It happens. Same thing happened to me with the girl I’d dated my senior year. We went different places and lost touch.”

That was so not what had happened to me. Not the same thing at all. But then, my story wasn’t exactly common.

I took another sip of my Coke and didn’t reply.

“If I can’t drink, I’m dancing!” Mae announced, grabbing Drake’s hand.

I sat my Coke down just as Sam led Cole onto the dance floor.

“You dance?” I asked Charlie.

He grinned. “Hell yeah.”

“Great!” I replied, and we made our way onto the crowded dance floor.

This was better. No talking. Just moving to the music. The heartache of my past wasn’t being probed. I could forget it all and move.

Charlie didn’t touch me too much, but occasionally his hand would land low on my waist and we’d move closer. I always managed to work my way back out of it before it got too comfortable for him. I liked Charlie. He was the kind of guy who could make a girl happy. But for some reason he didn’t tempt me. I couldn’t imagine a future with him. Nor did I want to.

Mae spun past me, giggling as she pressed closer to Drake. Charlie rolled his eyes and I laughed. They reminded me a lot of me and Knox. I hadn’t spent a lot of time with Knox the past two weeks. A lunch here and a coffee there, but that was it. He was a busy guy. Dated a lot more than I realized.

After several songs, Mae went back to the bar for some more soda. I was thirsty, but I was afraid of questions from Charlie I didn’t want to answer, so I continued to dance.

“I think you got company,” Charlie said in my ear. I stopped dancing to look up at him. He nodded toward the bar and I turned to see Slate leaning there with a bottle of beer in his hand. His gaze was directly on me.

“Why is he here?” I asked, unable to look away from him.

“I think that’s obvious,” Charlie said, but I wasn’t able to look back at him and respond. Slate’s focus on me had my stomach doing funny things. There was … a thrill. There, I said it. There was a thrill that coursed through me because he was here.

When had my heart stepped aside long enough for this to happen to me? I couldn’t go wanting Slate. That was stupid for any girl. He didn’t do relationships.

And neither did I. Because I had a relationship.

“You need to talk to him?” Charlie asked, reminding me he was there. Crap. I had forgotten where I was.

“Uh, yeah, looks like it,” I finally managed to mutter, then made my way to Slate. Still unable to look away from him.

What was wrong with me? I wasn’t this girl.

Or was I? Without Crawford I wasn’t sure who I was. Maybe I was exactly this girl. Maybe if I hadn’t had Crawford in my life, I would have been this girl. The kind of girl who falls for beautiful playboys who can’t promise more than a good time.

CHAPTER TWENTY