Chapter 87 Eighty Seven
Inside the club, the music swallowed Izzy whole.
The bass thumped through the floor and into her chest, loud and steady, like a second heartbeat. Lights flashed in pinks and purples, cutting through the haze as people danced close, laughing, shouting into each other’s ears. It was chaotic… and alive.
Izzy stood just inside, shoulders slightly tense, her hand still wrapped around Maya’s wrist.
Maya leaned in, shouting over the music. “Breathe. You look so fucking hot. Own it.”
Izzy nodded, letting go. She straightened her back, lifted her chin, and reminded herself why she was here.
Tonight was not about Dominic.
Tonight was about her.
They moved toward the bar. Izzy perched on a stool, fingers curling around the edge as Maya ordered drinks. Her eyes kept drifting around the room without meaning to, half-expecting to see a familiar face she knew wouldn’t be there.
Nothing.
The realization stung… but it also freed her a little.
Maya slid a drink toward her. “Here. Sip. We are getting drunk tonight so don't you dare think about that asshole.”
Izzy took a small drink, the cold burn of alcohol settling her nerves. She watched the crowd instead… women laughing freely, men leaning in close, bodies moving without hesitation. Everyone looked like they belonged.
She wanted to belong too.
“Tonight,” Izzy said quietly, more to herself than anyone else, “no Dominic. Just me.”
Maya smiled at that. “That’s the spirit.”
A few minutes passed. Izzy relaxed enough to sway slightly to the music, her body moving before her mind could stop it. She felt eyes on her… not heavy, not threatening. Curious. Appreciative.
Then Maya stiffened.
“Oh,” she said, slow and satisfied. “Speak of the devil.”
Izzy’s stomach flipped. “What?”
Maya tilted her head toward the entrance. “Your other hotness is here... Adrian just walked in.”
Izzy turned before she could stop herself.
He stood near the door, tall, dressed simply but well, scanning the room. When his eyes landed on her, his expression changed… surprise first, then a slow, unmistakable smile.
Her breath caught.
“He’s… actually here,” Izzy whispered.
“Told you,” Maya said smugly. “And look… he’s already coming over.”
Adrian approached with easy confidence, stopping a comfortable distance away. “Hey,” he said warmly. “You look… breathtaking as always.”
Izzy felt heat rush to her face. “Hi. You came.”
“I said I would.” His smile softened. “I’m glad you texted.”
For a second, the noise of the club faded. Izzy felt nervous, exposed… but also seen…. Adrian always had that effect on her.
Maya clapped her hands once. “Imma go dance and get myself some hot stuff.. Be back soon”
She disappeared into the crowd before Izzy could protest.
Izzy let out a small, shaky laugh. “She’s… a lot.”
Adrian chuckled. “I like her… she seem amazing”
“She is,” Izzy said. Then, after a beat, more honestly, “and I needed this .”
Adrian studied her, not pushing, not prying. “Rough week?”
She nodded. “Yeah.”
“Well,” he said gently, gesturing toward the dance floor, “we don’t have to talk about it. That's why we are here.. Let's just get drunk, dance and forget the week's stress.”
Izzy hesitated… then nodded.
“Okay,” she said. “I’d like that.”
As they stepped into the crowd, the music closing around them, Izzy felt something loosen in her chest. She wasn’t healed. She wasn’t over him.
But for the first time in days, she didn’t feel.. Light.
Izzy let the music pull her in.
At first, her movements were small, careful. Adrian stood in front of her, giving her space, matching her rhythm instead of crowding her. That alone made her relax a little. He wasn’t rushing her. He wasn’t trying to prove anything.
“You okay?” he asked, leaning close so she could hear him.
She nodded. “Yeah. Just… getting used to the beat… I'm not much of a dancer.”
He smiled, soft and genuine. “Take your time.”
They moved together slowly, the lights flashing over them. Izzy became aware of how close they were….close enough to feel his warmth, close enough to notice the way his eyes stayed on her face, not her body. It surprised her more than she expected.
For a moment, Dominic crossed her mind.
The way he would have held her. Claimed the space around her. The thought made her chest tighten….but she pushed it away.
This wasn’t that.
Adrian leaned in again. “You don’t have to talk if you don’t want to,” he said. “But if you do… I’m here.”
Izzy swallowed. Her throat felt thick. “Thank you.”
They danced like that for a while, lost in the crowd but somehow in their own small bubble. Slowly, the tension in her shoulders eased. She even smiled…really smiled…when Adrian spun her gently and laughed when she nearly stumbled.
“There she is,” he said. “That smile.”
She laughed breathlessly. “I don't think you've seen me smile that much.
“Maybe not,” he replied, still smiling. “But I when you smile geninuely… right now this isn't it.”
That hit her harder than she expected.
They moved off the dance floor later, heading back to the bar. Maya appeared like magic, eyebrows lifting as she took in Izzy’s flushed cheeks and lighter expression.
“Well,” Maya said, pleased. “Looks like you both are having fun.”
Izzy rolled her eyes but didn’t deny it.
Adrian ordered drinks, then turned to Izzy. “No pressure,” he said carefully. “If you want to leave early, or just hang with your friend, that’s fine.”
Izzy studied him for a moment. The calm in his voice. The patience.
“I want to stay,” she said quietly. “I want to spend tonight with you.”
He nodded. “Fine by me.. I'd love spending time with you any day.”
Across the city, Dominic wasn’t in the room with her… but the space he left was slowly being filled. Not by desire. Not by revenge.
By choice.
And for the first time since he drove away without a word, Izzy felt something shift inside her.
Maybe this wasn’t the end.
Maybe it was the beginning of her taking herself back.