ACHING FOR HIM

RACHEL

The whole place throbbed with bass, lights flashing like they were trying to blind someone. I’d never liked parties too loud, too sweaty, too many people pretending to have the best night of their lives.

But it was Tiara’s birthday, and she’d dragged me here with the same force a tornado uses to lift cars. I was just trying to breathe through the chaos when a hand slid around my waist slowly, and very confidently.

My heart jerked as I spun around. Some ridiculously fine, annoyingly smug guy staring at me like he had every right to touch me.

“Excuse me, riff-Raff. Can you just fckng piss off?” I yelled so loud my throat burned. If the music wasn’t blasting through the walls, the whole house would’ve frozen at the way I shouted at the guy.

I hadn’t even wanted to come out tonight. But Tiara had begged like she always did but tonight she actually managed to convince me with that trophy speech “Come on, Rach, loosen up, live a little. And… It worked. All my life had been a tight circle. It was either Raymond or school. That was it. So fine. Maybe one night out wasn’t too bad after all. But… Five minutes. That’s all I lasted before some drunk clown latched on to me like I was his personal candy.

“Easy, girl,” he sneered, his eyes dragging shamelessly down my mini skirt like he could already picture everything underneath it. “Nobody dresses like that to a party if they don’t want to be touched.”

Every muscle in my body tightened. If only I’d been here with Raymond, if he hadn’t been home sick with a fever, I wouldn’t have had to deal with trash like this. I hissed and walked away. He wasn’t worth my energy. And God knows I’d end up breaking his head if I stayed one more minute. I pushed through the crowd, light strobes cutting across faces, hearts pulsing with the beat.

Eventually I spotted Tiara, the birthday girl, drowning in half-naked gay strippers like it was heaven on earth. I squeezed through the bodies to reach her.

“Tiara! I need to leave!” I yelled. She whipped around, sweat glistening on her forehead from all the dancing.

“What the hell, Rachel? You just got here! Have some fun, b*tch!” she shouted, already turning back, until I yanked her attention back to me again.

“Raymond’s sick. I need to check on him.” Her face twisted… then she laughed hard like I’d just told a joke.

“What are you even talking about? Your boyfriend is at the pool. I thought you two came together.” She hiccuped. “Someone who’s sick can’t be having fun right now, can they?”

I blinked. “Tiara, he literally texted me. He’s home. Took his med already. I think you’re drunk right now.” But she was already staggering away, mumbling something to one of the dancers. A cold knot formed in my stomach. I trusted Ray… but my legs were moving before my brain caught up. I tried to convince my brain otherwise but that only hastened my steps. Bodies brushed against me as I pushed through the hall toward the glow of the pool.

The music hit harder out here, bass rattling the night. And the moment I reached the edge… My world stalled. There he was. Raymond. Shoulder-length brown hair. The exact shade, the exact cut. Tangled between a blonde’s hair as she straddled him on a poolside lounge chair. They were kissing. So deeply they didn’t even know what was happening around them. My breath left me that instant. No. No, no. Anyone could have hair like that. Anyone could— He shifted. And then I saw him clearly. It was him. It was really fckng him. Before I knew it, I was moving, storming forward, ripping the blonde off him by her hair.

My palm cracked across his cheek so fast he barely had time to react. His head snapped to the side. He stumbled to his feet, his face tightening as he realized who stood in front of him.

“Rachel?” he sputtered. “F*ck—what the hell are you doing here?”

I let out a broken laugh. “Me? I should be the one asking you that. What the f*ck are you doing here? You were supposed to be at home. Sick. Not sucking face with a blonde on a pool chair!”

“You’ve got it all wrong,” he snapped. “And why am I the only one getting yelled at? You lied too! Didn’t you say you weren’t coming tonight?”

I almost laughed. Was he serious right now? Rage thinned my vision. “To hell with you, Ray. Fck you.” I shot a glare at the blonde. “And fck you too sl*t!.” My chest rose and fell sharply. “We’re done.”

He barked out a laugh. “Be serious, Rachel. Everyone knows you can’t live without me. I’m basically the air you breathe.”

And d*mn it, he’d been right. up until this moment. I’d been blind to even know he had been cheating on me. “Watch me,” I said firmly, not even sure what my brain was targeting. I spun around. I didn’t even think. I didn’t look either. I walked straight toward the first guy heading my way. I didn’t care who he was. I didn’t care what he looked like. I stopped in front of him, ignored the tray of drinks in his hand, and pressed my mouth to his.

Everyone gasped. Followed by shouts. Raymond’s voice rising behind me. Good. Exactly what I wanted. Our lips held, just for a heartbeat, then I pulled back. Breathless, and then turned to Ray. “See? I found myself a new boyfriend. You’re ditched.”

Raymond stormed toward me, grabbed my arm hard enough to injure me. “You can’t be fckng serious, Rachel. I’m not agreeing to any breakup.”

“Can you get your hands off my girlfriend?” The voice that cut in was smooth. Dark and dangerous. The stranger stepped in, and this time I really looked and then saw him well. His dark eyes, calm and unreadable… lips that still remembered mine.

“Didn’t you hear her?” he said, his gaze locked on Ray. “She called me her new boyfriend. That means you can’t touch her anymore.”

Then his hand slid to my waist, firm, claiming…And he kissed me again. This time. Hotter. Rougher. Almost consuming. And right there, breath stolen, knees weak… I knew one thing with terrifying clarity.

Whoever this guy was, I wasn’t escaping him. Not tonight. Maybe not ever.