AM

No. 1 Party Anthem

Arabella was in the club somewhere - he knew it. Alex prowled through the dancing, on the lookout for any sign of her. He hoped that if she saw him, she'd come straight over. He was dressed so wonderfully Alex tonight: leather jacket with the collar up and dark sunglasses, even though it was drawing close to midnight.

Strobe lights flashed in Alex's eyes as he squeezed through the mass of sweat. He had to duck to avoid the leg of a pole dancer who was twisted into some impressive position.

After a few minutes of searching, Alex thought to check in the restricted area upstairs. Your name had to be on a certain list to get in, and Arabella had been visiting this club for years. Sure enough, he saw her in the corner, turned to face the wall. He suspected she was hiding the fact that she was smoking, although thin wisps of smoke gave her away.

Alex sweet-talked the bouncer into letting him in. Not wanting to draw Arabella to himself right away, he slid onto a bar stool.

Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed her doing the same, a few seats down the bar. She was talking to the bartender and occasionally laughing rather vigorously in what Alex knew was an attempt to get his attention.

He was watching her for too long, perhaps, because they made eye contact for a split second. Alex snapped his eyes away from her.

But Arabella swallowed the lump in her throat and left her seat, taking the one next to Alex.

He pretended not to notice, instead focusing on the pounding party anthem playing in the background. However, he couldn't keep distracted for long - she was too... Arabella.

"Do I know you from somewhere?" he asked.

She chuckled. They were both well past drunk and having a proper conversation would be difficult. Not that either of them were expecting much talking to happen between them once they arrived at whoever's house later on.

Alex didn't want to rush it, though. He usually preferred to skip past the trivialities and head straight for the fun, but with Arabella, he found himself wanting to drag it out a little longer. The only thing he was scared of was letting the moment pass. Arabella lived a fast life and if he waited too long, he might not get the chance again.

"Do you wanna get out of here?" he asked, feeling the blood rush to his head.

She looked at him and Alex wondered if he saw a hint of affection in her eyes. "Do we have to leave the club to get the job done?"

Smirking, Alex offered his arm to Arabella as they stood. They were about to leave the restricted area when he felt a sharp tap on his shoulder. Irritated, Alex turned around sharply.

A large, hulking man stood there, his heavily-tattooed arms folded over his chest. His black eyes were narrowed. "She's with me, mate."

Arabella gripped his arm tighter. Alex realised that he must be a random man that she'd hooked up with before she'd bumped into him. Deciding to avoid any drama tonight, he shrugged and pulled her away.

They snaked through the crowd, occasionally blinded by the flash of a camera. Alex kept his head down. He was not in the mood to be asked for a photo right now. Quickly, they found the bathroom.

The entrance was marked by a collection of scantily-clad women, who ogled Alex as he pushed past. Arabella shot them dirty looks. She despised it when people looked at him like that, but at the same time, she enjoyed the fact that he chose her over them.

Alex pulled Arabella into a cubicle and locked the door.

"Let's have some fun, shall we?" he said. Then before the moment was lost, he dove right in, listening to the muted party anthem playing in the background.