At the club

Later on at the club, you, Jess, and Chad are enjoying drinking and dancing together until you gets called over by some friends leaving Jess and Chad alone.

She watches you disappear into the crowd with your friends, a hand raised in acknowledgment before you're swallowed by bodies and colored lights. The space beside her feels different now—empty of your familiar warmth, filled instead with Chad's proximity.

She takes a sip of her drink, the ice clinking against the glass, and turns to face him. The purple dress catches the strobe lights, glittering with each pulse of the music.

"Well. Looks like it's just us for a bit."

She says it lightly, but there's an undercurrent she can't hide—awareness of the last time they were alone together, of the towel, of the press of his body against hers.

She sets her drink down, steps closer to him so she doesn't have to shout over the music.

"You having fun? Or is this too much 'couple's night' energy for you?"

She's close enough to smell his cologne, to see the way the lights play across his features. She doesn't step back.

“Yeah it’s really fun. I love dancing, you’re really good at it too so it makes it easier to focus” he says laughing, having a good time. This causes her to laugh, easing the mood as they danced together in this sea of people.