The least (or perhaps most) enjoyable date of Olivia Blink's life — Part 2: The Club

"Wait, are you okay to drive?"

Olivia Blink had run ahead toward the car, with Brian chasing after her. He stumbled a bit on the way, looking back at the ground behind him as if there had been an obvious trap that had somehow gotten the better of him -- but no, just the street.

"I'm fine! You're the one that had two shots." Olivia laughed, and unlocked her car. "Let's go!"

Brian caught up and stood against the outside of the car. "I haven't seen you like this before. What's gotten into you?"

Olivia glared at him and cocked her head to the side. "Like what? We went out for a drink. We've done that before."

"Yeah, but not ... tequila shots."

"Really, that's the concern? That it was tequila shots?"

Brian took a deep breath and attempted to backpedal. "Well, no, not just that. I mean -- well, it was --"

"It was what? Fun? God forbid we should have fun now and then!" Olivia was getting irritated. This was really what was bugging her, almost more than the TikTok thing -- that Brian had a way of avoiding spontaneous fun at every turn. "We did something different for a change. Did it throw off your routine too much?"

"My routine?"

"Oh, come on, Brian. Let's just live a little, do things we weren't expecting to do! Take a risk, be random, who knows what will happen!"

Brian looked around. The street was empty, though the bar behind them still looked vibrant and alive. "Yeah, sure, Liv. Whatever you want."

His words were agreeable, but his voice ****. And while that wasn't exactly the combination Olivia was looking for, she accepted it, got into the car, and turned on the ignition. They drove for a bit in silence, but Olivia's mind was running at high speed. It will be absolutely unbelievably amazing, the most amazing thing that has ever amazed me, if this is the guy behind everything. She side-eyed at Brian suspiciously. He stared forward, his eyes frozen on the road ahead. If it's him, at least I'll have figured it out -- but I seriously don't see how it's possible.

They continued on, not talking. After a mile or so, pulled up alongside dark building with a bright neon sign that read Electric Velvet.

"This?"

Olivia snapped her look toward him. "Yes, this. You said we could do whatever I want. And I want this."

Brian shook his head in disbelief. "What's gotten into you, Liv? Why all these new things, they don't really seem like ... you." He watched as Olivia got out of the car without answering, so he followed suit. "Liv?"

"What new things?" She closed the door forcefully and gave him a look. "Going out for a drink at a different bar? Trying a new position for sex? Well, new for you. I mean, it's been around for zillions of years, and lots of women like it, but I guess I'm the weirdo for wanting to do it doggy style for a change."

"Liv, stop!" Brian shushed her. She had raised her voice a bit, and he was getting uneasy with this argument happening on the street.

"We're going inside here. And we're going to dance. And have fun. You're going to fucking have a good time!" She stomped past him and toward the entrance, her silhouette framed by the glowing neon of the sign.

First, there was the music. It was loud, thumping, and repetitive, and Olivia Blink could feel the vibrations of it through her body. The song, if there even was one, was obscured by the pounding beat, an insistent bass that shook her to the core. There was a deejay station in one corner, a man working the system with an appearance of casual effortlessness.

Second, there was the smell. It was a thick cocktail of sweat, cologne, maybe a hint of citrus from a spilled drink, and through it all, a raw musk of sex. Not that anyone was literally having sex in the room (though it's certainly possible, Olivia thought, I don't know how this works), but there was an aura of primal lust and human desire floating in the air.

Third, there were the lights. The room was essentially dark, occasionally assaulted with bright neon lights flashing, strobes of different colors, they almost appeared like lasers cutting through the darkness. The effect was disorienting, leaving Olivia momentarily blinded, but as she adjusted to the look, the lights blended with the world, illuminating just enough to keep here invested and alert.

Fourth, there was the crowd. The club was packed, dense, people grooving to the music, their bodies twisting, turning, as if en masse they were one giant organism, life pumping through the entirety, through the unity of the group.

Olivia had never been to a club like this, but she was fascinated. As she pushed her way inside, with Brian desperately trying to tag along behind her, she found herself warming up to the environment, almost growing intoxicated by the combinations of senses and the newness of it all.

