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The club was practically shaking, though whether it was from the pounding music or the sheer force of people jumping around and grinding on each other, Ava wasn’t sure.
She pushed through the side door and propped it open with a wood block that was sitting in the alleyway. The cold winter air was a welcome change and she rolled up her sleeves, taking a deep breath. Who wore a turtleneck to the club? Idiot.
The turtleneck was just one of many mistakes she’d made tonight. The first and biggest was coming to the club in the first place. It was meant to celebrate the end of their semester-long group project. Ava had worked her ass off, and when Mick suggested drinks and dancing to celebrate, it sounded like the quintessential college experience. Nevermind that Ava had never been to a club, or that she couldn’t dance, or that she only drank on special occasions.
Ava kicked an abandoned soda can and it bounced off the brick wall, a ringing sound echoing through the alley. She was preparing to kick it again when the side door squeaked open.
“Ava?”
Charlie pushed through the door and Ava caught it, making sure the wood block was still firmly in place. Not that she needed to go back inside—she’d already resolved to sneak away, and it’s not like anyone would be looking for her—but Charlie wouldn't want to get stuck out here.
Ava had written Charlie off in the beginning—as well as the rest of the group members, if she was being honest. Ava was doing a major in history. This was her domain. Mick rarely showed up to meetings, and when he did, he would just flip through the textbook and ask them to ‘fuck, marry or kill’ various historical figures. Nora was sweet but she’d grown up as part of a religious cult that taught an alternate history of the world, so she wasn’t much help. Ray was a genius, but his specialty was science and technology. He’d claimed that section of the project immediately. Nora had sweetly reminded him that it was a group project, and he’d offered to team up with her—which meant they spent the whole semester making googly eyes at each other over the table.
Charlie had been a promising prospect. She was from London, studying abroad as part of a scholarship for which brilliance was a requirement. But contrary to Ava’s expectations, she’d spent all of their meetings listening to loud music through her noise-cancelling headphones. She hid magazines inside her textbooks, and occasionally used them both to shield a flask she slipped from her backpack.
Everything had come to a head a few weeks ago. Ava might’ve had a meltdown that almost got her banned from the library for eternity. Mick told her to go get a drink, an orgasm or a diagnosis, while Ray and Nora had just stared in wide-eyed concern. Charlie had laughed, clearly delighted at seeing buttoned-up Ava Sharpe losing her cool. But after that, things had been different. Charlie started contributing—really contributing. She didn’t stop reading magazines during their sessions, but whenever Ava asked a question, Charlie always had an insightful answer or suggestion.
In the end, even Mick had pulled together a surprisingly well-researched contribution. Small miracles.
“What are you doing out here?” Charlie asked, her steps loose and confident as always. She hooked her thumb towards the door. “Party’s in there.”
“I just needed some fresh air,” Ava said, pulling her sleeves back down as a shiver wracked her body.
“I’m not stupid,” Charlie said, her accent making it sound less harsh than it could’ve. “You barely danced in there. Nora tried to spin you in a circle and you smacked her hand away.”
“I was going to bump into someone,” Ava argued.
“So what?” Charlie said. “It’s a club! Bumping into each other is the point.”
“I wouldn’t know,” Ava said, scraping the toe of her running shoe against the pavement. Another mistake. Nora was in heels and Charlie was in platform boots. Ava wasn’t short, but she felt like a child standing next to them.
“Stop feeling sorry for yourself,” Charlie said, her voice pitching higher in frustration. Ava wrapped her arms around her chest and glared at Charlie. Charlie’s expression melted into something gentler and she took another step closer.
“If you’re uncomfortable—really uncomfortable—we’ll leave right now. But I think this night could be great if you just let go a little.”
Charlie held out her palm, her eyebrows raised in a challenging expression. Ava eyed Charlie’s hand nervously, cursing the way her heart sped up.
She knew Charlie was bisexual. She was the only person who’d embraced Mick’s games of fuck, marry, kill, and Anne Boleyn was definitely her type. Ava also knew that just because Charlie was bi didn’t mean she was attracted to her. But there had been a moment—just a second, even—when she thought she might be.
