Ever So Slightly

I wait for Will by the hotel suite door, dressed in pitch black skinnies, a crisp white shirt and a waistcoat. It’s a little short for me, and not made for a girl, but if I tighten it with the buckle at the back then I find I can compensate for my boobs pretty well. It won’t be any surprise to you that I’m wearing my black kitten heels, but I polished them up, and threw on the gold bangles and long necklace I’d worn to Mark’s nineteenth.

Will emerges from the bedroom, in jeans that were possibly tighter than my own, looking hotter than I’d ever seen him before.

And not just hot - but - and I feel really cheesy saying this - handsome, his hair falling around his jaw in soft waves and his lips pouted at me ever so slightly. He walks over.

‘What time is it?’ I ask.

He grazes his cheek to mine as he murmurs a quiet ‘Half seven’ into my ear.

‘You look amazing.’

I flush in pleasure and manage to get out a ‘You look pretty hot yourself,’ though my voice cracks a little. He chuckles softly and slips his hand into mine.

‘We’d better get going then. We’re meeting everyone outside and walking down - it’s not too far. That way no one will have to stay sober to drive us back.’

I nod and follow him out of our room and into the lift, then out again, and into the cold night’s air, where a congregation of people are gathered. I see Bianca standing with Gabe, who holds his hand up in greeting to Will, but Will just waves back, squeezing my hand and making his way over to Siska.

‘Sisky, how’s things?’ he greets, high-fiving him.

‘Not too bad Bilvy, not too bad - yourself?’

‘I’m sweet,’ replies Will, looking around him. ‘We gonna get going then? I reckon everyone’s here.’

‘Yeah, yeah,’ says Siska, yelling loudly, ‘Ready to rock guys, this way.’

We walk down the street for a bit and then cross the road, turning down another street until the bright lights of Birmingham shine into view.

‘I don’t think it’s far now,’ whispers Will, probably noticing me shivering.

We walk just a few yards further until we come within range of what looks like a fat man just standing by the wall. Gabe walks ahead and exchanges a handshake with him.

‘Tony - good to see you man, I thought you were working in London? Well, we’re all here now and shit…so I guess we’ll just go through and see you laters.’

Tony nods and steps aside to reveal a black door, pushing it open and holding it there as the group saunters in, nodding in thanks, offering the occasional high five. I follow Will through the door, and then through another little room, before we emerge into the club, alive and buzzing with hundreds of people.

The room is huge, and through a triple archway I can just glimpse another, paved in shiny black ceramic tiles and navy wallpaper. In the centre, there’s a circular bar, where around eight waiters are mixing drinks. From what I can tell, the top is white, but it could just have easily been clear glass with lights behind it - the area did seem to be strangely illuminated. Over the other side of the room is what appears to be an expansive dance floor - or at least, everybody appears to be dancing there - and plush seating and glass tables are dotted around randomly. A few other people mill around aimlessly with trays of food, but mostly they’re gathered around - talking, drinking, and laughing heartily.

‘Ah!’ exclaims Will over the racket of dance music and people. ‘I can see Pete! You have to meet this guy… he’s great.’ Will lets go of my hand and slips it around my waist, pulling me over to a crowd of people. He places a hand a mans shoulder, and he turns around, face lighting up as he recognises William.

‘Bill! You made it then - and who’s this?’ he asks, curious.

‘This is Hannah,’ Will puts in. ‘Hannah, this is my main guy, Pete - pretty much the reason we’re all alive, ha ha - get it?’

I smile a hello as Pete commands the conversation again.

‘So guys! What do you think of this place? It’s a bit 90’s and could do with fixing up - but I was thinking about renovating and having it as my UK hang out sorta thing.’ He notices Will’s face. ‘No? What’s wrong with it - hey, can I get you guys a drink? There’s some really great punch over there - only, after a while it turns your tongue black, see?’ He sticks out his tongue as if to prove it. ‘Haa…anyways, I gotta circulate, you know how it is - But I’ll see you later, yeah?’

Pete wanders off to another group of people as Will pulls me over to inspect the punch.

‘What the hell, you only live once,’ he smirks, pouring some into a glass and offering it to me. I accept it, and he pours himself another, taking a long draught.

‘Punch, yeah,’ he says, making a squinty sort of face. ‘Just about the only thing in here is Vodka and black food colouring. And a few cherries.’ He pokes them around his glass. ‘Oh well, wanna go and join the guys?’ He gestures to a group of people sitting in couches around a small table.

‘Sure,’ I say, and we walk over, sitting on the end next to Vicky and Suarez.

‘Bill - why you been avoiding me, huh?’ yells Gabe over the sound system.

‘Avoiding you? Me? I wouldn’t avoid you Gabe,’ yells back Will playfully.

‘I think you are - you’d better make it up to me later with a dance, yeah?’

‘Yeah,’ grins Will wryly, drinking more punch and leaning back, throwing his arm around my shoulders.

‘So Hannah!’ Ryland leans over and says, in an unmistakeably English accent. I have to double take, before I remember what Bianca told me about his TV show. ‘How are you enjoying this lovely evening, here at the BackDoor Bar?’

‘It’s really great,’ I manage. ‘This punch is amazing…so inventive.’

‘I quite agree, I quite agree,’ nods Ryland. ‘A wonderfully enticing mixture of liquor and um…dye. Quite exquisite.’

I laugh, downing the last few drops in my cup.

My tongue is starting to go numb again, so I make a mental note to only have one more at the most - I don’t want to have to be carried out of here.

A waiter scoops down and retrieves my glass, replacing it with a full one. I pick it up, taking another sip.

‘So how long have you lived in this, beautiful historic country - you know I think that must be the biggest flaw with the United States of America, the USA - it’s lack of history.’

‘Um, all my life,’ I giggle.

‘Delicious!’ exclaims Ryland, before placing his own empty glass on the table. ‘Well, I do declare that all the waiters seem to have absconded this area, so one will have to go and retrieve another glass of this magical elixir myself, do excuse me.’ He gets up, a little unsteadily, and walks back towards the punch table. I peer into my own glass, swishing the contents around and relishing the warm feeling spreading throughout my limbs.