Fifty Shades of Average

Chapter 12

I gasp and inhale deeply. His beauty knocks the wind out of me...literally. He is so hot...like really smoking hot. In a daze, I examine his chiseled and firm jawline, not failing to notice the fact that he has smooth and clean shaven skin as well. His eyes are indescribable and absolutely mesmerizing. They are a certain shade of grey, maybe charcoal? The little black specks surrounding his pupil seem to swirl around the grey irises... I can't look away from his gaze, until his voice breaks me from my thoughts.

"Are you okay?" he asks deeply, looking straight into my eyes.

I snap out of my fantasy and can immediately feel red begin to creep up from the base of my neck. Thankfully, he can't see me clearly from the darkness in the club. "Uhm, yeah. Thanks for the dance, I had fun," I smile weakly and pat his arm awkwardly. Immediately, I feel sparks shoot up my arm from the brief moment of contact.

He chuckles to himself before saying, "You're very welcome."

My head is clouded. I haven't even had any drinks, yet my body is making me feel like I drank a lot. As I walk away, I can feel a pair of eyes burning into my exposed back. I'm suddenly very self conscious as I attempt to maneuver my way off of the dance floor. I tug the bottom hem of my red dress down nervously. Maybe I shouldn't have worn such an attention-seeking outfit... Or is it because there's something on my face? Rather than find someplace to sit, I head to the bathroom to get out of this thick air and make sure that I look somewhat decent.

I finally find the bathroom located in the far back of the club. Using a paper towel from the dispenser on the wall, I dab my forehead, chin, and the area around my collar bone; this is where most beads of perspiration still lay on my skin from the heavy dancing I took a part in not too long ago. After refreshing my makeup, I run my fingers through my straight hair, using them as a replacement for a comb. I didn't look or smell bad, and there was nothing peculiar on my face...So why were people staring at me? Whatever, I don't even care. Not like I'm going to see any of them ever again anyway.

I head out of the bathroom and my eyes roam the crowd for any sign of Talie. I can't find her because of the many people who seem to occupy every corner of this club. I catch sight of the bar, seeing that Pierce has finally returned from his "break" (which apparently consists of grinding on girls) and is serving drinks at the counter again.

I approach him, very curious as to how he knows Talie. I perch on the seat of a stool and swivel the chair around to face him.

"Hi Pierce."

He turns around from the shelf of wine glasses, and grins before returning my greeting. "Hey." He places the cup on the rack and faces me completely, giving me his full attention. "What can I get for you?"

"Coke, please. I'm still underage, remember?" I remind him.

"Right." Pierce chuckles to himself, seemingly amused with something. He quickly fills a glass with soda and places it on the table in between us.

"So what's going on with you and my best friend?" I ask, getting straight to the point.

Pierce seems shocked by my sudden question, and his brow creases with confusion.

"Natalie Parker." I answer the question that I know he is about to ask.

"Oh.." He scratches his head nervously. "Uh, we had a thing."

It was kind of obvious that Talie and Pierce had "a thing" and were romantically involved in a way from what had happened earlier. But hearing it come directly from Pierce himself confirmed my suspicions, being that Talie never mentioned him to me before at all.

"...But?" I question when he doesn't continue.

"But it's over now."

I open my mouth to respond, but before I can ask any further questions, someone interrupts us.