It had happened a few nights ago, when Ava decided to rework the order of their project even though it was due in two days. She didn’t want to ask for anyone’s help—after all, it was her idea to do it—but she had the courtesy to run it by them first. Still, she was surprised when Charlie showed up at the library. When Ava questioned her, she'd insisted that she was just swinging by after work. The bus would be there in half an hour and then she’d be out of there. But she wasn’t. She stayed late into the night, the lights of the library dimming lower and lower until they had to turn on the lamp at their table. The warm glow made Charlie seem softer, somehow. Less intimidating. When Ava tried to move another section—“I know I said I was done but this is the last one, I swear”—Charlie grabbed Ava’s hand, curling it in a loose fist. Ava had looked up, startled, to find Charlie already staring at her. Ava’s cheeks flushed, holding Charlie’s gaze until someone slammed a book so loudly that she jumped and pulled her hand away.
They’d gotten an A on the project.
“Well? Are you coming?” Charlie asked, pulling Ava back to the present. Ava took a deep breath and pulled her shoulders back in faux confidence. Then she slid her hand into Charlie’s and followed her inside.
The club was even busier now, if that was even possible. Charlie spotted Ray and Nora and dragged Ava towards them.
“I’m not dancing in front of them,” Ava hissed, trying to pull her hand away. Charlie held fast.
“They’re our friends! What’s the point of having friends if you can’t dance in front of them?”
“Fine. I can’t dance, period.”
Charlie ignored her until it was too late to turn around. Nora spotted them and squealed, throwing her arms around them both. Charlie dropped Ava’s hand and Ava felt its loss.
“You’re back!” Nora said excitedly. “Can we do a shot?”
“A shot of water,” Ray followed, placing his hands gently on Nora’s shoulders. He pulled her back towards him and she melted against his chest, grabbing his arms and wrapping them around her.
“Glad you two finally got your shit together,” Charlie said, flashing them a thumbs up. Nora giggled and Ray’s cheeks flushed.
“What happened to Mick?” Ava asked, glancing around. She spotted him making out with a redhead near the bar.
“He got tired of third-wheeling,” Ray answered. “His words, not mine.”
“I feel his pain,” Charlie said, watching Nora nuzzle her face against Ray’s neck. Anyone watching must’ve thought she was drunk, but she’d only had two shots. She was just in love, which might’ve been worse. “Ava, shall we go dance?”
Ava opened her mouth to protest but Charlie glared at her, shutting it down before it could begin. Ava felt a familiar anxiety swirling in her stomach. She was uncomfortable and it was making other people uncomfortable and she wanted to be anywhere but here.
“Trust me?” Charlie asked, as quietly as she could to be heard over the music. Her warm hand grabbed Ava’s and she felt those same sparks go off in her stomach. With a sigh of defeat, Ava followed Charlie into the crowd. Charlie found a section where no one they knew could see them, conceding to Ava’s earlier request. That made her feel slightly better.
Ava began to sway her hips, quickly surveying the women around her to see how they were dancing. Arms in the air—doable. That thing with her butt—definitely not.
“That’s good,” Charlie said, beginning to move along with her. She rolled her upper body in a smooth line, the motion carrying down through her torso. She looked gorgeous. She placed a hand on Ava’s waist and Ava stumbled back, surprised. To her credit, Charlie kept her face neutral.
“I’m too awkward for this,” Ava groaned, tugging at the sleeves of her turtleneck. Charlie shook her head.
“You’re not too awkward,” she said, leaning in to whisper in Ava’s ear. “You’re only scared.”
Ava tried to move more naturally—she really did—but it was as if someone had encased her body in concrete. She couldn’t roll and sway like Charlie did. It just wasn’t in her nature.
“Relax,” Charlie whispered, moving behind Ava. She placed her hands on Ava’s waist, moving in close until her body was a long, warm line against Ava’s back. Oh.
“Is this okay?” Charlie murmured.
“Sure,” Ava said, her voice faint.
“I’m going to need more than 'sure'.”
“Yes,” Ava said, a bit louder this time. Charlie began to move Ava’s waist with her hands, the slow circles feeling more and more comfortable as they went on.
“You know, this isn’t really my scene either,” Charlie whispered, her breath warm against Ava’s ear.
