the club was spinning. or maybe it was just alexandra. she couldn't quite tell the difference anymore. the music pulsed through her veins, the bass vibrating against her skin, as she swayed, pressed between too many bodies, too much heat, too many hands that didn't belong to her. she had downed too many drinks—far too many. the sharp burn of liquor still lingered on her tongue, mixing with the taste of bad decisions and recklessness. it didn't matter. not tonight.

her body moved on autopilot, her limbs loose and uncoordinated as she danced, more stumbling than swaying, but no one around her seemed to care. they were all just as lost in the haze of alcohol and flashing neon lights. the world was a blur, faces melting together, voices indistinct except for the occasional shout or drunken laugh near her ear.

she could barely remember how many drinks she'd had—five? seven? maybe more. it didn't matter now. she was warm, her head spinning, her body heavy but also strangely weightless, like she was floating through the crowd. the room tilted slightly as she turned toward the exit. it was too much, the overwhelming noise, the press of bodies, the sticky air that smelled of sweat, alcohol, and expensive cologne. she needed fresh air.

or, at the very least, a moment to breathe.

but walking proved to be a challenge. her legs felt weak, like they weren't entirely her own. she tripped over her own feet, catching herself on a stranger's shoulder before mumbling a halfhearted apology and pushing forward. the exit was near—if she could just make it a few more steps.

then, just as she reached the door, she collided into someone.

she groaned, already irritated before she even saw who it was. and, of course, just her luck—it was tom.

great. just what i needed, she thought bitterly, forcing herself to straighten up.

"hey, alex, how you've been doing?" tom's voice was smooth, smug, and utterly infuriating. his smirk was even worse.

alexandra scowled, blinking heavily as she tried to focus on his face. "fuck off, tom," she muttered, flipping him off without hesitation. she didn't have the patience for him tonight—or ever, really.

tom just chuckled, but alexandra didn't stick around long enough to hear whatever cocky response he had lined up. she shoved past him, pushing through the heavy doors and stumbling out into the cool night air.

the contrast between the club and the outside was jarring. the music was still loud, muffled by the thick walls, but the air was crisp against her overheated skin. the street was dimly lit, the glow of streetlights casting long shadows across the pavement.

she took a shaky step forward, her heels clicking against the concrete as she tried to remember where zach had parked the car. her vision was blurry, the world tilting slightly, but she pushed forward, determined to find her way.

then she saw them.

nick and zach.

they were standing near the curb, faces tense, voices raised in an argument that she couldn't quite make out. but even in her intoxicated state, alexandra could tell what it was about.

nick was pissed. his expression was sharp, his posture tense, his hands gesturing aggressively as he spoke. zach looked equally frustrated, his arms crossed, his jaw clenched.

alexandra blinked slowly, her mind struggling to catch up. then she noticed noah—or rather, the lack of her.

noah wasn't there.

and she was really drunk. really fucked up.

alex could see it in the way nick's shoulders were set, the way his eyes were sharp with anger and frustration. he wasn't just mad—he was worried.

the argument came to an abrupt stop when they noticed alexandra.

she tripped over her feet, barely catching herself before she could hit the pavement, and that was enough to make nick's anger shift entirely. his jaw tightened, his eyes scanning her quickly, taking in her unsteady stance, her flushed cheeks, the way she was blinking too hard as if trying to keep the world from spinning.

"zach, mate," nick said, exhaling sharply as he turned back to his friend. "could you bring noah to our home? i'll bring her home."

zach sighed, running a hand through his hair before nodding. despite the tension between them, he agreed without much of a fight. that was just how they worked.

alexandra let out a quiet laugh, swaying slightly. "why can't you bring noah home?" she asked, her words slightly slurred but still laced with sarcasm. "you guys live together, dude. your knowledge left at the same time we left each other." she chuckled at her own joke, but nick didn't find it funny.

his jaw clenched as he stepped forward.

alex was still talking—ranting, really—about nothing in particular, just letting the alcohol guide her words. nick barely gave her a chance to continue before he bent down, effortlessly throwing her over his shoulder like she weighed nothing.

she let out a small gasp, immediately kicking her legs in protest. "hey—put me down, you asshole!" she punched his back, but there was no force behind it.

nick didn't even flinch. "see you another time, mate," he said to zach, who just shook his head with a knowing smirk.

"see you, bruv," zach replied before walking off, leaving nick to deal with alexandra on his own.

alexandra kept weakly hitting his back, her punches getting softer and softer until they stopped altogether. the exhaustion was setting in, the warmth of the alcohol lulling her into a hazy drowsiness.

by the time nick reached her car, a sleek red ferrari parked a few feet away, she had already gone quiet.

he opened the passenger door and carefully placed her inside, securing the seatbelt before closing the door. he sighed, shaking his head slightly as he walked around to the driver's side and got in.

the engine roared to life, the sound cutting through the quiet of the night.

nick exhaled, gripping the wheel.

he knew exactly where alexandra's house was. next to his house. he had been at her house a million times before. but he also knew who was inside—catherine sinclaire, alexandra's mother. and if there was one thing nick knew for sure, it was that catherine would lose her mind if she saw her daughter in this state.

fucked up. blackout drunk.

so he made a decision.

the red ferrari sped through the london streets, but not toward alexandra's home.

it was heading to his.

( © SOLXSTRS 2025 )