We walked along the street, holding hands and smiling. Even though it was midnight, there were still a lot of people around, and there was a big line outside the nightclub we were going to. It was awesome to be out in public, unafraid that someone we knew might see us. It was so refreshing to not have to hide, and I found myself wishing that it would always be like this.
Except... it wouldn't. She'd be all the way across the country, and I'd be here, and-
No. It wasn't the right time to be thinking like this. We had come here to live in the moment, to enjoy the present, and thoughts of the future and being apart would ruin that. I had to put them out of my mind and simply enjoy this moment.
“It's so much livelier out here at night than Tallahassee,” Eryn remarked.
She was wearing a figure-hugging, white cocktail dress, and with her makeup and styled hair – all done in the airplane bathroom while we were flying – she looked absolutely smoking hot. I couldn't take my eyes off her and couldn't help but feel totally underdressed next to her in my jeans and polo shirt.
We joined the line for the nightclub, and I felt even more underdressed; everyone here was dressed to the nines except me. I started to wonder if the bouncer would even let me in. Still, Eryn was smiling and happy and full of joy and life, and that's what counted.
Eventually, we got to the front of the line, and the bouncer looked me up and down with a raised eyebrow.
“You think this is some corner café, man? Why you dressed like that?” he asked.
“It was a, uh, last minute decision to come out here,” I replied.
“Please, let us in!” Eryn begged, giving the bouncer her best puppy dog eyes as she pleaded.
He stared intently at my face, his eyes narrowing. “Hey!” he exclaimed abruptly, “I know you! You're that famous volleyball player, ain't you? The one who was dating-”
“Yeah, that's me,” I replied quickly, not wanting Eryn to be reminded of my Hollywood past. “Wade Vinson.”
The bouncer gripped my hand in his and gave it a firm, enthusiastic shaking, which with his gigantic strength felt as if he might crush every bone in my hand.
“Man, you won Olympic gold for this country!” he exclaimed, beaming a huge, gold-toothed grin at me. “Go on, get your asses into the club! And, go s
traight to VIP, and tell 'em Curtis said you could.”
I smiled. “Thank you, my good man!” I said as he parted the velvet rope to allow me and Eryn to pass. We stepped in, and the noise was immediately deafening.
“Wow, it's loud in here!” I exclaimed.
“It really is! But so fun! C'mon, let's get some drinks!” she shouted over the music.
“All right; let's do that!”
As the bouncer had said, we headed straight over to the VIP bar, which was a lot less crowded than the regular bar. The barman, a Cuban guy wearing a shiny, purple shirt, looked us up and down suspiciously.
“You ain't dressed like no VIP, man,” he said to me.
“Curtis told me to come straight here,” I said. “I’m Wade Vinson.” I stuck my hand out to shake his. “Nice to meet you.”
His expression changed instantly; now he was beaming a big smile at me.
“Seriously man? The volleyball player? C'mon, free shots on the house. What would you and your lady like?”
I didn't like boasting about my achievements, but it seemed that I had to in this place to get anywhere.
“Two tequilas!” Eryn interjected.
I'd never seen this side of her; she was fun and exciting. Not that she wasn't otherwise, but she was typically so focused, driven, and passionate about volleyball that I almost hadn't imagined that she had a side that could let loose like this. She was, after all, a college junior, so I guess I shouldn't have been too surprised about it.
“Two tequilas coming right up!” the barman said.
We slammed the shots, and both laughed at each other's expressions as we downed the harsh-tasting liquid.
“What's next, guys?” asked the barman.