One Night Read online

  "Maybe she was just pretending she didn't know you so you'd sleep with her," Kevin says as he swipes through his phone. "Everyone knows you stay away from the groupies."

  "You sure you didn't see her leaving? Blond hair. Petite. Wearing a white blouse and a short black skirt. Freaking gorgeous."

  He looks up from his phone and motions to his bed. "You didn't do anything kinky, did you? Because if you did, you're washing all my shit."

  "There was nothing kinky. We didn't even touch the sheets. Now did you see her or not?"

  "No. I already told you, she wasn't here."

  "You didn't see her downstairs?"

  He shrugs. "There's people down there but I didn't notice who. They're passed out from last night."

  I race to the door and say to Kevin, "See ya later."

  "Hey, what about my bed?" I hear him yelling after me. "Get your ass back here and wash this shit!"

  Hurrying down to the main level, I search the living room but all I find are bodies passed out from last night. Some on the sofa. Some on the floor. But no Amber.

  Next I go to the kitchen. Dave is there, his head in the fridge, reaching to get something. Dave and I had product management class together last semester.

  "Dave," I say, trying to get his attention.

  My voice startled him and he bumps his head on the fridge as he stands up. "Shit." He shuts the fridge door while rubbing the back of his head. "What the hell? Can't you knock or something?

  I go up to him. "Did you see a girl leaving here this morning? Blond hair, blue eyes, wearing a white shirt and black skirt? Super hot."

  "Nope." He picks up the orange juice container from the counter and takes several big gulps, his throat moving as he swallows it down.

  "Are you sure you didn't see her? Did you see anyone leaving here this morning?"

  He finishes the orange juice, then tosses the container in the trash. "I didn't see anyone. I just woke up. I passed out on the pool table last night. My back's killing me." He cringes as he tries to straighten his back.

  "I gotta go. I'll see ya later." I head for the door.

  "When are you guys playing next?"

  "Tonight. At the bar on Fifth and Ash." I hurry out of there. Dave's a talker and I don't have time to chat.

  When I get outside, I search the street for her car but I don't even know what kind of car she drives. Maybe she doesn't have a car. Maybe she took the bus or came with a friend. A friend. Maybe that's why she left. Because her friend was leaving.

  How am I ever going to find her? She says she's leaving for New York today. She can't leave. Not yet. I need to find her first and convince her to try to make this work. I'm not a fan of long-distance relationships, but I'm willing to try. Anything to keep this girl in my life.

  Last night was...indescribable. Unlike anything I've ever experienced. I've never felt so strongly about someone that quickly. It was like there was some kind of spell on us, drawing us to each other and igniting a spark that lit a massive fire that just kept burning. I've never moved that fast with a girl and yet it didn't feel wrong. Everything about last night felt right. Like it was meant to be. Fate.

  I wasn't kidding when I told Amber I'm somewhat of a romantic. I've never actually told anyone that, and even last night, I tried to make light of it. But the truth is, I have a romantic side. I secretly write love songs that will never see the light of day but that let me pour my heart out in notes and lyrics. That's why I never finish a song. If I did, I might actually have to perform it, and doing so is putting too much of myself out there and that's just not me. I like to keep that side of me hidden, reserved only for the right person. And I think that person is Amber.

  Just thinking about her draws up all kinds of emotion. Powerful, real emotion that I shouldn't be feeling for someone I met just a few hours ago. But my romantic side believes in fate. In love at first sight. In soulmates. So it's entirely possible that all those elements came together last night when they brought me to Amber.

  I wasn't even going to go to the party. Van and I were planning to go to a movie, but then he met a girl when we were out having dinner at the brewery down the street and he ended up going back to her place. So I decided to check out the frat party that Dave had invited me to earlier in the week. I'd planned to stay maybe an hour or two and then leave to go work on my music. But then I saw her. And I couldn't leave.

