You heaved yet another heavy sigh, stirring the ice in your untouched drink with the straw, the clink of the glass completely inaudible over the deafening drone of club music, thundering bass rattling the floorboards as tuneless synth whined in your ears. What a nightmare. This had never been your scene, the sweaty bodies pressed up against each other on the dance floor, all high heels and short skirts and alcohol-addled brains. It made you shudder, wrapping your hands around the glass in front of you, the chill of the condensation coating the outside a welcome reprieve from the suffocating atmosphere, humid and inebriated. Still, checking your phone, the brightness of the screen blinding in the dim fluorescent spotlights that travelled back and forth across the floor, you grit your teeth as your eyes passed over the time. Almost 1AM. You had work in the morning, you realised with a start. But…

A glance over to your friends told you that they had no intentions of going home any time soon. You had half a mind to leave them. It wasn’t your fault that they were too drunk to find a ride home, or that they’d decided to party into the small hours of the morning. Your conscience wouldn’t let you even consider the thought further, however. Damned morals. Staring into the debatably edible glitter swirling around in your drink, you hardly noticed the man sliding onto the stool across from you, leaning his forearms onto the table with a charming and slightly predatory grin. It was only when he cleared his throat that you glanced up, eyes wide and wary.

“Apologies, my dear. You seemed lost in thought for a moment there. Any chance you could use some company?”