The music was too loud and the lights, too bright. The bass was loud enough to feel in Isla's ribs. Lights flashed in violent shades of blue and red, sliding over bodies that moved like they didn't have responsibilities waiting for them tomorrow morning. The air smelt like perfume, sweat, and expensive liquor.
"Another one!" she laughed, raising her glass before Tahlia could stop her.
"Absolutely not," Tahlia said, grabbing it mid-air. "You're already talking nonsense."
"I am not," Isla protested, swaying slightly. "I'm just... expressive."
Her friends exchanged looks. And Isla was floating.
"Okay, I'm officially relaxed," she declared, though her words slurred slightly at the edges.
"You're officially tipsy," Tahlia corrected, watching her carefully. Isla waved her off. "Same thing."
She hadn't meant to drink this much, she really hadn't. But the music was good, the night felt reckless, and something about the stranger from the mall had been lingering in her mind all day like an unfinished sentence.
She took another step toward the dance floor and nearly collided with someone.
Strong hands caught her before she fell. That's when she turned, and blinked at him.
"Thank you." She said before steadying herself. "You're... tall." she said, squinting her eyes like she's trying to focus a camera lens.
"You have... very stable shoulders." He looked at her, confused why he was still standing there.
"You look responsible," she decided and nodded her head.
"I recently got a new job. So, my friends and I decided to party a little because it took me quite a long time to get one," she said. "She over there," she pointed at Tahlia. "That's my sister. My sweet younger sister," she said, staggering to stand firm.
"Wanna hear my secret?" She asked, leaning slightly closer and lowering her voice dramatically,
"I have these weird fantasies about a guy I met at the mall three days ago. Don't judge me"
He looked sternly at her and nodded his head.
"Total accident though. We crashed into each other, groceries everywhere. Very cinematic. He helped me pick up my groceries. Very polite. Very... tall."
His eyebrows lifted just slightly, almost impossible to notice.
She gestured vaguely upward.
"And I don't even know his name," she continued. "But I've been thinking about him all day." She gasped dramatically. "It is serious," she said. "He just helped me, said 'My apologies,' and left like some mysterious main character."
He looked down briefly, hiding something that looked suspiciously like laughter.
Her friends were still dancing behind her, distracted.
"Like what if he's mysterious?" she continued, "Or secretly romantic? Or like... the type who doesn't smile much but when he does, it's only at you? And I've had crazy fantasies about him." She leaned closer again, completely uninhibited.
"Maybe," she said slowly. "In this version, he doesn't pretend he didn't notice me staring."
Her cheeks warmed, but she blamed the alcohol.
"Like, he steps closer. Not too close," she clarified quickly. "Just enough. And he says something dramatic like, 'I've been thinking about you since the mall.'" The music thumped between them.
"Because, yes, I have." She admitted, smiling at the guy.
The honesty surprised even her. Then she laughed it off.
"This is so embarrassing. You're a stranger. Why am I telling you this?" she studied his face again, squinting slightly.
"There is another version I fantasised about."
His eyes widened, holding her firmly to prevent her from falling.
"Okay, so maybe," she whispered loudly, "We are locked up in a room, acting as strangers we are, and I change into sexy lingerie, my body being irresistible. He can't control his hormones anymore, so he stands immediately and grabs me like I belong to him. Slowly and passionately kissing me from my lips up to my neck and back to my lips, before he slowly pushes me onto the bed, and uses his tongue to trace from my chest down to my pussy, then back to my chest. And slowly, he engulfs my boobs in his mouth. Sucking one immensely and playing with the other nipple. After that, he goes down to my pussy, his fingers inside me and his tongue playing with my clitoris. Before inserting his dick inside me." She covered her face with her hands.
"Oh my God, that sounds insane, but I can't wait to kiss his lips."
He looked at her, though he hadn't said a word, but his eyes told a different story.
She gasped. "Yes! The soft version!"
She pointed at him like he'd unlocked something with just a stare.
"We run into each other again, and he remembers me. We get coffee and he walks me home. It's slow, sweet, And not scary. And he looks at me like I'm...important."
Her voice softened. "Like, I matter."
For a brief second, the teasing air between them shifted.
Then she swayed.
"Okay," he said quickly, steadying her again. "I think Mall Guy would want you hydrated."
"Mall Guy," she repeated dreamily. "You have nice hands."
He blinked uncontrollably, trying to understand what she was saying.
"I notice hands." she explained seriously. "Mall Guy had nice hands too, though I wasn't opportune to feel them." She added sadly. "Hands tell you things. Whether someone is careful, impatient, gentle."
For a split second, something darker flickered in his expression.
"And what do mine say?" he asked.
She lightly touched his wrist to steady herself again.
"Yours tell, dangerous." she murmured.
He went very still. A loud cheer erupted from the dance floor, breaking the moment. Tahlia appeared suddenly at Isla's side.
"Okay! That's enough," she declared. "You are done for the night."
"I'm not done," Isla protested weakly. "I was just making a new friend."
"With whom?" Tahlia demanded.
Isla turned to point at him dramatically.
"This very stable-shouldered man."
Tahlia narrowed her eyes suspiciously.
"She needs water and a bed," she told him firmly. And he nodded coldly.
"Okay! That's enough embarrassing confessions for one night," she said, grabbing Isla's arm. "We're leaving."
As they began dragging Isla toward the exit, she twisted around, looking at him again.
"If you ever see Mall Guy," she called out, "tell him I said he has nice hands!"
He nodded slowly, watching them maneuver her through the crowd.
Just before she disappeared through the doors, her eyes met his one last time, then the doors shut behind her.
The music swallowed the space she'd left. He stood there for a moment longer, then he exhaled a slow, measured breath then glanced down at his hands, and smirked coldly, shook himself, and left.