Ariana was ready with a polite smile, but Teo simply looked her over, said, "S'up?" and recommenced slobbering all over his girlfriend. Ariana sat down hard in her seat and swigged the last dregs of her now warm martini. She wasn't sure which was worse--listening to Briana Leigh babble or watching these two dry hump each other. Either way, this was going to be a very long night.
Just then someone dropped into the seat next to Ariana's, jostling her elbow from the armrest. She looked up, annoyed, and instantly recognized the arm. Her heart did a triple backflip. Hot waiter boy.
"Hey," he said with a grin as she hazarded a glance into his eyes.
"Hey." Ariana smiled as well, but couldn't stop herself from pointing out his faux pas. "This is the VIP section, you know."
His grin widened. "I'm aware. Yo! Teo!"
Teo broke off his kiss and Briana Leigh face-planted into his chest. He reached over Ariana to slap hands with the waiter. So DJ Teo knew the hired help. Interesting development.
"Shouldn't you be, like, serving us?" Briana Leigh said with a sneer. She was clutching onto Teo's graphic tee, ostensibly to keep herself upright.
"My shift just ended," he said. "I figured I'd watch the rest of the set with you guys, if that's okay." He said this last bit to Ariana, as if hers was the only permission he required. She blushed and looked away, focusing on the lead man on the stage, who was bouncing around with his guitar.
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"I met Hudson up at UT a couple weeks ago at a gig," Teo explained.
Briana Leigh rolled her eyes. "Whatever." She pulled Teo to her again and mashed her face into his. Hudson smirked, looking at the couple as if they were just two crazy kids in love and he thought it was cute. Ariana suddenly couldn't stop staring at his face. It was so perfect. Not a mark or a blemish or a scar. Just perfect.
She could use a little perfect in her life.
"So. What's your name?" Hudson asked Ariana.
"Ar... Emma," Ariana said, her heart all but stopping. She had been startled by the question, snagged while staring. Hudson, however, didn't seem to notice her slip. For the first time all night Ariana was grateful for the noise. "Emma Walsh," she said. "From Chicago."
"Well, Emma Walsh from Chicago. I'm Ashley Hudson from Bost
on." He offered his hand, a plain silver band around his thumb. "Nice to meet you."
"Ashley, huh?"
"Mom loved Gone with the Wind," he said with a shrug. "I go by Hudson for obvious reasons."
"I see." Ariana slipped her fingers into his and the warmth of his skin seemed to spread throughout her entire body. Her breath quickened. She looked into his eyes again and they sparkled.
"Want a drink?" he asked as one of the other waiters stopped by to check on the VIPs.
Ariana looked up at the hovering guy with his dyed red hair and multiple piercings. No, she did not want another drink. Look at how
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badly she had almost screwed up on just one. But Hudson was still holding her hand. The pleasant warmth was still humming in her veins. The band had just switched over to a lulling acoustic song. And she had just gotten out of prison, for God's sake. Shouldn't she be allowed to celebrate? Just a bit?
"Sure," she told Hudson finally. "I'd love one."
Half an hour later, Ariana was dancing. The music throbbed through her pores. She threw her bare arms over her head, her demure jacket long since lost to the masses, and closed her eyes. Her short hair whipped her face as she turned her head from side to side in time with the beat. All around her people screamed and shouted and laughed. Bodies collided, sweat mingled, drinks were spilled. And Ariana was loving every minute of it.
Why had it taken so long for her to let go? Letting go felt good. It felt amazing. She was free, after all. And not just free of the Brenda T., but free of herself. How had she not realized this blessing before? She was no longer Ariana Osgood. Nobody here even knew who she was, which meant that nobody here could really judge her. Ariana could do whatever she wanted. And what she wanted right then was to dance.
Suddenly someone slammed into her side, and Ariana was thrown right into Hudson's arms. He didn't even flinch as the full weight of her body hit him. Even stronger than he looked. Ariana giggled.
"Whoops. Sorry."
"Really not a problem," Hudson said with a smile. "At all."
He made no move to release her. He smelled both musky and Ivory-soap clean. Like a guy who had been working all night and had