"Dance with me!" she shouted at Brian, turning on him suddenly.

He couldn't hear over the music, but Olivia grabbed his arm and pulled him closer to her. She flung herself against him, wrapping her hands around his neck, and pulling her body to his.

"I said, dance with me!" As she clutched his body, she began to sway to the music, trying valiantly to imitate the crowd around her. Her hands moved around Brian's body, trying to find a spot to hold onto that felt right, that allowed her (them) to settle into the rhythms and patterns of the room.

Brian remained awkward as always, staring hopelessly at Olivia, either needing to remain connected to her for fear of being swallowed by the sea of strangers, or attempting to silently urge her to reconsider all of this and leave the club, neither of which felt particularly good to him. He was clearly not enjoying any of this, but the alternative was abandoning Olivia here, which also didn't seem all that appealing.

Bodies pushed past them, bumping, grinding, a blurry distinction between people looking to move through the crowd to get somewhere and people simply sharing the communal experience of the energy of the club. Brian looked at each person who bumped up against him, half annoyed and half resigned to the reality. Olivia mostly watched Brian, though she was occasionally distracted by someone passing by, particularly if they had a distinct look about them.

"Do you ... want to get a drink?" Brian shouted at her. He wasn't sure another drink was the right idea, but it was the only thing he could think of that might keep them together but off the dance floor.

Olivia grabbed his hand, and pulled him through the crowd (and away from the front entrance), assuming there might be a bar somewhere. Brian followed, not quite pleased with the shift in action, but at least it got him away from the heat of the crowd. They wove through the maze of bodies and somehow found themselves in the back of the club where a dimly lit bar held court. Brian lunged against the front edge of the bar, his face lit from below by blue neon running through the architecture.

"Hey," a voice cut through the noise. One of the bartenders moved over to them and leaned in to hear their order.

Olivia looked up and immediately squealed. "Tyler!"

"Oh wow, Liv!" Tyler Jones grinned, and leaned forward over the bar to offer an awkward hug. He moved toward her, half turning his head and expecting her to do the same -- except she didn't. Instead, they came toward each other face to face, and in the surprise of the moment, Olivia gave Tyler a fleeting kiss.

She pulled back quickly, giggling. "Whoops! Didn't mean to do that!"

Olivia turned to look at Brian, who was clearly not having the same level of fun, watching his girlfriend accidentally (?) kiss another man -- a man he didn't know at all, but immediately recognized as someone both way more suited to life in a club, and someone who was pretty much the complete opposite of Brian. Tall, athletic, Black, and apparently someone a half-drunk Olivia Blink didn't seem to mind kissing in front of him.

"Tyler, this is Brian," Olivia shouted, gesturing to each of them. "Brian, I work with Tyler at the café."

Brian nodded, neither knowing the depth of Olivia's friendship with Tyler nor wanting to.

"You guys need a cocktail?" Tyler asked.

"When did you start working here?" Olivia said, ignoring his question.

"Sure," Brian said, leaning around her. "Light beer for me, any brand. Vodka cranberry for Liv."

Tyler smiled and prepped the drinks. "Been here a couple years. I've told you I tended bar at night."

Olivia grinned. "I expected like a basic ... bar. You know, like with televisions and football games and potato skins and stuff."

Tyler laughed. "I don't work at Applebees, Liv. Come on. Give me some credit."

"This is so funny, seeing you here!" Olivia kept staring at Tyler, making Brian even more uncomfortable as he watched his girlfriend seem to entirely forget him. "Brian and I were having a drink, and wanted to hit up another hot spot, and wound up here!"

Tyler handed two beverages to the couple, then glanced around to make sure he wasn't neglecting other customers. "Why here?"

Olivia shrugged. "Don't know! I saw the lights, it looked cool, and now here we are!" She swung her attention around to Brian. "Isn't that right? Here we are!"

Brian smirked, tight-lipped, wondering if Olivia was somehow getting drunker just by osmosis from the room. "Yup, here we are." He sipped his beer, and then watched in some shock as Olivia slugged about half of the vodka cocktail.