“Really?”
“I’m more of a punk rock girl.”
“Why doesn’t that surprise me?” Ava asked, turning her head just slightly to catch Charlie’s gaze. Charlie’s eyes flicked down to Ava’s mouth, and Ava felt a rush of heat in her abdomen. She was right—Charlie liked her. It made her feel brave and she turned away again, pressing her back against Charlie’s chest, and tossed her hair over her shoulder. Just as she had calculated, it was long enough that it fell over Charlie’s shoulder too. It smelled heavenly—Ava knew it did, because she’d showered this morning—and she felt Charlie’s face pressing into it.
This time Ava moved her hips on her own, trying to find the rhythm she’d had with Charlie. She miscalculated a few times, her hips bumping against Charlie’s roughly, but neither of them seemed to mind. Charlie’s hands wandered higher, grazing the sides of Ava's stomach and moving up to her hair. Charlie pulled Ava's hair away from the nape of her neck and pressed a soft kiss against it. Ava whirled around. There was a sheen of sweat coating both their bodies that made Charlie practically glow in the neon lights. Ava leaned forward and brushed her lips against Charlie’s cautiously. She tasted like vodka and cherries.
“Look at you two!”
Ava stepped back, schooling her expression into something less embarrassing than ‘mind-blown’. Charlie didn’t make the same choice, biting her bottom lip and raising her eyebrows. They turned towards Nora, who had just appeared from the crowd with Ray’s hand clasped tightly around hers.
“I can’t believe you got Ava to dance!” Nora said.
“I’m still not very good,” Ava insisted. Nora waved her off.
“Who cares? We’ve been trying to get you to dance all night!”
“Now’s your chance,” Charlie said, moving in closer to form a tight circle. She grabbed Ray’s hands and stepped back, then spun herself towards his chest. Ray laughed and spun her back out, doing the cabbage patch with her hands still clasped in his. Ava and Nora both laughed.
Fuck it, Ava thought, throwing her arms around Nora’s neck. Nora blinked in surprise but adjusted quickly, wrapping her arms around Ava’s waist and swaying in small steps.
“You can do better than that!” Charlie shouted, moving her body haphazardly to the music. Ava placed her hands on Nora’s shoulders and began to roll like she’d seen Charlie do earlier. Nora picked up on it immediately, matching Ava’s tempo. They switched sides and waved their arms and ran their fingers through their hair. When the music switched to something more bright and pop-y, Ava grabbed Nora’s hand and twirled her in a circle.
“Finally!” Nora shouted, her bright blue eyes crinkling in happiness. A tall figure loomed over her and Ava got ready to deck him before she realised it was Mick.
“Did you really think you could leave me out of this?” he asked. Ray bounded over and smacked Mick on the back in excitement. Charlie closed up their little circle as they all began to sway and move—not even close to being in sync, but enjoying themselves nonetheless.
Eventually they got too excited and Mick threw Nora over his shoulder, spinning her around in circles, Ray protesting that she was going to vomit. A bouncer, sensing a fight, thought it best to kick them out despite Ava’s pleas.
“I can’t believe I got kicked out of a club!” Ava said.
“I’ve never been kicked out of anywhere,” Nora giggled.
“I don’t think I’ve ever left a club willingly,” Mick replied.
As they stumbled down the street, recounting the highlights of the evening, Charlie moved in closer and slid her hand into Ava’s back pocket. The turtleneck and running shoes might not have been the right choice, but the jeans definitely were. Ava tried to do the same to Charlie, forgetting that she was in leggings. Her hand skimmed across Charlie’s ass and fell into empty air.
“No pockets,” Ava muttered, her cheeks flushing pink. Charlie laughed and grabbed Ava’s arm, wrapping it around her waist.
“Okay,” Mick said, his deep voice booming in the empty street. “If you were in a room with Marie Antoinette, Rasputin, and Cleopatra—”
Ava shook her head as Charlie and Nora began to shout their answers, Ray looking scandalised on Nora’s arm, Mick grinning devilishly as he argued with them. For once, Ava actually considered her answer.
The project might have been over, but with any luck, this was the beginning of something new.