  "Where you been?" Van asks as I walk in the house. We rent a house just down from campus. It's small and shitty and smells like stale beer but it's our own little slice of heaven, away from our families, who both live in town. There's no way I could live at home and neither could Van. We need our freedom.

  "I went to that party," I tell him. "The one Dave invited us to."

  "How was it?" He shoves a handful of peanuts in his mouth as he leans back in our fake leather recliner.

  I smile. "Freaking awesome. Might've been the best night of my life."

  "Shit, really? Did you have a threesome?"

  Of course that's where his mind goes. Van's mind is always on sex, the kinkier the better.

  "It wasn't a threesome. But there was this girl." I imagine her in my head. Golden blond hair. Bright blue eyes. And lips that were begging to be kissed.

  "Yeah?" Van says. "So? What about her? Was she hot?"

  "She was more than hot. She was alluring. Seductive. Like she had me under her spell. I saw her across the room and I was instantly drawn to her."

  Van laughs. "Is this for one of your songs or are you for real right now?"

  "Never mind," I say, wondering why I ever talk to Van about girls. With him, it's always about sex. He doesn't get romance, or fate, or instant connections.

  "So did you fuck her?" he asks.

  "Not that it's any of your business, but yeah. We went upstairs. Used Kevin's room."

  Van bursts out laughing. "Kevin's gonna kick your ass. You know how much he hates it when people use his room." Van points his finger at me. "Just wait. Kev's gonna make you wash his sheets. I used his room once and he made me wash almost everything in there. He didn't trust that I limited myself to the bed." Van smiles. "And he was right. Jewel and I used every square inch of that room."

  "I don't even want to know," I say, plopping down on our ratty plaid couch.

  Van loves to share his sex stories, half of which I'm sure are made up.

  "You hooking up with her later?" he asks. "Or was it just a one-time thing?"

  "I wanted it to be more than one time but she took off. I woke up this morning and she was gone."

  "And she didn't leave her number?"

  "No. I don't even know her last name. I know almost nothing about her."

  He shrugs. "Then I guess it was just for a night. No worries. We'll find you someone else tonight."

  "I don't want someone else. I want Amber."

  "Did you give her your number? Maybe she'll call you later."

  "I didn't have a chance to give her my number. She took off while I was asleep. She didn't even leave a note."

  "Man, you must've really sucked last night." He pops another handful of peanuts in his mouth. "I wouldn't be too worried about it. We all have our off nights."

  "I didn't have performance issues, idiot. I was on last night. Firing on all cylinders. The sex was the best I've ever had, and based on her reaction to it, I think she'd say the same."

  "Then why would she just leave like that? Without telling you goodbye or leaving her number?"

  "Because she's not staying here. She's moving to New York today for a job."

  "No shit?" He rubs his salt-covered fingers over his jeans. "So she just wanted to get some action before she goes?"

  "I don't think either one of us planned on that happening. When I got to the party, she was standing on the side of the room, looking bored, not like she was on the hunt for a guy to have sex with."

  "You sure about that? Maybe she was one of our band groupies."

  "She didn't know about the band until I
told her." I pause. "I just realized I didn't even tell her the name of it."

  The name of our band is Vandyl, a combination of our names. Austin wasn't included because we didn't know him back when we named the band.

  "And you don't know her last name?" Van asks.

  She never mentioned it and I didn't tell her mine.

  "Then I guess you won't be seeing her again."

  But I have to see her again. I have to know if we can recreate what we did last night. And even if we can't, I still want to see her again. You don't feel that kind of pull, that kind of bond, with a person every day. This was one of those once-in-a-lifetime moments. And after experiencing something that powerful, that amazing, I'm not just going to give up trying to find the person I shared it with.

  I have to find her. She's moving to New York, but even if I have to search for every Amber in that entire city, I'll do it. Because I have to see that girl again.

  Chapter Four

  Amber

  "Whatcha lookin' at?" Holly asks as she plops down beside me at the small table in the back of the restaurant. We're both on break after a long and really busy lunch shift.

