"Thomas, tell me a bit about yourself," I said after I'd finished my first drink. "I want to know who's gotten my friend so smitten."

Fortunately, when we sat down, David didn't try to sit next to me. I was glad he knew this would only be a meet and greet sort of night and not a date.

"Hmm, I guess I'm rather boring," he answered, pushing his glasses up with one finger. "I just finished my bachelor's degree in accounting, so I'm trying to find work in that field. In the meantime, I'm working at a restaurant in Manhattan."

I had to suppress my laugh because once he mentioned accounting, all I could think about was the song I'm an Accountant from the TikTok trend. For those who didn't know, the song was used to explain to people that they worked as an accountant when in reality they were sex workers, just to avoid any awkward talks.

"Have you always lived here?" I asked. It sounded like he had a slight accent that I couldn't place.

"No, I'm originally from Philadelphia. I moved to New York for school," he explained.

We talked as much as we could, having to shout to be heard. I learned that he had intended on moving back to Philadelphia after he was done with college but decided he wanted to stay here instead– at least, for now. I got a sneaking suspicion it was all because of Kevin; they couldn't take their eyes off each other.

"Let's go dance!" Kevin shouted, a little tipsy from that one drink. He was a lightweight.

Before I could object, he grabbed my wrist and pulled me towards the dance floor.

There were people everywhere grinding, talking, and kissing. I reminded myself that they were too busy with their own lives to even care about me. That was the thing about being socially anxious; I could make myself believe that people were judging me for my every move when it wasn't the fact.

Summer by Calvin Harries started playing just as we found a spot with big enough space for all of us. It was like the whole crowd got turned up at the song, and I laughed when Kevin started singing with the rest of the people in here who knew it–which were pretty much everyone.

I didn't care much for the song, but it was great to dance to. Shaking off my insecurities, I felt the rhythm of the beat and moved with it, using my hips as I did. It helped that it was dark enough in the club; it hung like a safety blanket over me.

My smile was wild as I let go; I loved the feeling of feeling free–the alcohol didn't hurt either. The beat of the bass vibrated through me, thumping in my chest.

Kevin dragged Thomas into his arms before turning him around, resting his hands on Thomas's hips. I shifted my gaze; I did not want to see my friend grinding on a guy. We had boundaries, and that act was too sexual for my poor eyes.

After two songs, I was sweaty and breathing heavily. I should really start exercising. It was almost embarrassing how out of shape I was, and being with three guys...yeah, I should definitely get into better shape just so I could keep up with them in bed.

I walked back to the bar, thirsty, and wanting another drink. Just as I got the bartender's attention and started to order, David came over.

"A Jack and Coke for me, and scotch on the rocks for the pretty lady," he said to the bartender, speaking over my own order.

"Thanks." I smiled through gritted teeth. It was annoying as hell when a man would speak over me like that.

"No problem. Taking a break from the dancing?" David nodded towards the dance floor and sat down on the available seat to my left.

"Yeah, I just needed a breather." My eyes found Kevin and Thomas on the floor. They were making out and was barely even moving other than a slow rocking motion.

"They're cute, aren't they?" he asked, following my gaze towards the couple.

"They really are." I was so happy for Kevin; he deserve the world. Seeing him like that with another man made me pissed at his parents. They were the ones who should've supported their son and loved him no matter what–that was how a parent was supposed to be like. But no, instead, they threw him out of the house and turned their backs to him.

If parents wouldn't love their kids unconditionally, then they shouldn't have been parents in the first place.

When we got the drinks, I made sure to pay for mine. Like I've said before, I had problems letting others pay for me.

"So, how did you and Thomas meet?" I asked as I took a sip of my scotch. The cool liquid burned my throat, I liked the mixed sensations.

"We were roommates in college the two first years before I found an apartment. What about you and Kevin?" He still made a face as he drank, but it wasn't as visible now as before. Either he was starting to like the drink, or he was getting too tipsy to taste it.

"We work together at a café," I answered and looked around the club, trying to think of something else to talk to him about. I definitely sucked at small talks, and it seemed like I wasn't getting any better at it.

"Cool...so, you're not single after all, huh?" he wondered.

"No, I just started dating someone, actually," I lied. It wasn't like I would go into the whole BDSM scene, and my dominants–plural. That would make for an awkward conversation, even worse than an awkward silence.

"That's cool. At first, I thought we were going on a double date or something, but this is fun too. Is your boyfriend okay with you being out without him?"

With great effort, I managed to get out, "Yeah, he's completely okay with that," but on the inside, I was irritated at the question. Having a boyfriend didn't mean I shouldn't be able to go out without him, because what the actual fuck? I'd never been in a relationship, but even I knew that for it to work, there had to be trust involved.

"Oh, okay..." he trailed off. I heard in his voice that he wanted to say something more but probably thought better of it.

Sipping my drink, I tried to ignore the stare he was giving me. David looked at me with an intensity that made me uncomfortable. "You're really beautiful," he commented out of the blue.

My eyes widened; he wasn't coming onto me, was he? "Eh...Thank you." I tried to smile, but there was just something about his vibe that made it hard to do so.

"Just be careful with your drink. Women like you are usually targeted with date-rape drug." He winked as if what he'd said had been a compliment when it only made me more paranoid than I usually was. What was I to say to something like that?

"I'm always careful," I finally answered, looking around the room for any escape away from him. I really did not like the direction of this conversation. Who even mentions date-rape drugs to a complete stranger?

"I'm going back to the dance floor, but it was great talking to you," I said and didn't wait for a reply as I hurried back to Kevin and Thomas. I could feel David's eyes on me as I walked away. It made my skin crawl, even though I didn't know him enough to understand why.

Dancing let me get away from the weird feeling I'd gotten from David. There was something off about him, but I couldn't name what it actually was. But, if there was one thing I'd learned, it was to trust my gut feeling. It had saved me many times in the past from situations that could've ended badly if I didn't listen to my instincts.