"And here you are," Olivia said, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand, and grabbing Brian's cheeks and pulling him toward her. She planted a firm kiss on his lips, holding him tightly. Tyler's eyes widened as he saw them, and then quickly turned away to wipe down another part of the bar. "Oh no, sir," Olivia said, summoning Tyler back. "Don't go ..."

Tyler chuckled. "I'm working here, Liv. I can't just hang out. Besides," he continued, glancing toward Brian. "I think you've got the party right there." He peered off to the side, and then leaned toward Olivia again. "There's a little cluster of sofas over there. I probably shouldn't promote this, but sometimes folks on the dance floor start getting a little physical, and ... well, I guess I've seen them drift over to that area to make out and stuff."

Olivia squinted one eye at Tyler, making a cute scrunched-up face. "Coulda been you, big boy." She turned back to a rather aghast Brian and grabbed his hand. "Come on, let's go fool around."

"It's nice to see you having fun, Liv."

She looked back at him as she and Brian began to walk away. "Me?"

"Yeah, after all that stupid stuff on the phone and TikTok, it's nice to see you letting loose."

Olivia nodded. "Maybe I'm supposed to live up to the stories? Who knows."

She and Brian drifted away from the bar, and Tyler quickly shifted his focus to other patrons. As Olivia pulled Brian through the crowd, she heard him shout over the noise.

"TikTok? What's he talking about?"

Should I just tell him? Olivia thought.

They had arrived at the couches, and to Olivia's surprise (despite what Tyler had suggested), there were a few other lust-driven would-be dancers making other kinds of moves across the seating areas. Olivia and Brian had found a spot themselves, and she was trying her best to stay focused on Brian, but her mind was racing.

I shouldn't tell him. She was barely giving him any actual physical attention, but was too preoccupied with her other thoughts. If I tell him, and if it's not him, then he'll freak out more than he already has. Better to just push through the night and see what happens.

Brian had his hands behind her back. He certainly wasn't making any aggressive moves, even if the couple behind him was practically naked (the guy had his shirt off, the girl was in a bra).

I can't believe Tyler works here! Who knew? This casts a whole new light on him, I think.

Olivia's mind started to get very blurry, the music vibrating through her body. She was losing her focus on her thoughts, losing her focus on Tyler.

"You okay?"

It was Brian, his voice sounding distant to Olivia, slower than she expected.

"Yeah ... I ..."

She rubbed her eyes and tried to focus on Brian.

"You look like ... maybe the night has caught up to you." Brian looked concerned, but Olivia wasn't fully registering his expression in her mind. "You wanna get some fresh air?"

Olivia blinked hard and tried to pull herself together.

"No, I'm fi--" She stopped, mid-word. "I think maybe the night has caught up to me!"

Brian smiled. "Yeah. Shots. Vodka. This place. Let me take you home."

Olivia nodded. She stood up, then fell back onto Brian, who helped prop her up. "I'm fine, I'm fine! Just a little tipped over."

Brian put his arm around her, and escorted her back through the crowd. As the music swelled, Olivia perked up a bit, bouncing to the thumping bass, but then let Brian usher her back across the dance floor and out the front door.

"Chilly out here!" she said. "Take me home, Jeeves." She tossed her keys as Brian, but they hit him in the face before falling to the ground. He collected them, not making anything of Olivia's drunken aim.

They arrived at her car, and Brian helped her into the passenger's side. He moved around to the driver's door, and climbed in next to Olivia. He started the engine, adjusted the mirror, checked Olivia's seat belt (and his own), and then pulled away from the curb.

"This has been a stellar night, Bri. You know, you're going to read about it tomorrow, and it's going to be quite a bit different -- but totally more exciting."

"What's that?" Brian was focused on driving, but confused by Olivia's ramble. "Read about it?"

"Oooooh, unless you already know about all that." Olivia snapped her head to the left to stare at him, but then fell back against her window as they turned. "Or not, of course."

"Or not?"

"Of course."

"Liv, sweetie, I don't know what you're talking about."

She nodded. "That's exactly what you would say, isn't it?" She leaned against the window, her eyes drifting closed. "Tick, tock, tick, tock ..." Her speech slurred a bit, and turned to mumbling, and in a matter of seconds, she'd passed out.