  "Nothing," I say, hiding my phone screen from her.

  "Doesn't look like nothing," she says, smiling, as she leans around me in an attempt to try to see my phone. "Is it a text from a guy?"

  "No. I was just looking something up."

  She sighs and sits back in her chair. "You never have any good guy stories. After all the ones I've told you, you'd think you could at least return the favor now and then."

  I don't respond, although I'm dying to tell her my guy story. The one I've been reliving every day since that night. It's been a month since it happened and I still haven't told anyone, not even Kira, because I know whoever I tell will say I'm crazy for running off like I did, and I don't want to hear it.

  I've already yelled at myself enough about it. I keep thinking I should've stayed there that night, talked to Dylan, and at least explained why I didn't want to see him again. But that's not what I did and now it's too late. I'm sure he's moved on with someone else. And thinking about that makes me feel even worse. Even though I barely knew him, imagining him with someone else makes my stomach twist, my chest ache.

  "God, I'm tired," Holly says, resting her head on the table. "Did everyone in Chicago decide to eat here for lunch today?"

  "I know," I say, still looking at my phone. "It was the busiest I've ever seen it. Is something going on downtown?"

  "Who knows?" she mumbles, her eyes now closed. "All I know is that I need sleep or I'm not going to be able to make it through the dinner shift."

  "Why don't you go lie down in the break room?"

  "Because The Asshole's in there." She opens one eye to me. "With Tara."

  Holly used to date The Asshole, also known as Ian, the bartender. Everyone warned her he slept around but she fell for his charms and ended up sleeping with him, then got dumped the next day.

  I glance up from my phone. "They're not, um..."

  "No." She sits up. "They know they'd be fired if they did it in there. Rumor has it someone got fired for just kissing in the break room."

  "Really?" I shrug. "Guess it makes sense. Kissing tends to lead to other things."

  She sits up, suddenly full of energy, her eyes wide. "When's the last time you kissed someone?"

  "I don't know. I can't remember." It's a total lie. I remember it perfectly. Every second. Every detail.

  "It's been that long?" she asks. "I don't believe you. Come on. Tell me."

  "So you can go tell everyone here? No way."

  "You know I can keep a secret. Now come on. Tell me."

  Actually, I don't know if she can keep a secret. We've only worked together a few weeks. It's just a summer job. I also take two classes. It gives me an excuse not to go home to Michigan. Every summer I stay here and take classes to avoid going home. Of course, that's not what I tell my family. They think I'm just in a hurry to graduate.

  "Fine," I say, knowing she won't let this go until I tell her. "It was a month ago. Right after finals ended. I met him at a party."

  "Who was he?" she asks eagerly. "Anyone I know?"

  "You don't know him. He doesn't work here."

  "That doesn't mean I wouldn't know him." She leans back in her chair, lifting her foot up on it and resting her arms on her bent knee. "I know a lot of guys. What's his name?"

  "Dylan," I say, then wish I'd said a different name. I should've made up a fake name in the off chance that she actually does know him.

  "Dylan," she repeats, tapping her finger on her chin as she thinks. "You're right. I don't know any Dylans. So what happened? You just made out at the party and that was it?"

  "Um...yeah. That was it." I focus back on my phone. His name is still in the search box. I've been looking up every Dylan in Chicago since I left that night. I'm not even sure why. It's not like I'm ever going to find him. I don't even know his last name. And even if I did find him, I wouldn't date him. It was one night. That's it. And yet I keep searching for Dylans.

  She grabs my arm, her foot landing back on the floor as she leans over to me. "You totally did it with him, didn't you?"

  "What?" I feign surprise. "No! I'd just met him that night."

  "Yeah, but you slept with him. I can tell. I have a knack for these things."

  "What things?"

  "Sensing when someone had sex. Like The Asshole." She motions to the bar, where Ian is now drying glasses, back from his break. "The night after we hooked up, I looked at him and knew he'd had sex with someone else earlier that day."

