“How’s it going?” he asks, twisting in his seat. His deep-blue eyes sparkle like sapphires as he looks at me appraisingly. “You must be Paige. I hear a ‘happy birthday’ is in order.”
“Ah, yes it is,” I say timidly.
“Well then happy birthday!” he grins, winking at me. “I’m Jeff.” I nod in response, feeling as though my face is burning under his gaze. I imagine that I look nowhere near as grown up as I felt a few moments ago.
“Just a little girl playing dress up,” I mumble to myself.
“What did you say?” Tahlia asks as she slides into the seat next to me.
“Oh nothing. Just talking to myself.”
“You know that’s the first sign of madness right?” Jeff points out with a grin as he focuses on reversing the car. I blush again. “Are we ready to dance?!” he hollers as we take off down the street.
“Hell yeah!” calls out Tahlia, leaning her head out the open window to let out a loud whoop as we round the corner.
The excitement in the car is infectious, and I find myself joining in with their yells and singing along with the songs that are now blaring out of the radio.
I'm beginning to feel as though I’m floating on air as this warmth starts to build inside me, and the music seems to entwine itself around my body, like a wonderful warm blanket. The lyrics of the songs are clearer and feel as though they're filled with a meaning that's directed only at me.
This intense bundle of emotions is flowing through my body and starts to overwhelm me, making it difficult to breathe. I let my head drop against the back of the seat as my eyes begin to roll back. Never, in my entire life have I ever felt this good.
Every bit of pain, every bit of hurt, every bit of longing, has drifted away, and I’m smiling. Smiling genuinely for the first time in my living memory.
“I’m fucking off my face,” Tahlia stage whispers at me, like it’s some massive secret.
“Is that what this feeling is?” I wonder, suddenly understanding that it’s those little pills making me feel this good. “It’s wonderful. I could live like this.”
Before I know it, we’re in a parking lot, and Jeff is helping us out of the car. “Jeez, you two are lucky I’m babysitting tonight.”
I scrunch up my face in frown. “Babysitting? I’m not a baby,” I tell him, feeling genuinely confused.
“Relax sweetheart,” he says, draping his long lean arm across my shoulders. The physical contact does something to me, and I can’t help myself. I turn towards him, wrapping my arms tightly around his slim waist. We stay like that, for what seems like an eternity, and I feel a great rush of energy surging through my body.
Through his chest, I hear Jeff say something. But, I can’t understand a word of it. I’m lost in the embrace. It’s been so long since someone has held me.
Eventually, he gently pushes me away and peers into my face smiling. His hand grazes my cheek as he brushes my hair back with his fingers.
“Let’s go inside,” he suggests in a low intimate voice. “You can dance all night, and you’ll feel amazing. I promise.”
Nodding, I follow Jeff and Tahlia up to the back entrance to the club. There, Jeff claps hands with the bouncer, who immediately lets us in.
“Told you he was connected,” Tahlia murmurs in my ear. “And I told you he was hot too. He’s got his eye on you,” she giggles, as she nudges my side playfully.
The sound is deafening as we walk through the main doors of the club. Some sort of indiscernible music is playing, and I can’t help but move along as the beat takes over my body. When the song nears its end, the DJ starts to splice a new one in. It’s a familiar beat, and the room starts to cheer and move more excitedly as Underworld’s ‘Born Slippy’ starts to play.
Euphoria seems to have replaced the blood in my veins as my molecules dance for me – or with me. I can’t really tell. I just know that it’s amazing, the song feels like it’s a part of me.