  "Just a few hours after being with you?" I ask, shocked that Ian would do that. I know he sleeps around but I didn't know he'd be with two girls in less than twenty-four hours.

  "Yep," she says, popping the 'p' for emphasis as she glares at Ian. "He denied it of course, but the girl came in to see him that night and I asked her and sure enough, they'd been together that morning. Asshole," she mumbles, giving him the death stare.

  He notices her staring and smiles. "Hey, Hol," he calls out. "Want to go for another round? I could pencil you in for tonight."

  "In your dreams," she yells back, then rolls her eyes as she turns back to me. "How could you let me sleep with him? You're supposed to be my friend."

  "I didn't know you liked him. I had no idea you'd end up sleeping with him."

  "I DON'T like him." She shoots him another death stare. "But he's hot and I'm weak, and that particular night, I was hormonal. And needy. And obviously not thinking straight. Anyway." She looks back at me, smiling. "Tell me about your night with Dylan."

  Do I tell her? It would feel awesome to tell someone. Keeping this a secret has been nearly impossible. I've almost told Kira about a million times but then decided against it. I don't want her being disappointed in me for having a one-night stand. I always swore to her I'd never do that. Not that she'd judge me for it, but still. It's not something I'm particularly proud of.

  "Amber?" Holly waves her hand in front of my face. "You awake over there?"

  "Yeah. Sorry, I'm tired from the lunch rush."

  She checks her watch. "We have five minutes. Tell me what happened."

  I sigh. "Okay, but if I tell you this, it goes in the vault. You can't tell anyone. Not just people here but anyone."

  "Got it." She nods, emphatically. "My lips are sealed. Go ahead."

  "I was at this party, and right after we got there, my friend took off with some guy. I was left standing around, bored. Then I looked over and saw him coming in the door. And then...I don't know what happened. It doesn't make sense, but our eyes met and he came over to me and then he kissed me."

  She scrunches her face up. "Without saying anything?"

  "He asked my name. That was it. I know it sounds weird or creepy or whatever, but it wasn't like that at all. There was something familiar about him, almost like I knew him."

  "But you didn't? You'd never met him before?"

&nbs
p; "No. Never."

  "Huh." She rests her arms on the table. "So you kissed and then you did introductions or what?"

  "No. We kind of skipped the talking stage and moved right to...you know."

  "Sex?" She says it so loud that Ian looks over.

  "You change your mind about tonight?" he yells, then snickers to himself.

  She doesn't look at him as she gives him the finger. "So let me get this straight," she says. "You had sex with a guy without even knowing his name."

  "He told me his name when we got upstairs." I lower my voice. "Before we did it."

  Just talking about this, my heart is racing, heat rising inside me. That was the hottest experience of my life. Not just the sex, but the moments leading up to it. I've never been so turned on.

  "Oh my God, that is SO unlike you." Her voice rises in pitch. "I can't believe you did that!"

  "I can't either. I still can't. But the odd thing is, I don't feel bad about it. Or regret it. At the time, it felt like the right thing to do. Like I said, there was something familiar about him."

  She grabs my wrist. "Maybe he's your soulmate! Like you know how they say souls who are a match can recognize each other right away? Maybe that's what happened."

  Like me, Holly is a hopeless romantic, which is why I told her this. I knew she'd understand, but I also know she'll tell me to go find Dylan, which I can't do. My hopeless romantic side ends whenever it hits reality. And the reality is, what happened that night with Dylan is not something that could be sustained. The passion. The connection we felt. The communication without words. In the real world, none of that exists. Whatever we experienced that night wouldn't last more than a day, if that.

  "We're not soulmates," I tell her. "It was just one of those strange things that can't be explained."

  "So what happened? You guys went out and it didn't work? Did he have a girlfriend? Or are you still dating him? Wait—have you been dating him this whole time and you didn't tell me?"

  "No. I haven't seen him since that night. That's all it was. One night. Nothing more."