uninterested. “I mean why would I be mad? After all I didn’t even get a note.”
“Hannah, I am sorry,” Ally said walking to her friend and taking her hand. “Please don’t be mad at me.”
Hannah didn’t reply for a moment, instead she just stared at Ally. Then suddenly she threw her arms around Ally and hugged her tightly.
“Don’t ever scare us like that again.” Hannah said when she finally released Ally from her embrace.
“Okay,” Sid said, as he cleared his throat from the door. “When you ladies are quite finished. The taxi driver still has the meter running. So we should really hit the road.”
The three girls and Sid all headed out into the waiting taxi and they were on their way. The whole journey to the club, Ally’s mind raced and her stomach flipped again and again. She wasn’t sure if she could do this.
She tried hard not to let her mind go to Cole, but he was all she could think about. What if he turned up? She wasn’t sure she was ready for this. And she had the sinking feeling the closer they got to the club that this was a really bad idea.
When they got to the club it was already heaving. Caitlin scanned the crowd and spotted Nathan in a booth at the far side of the club and she quickly led her friends through the packed club. Nathan stood up and greeted Caitlin with a kiss before he turned to Ally.
“How are you holding up sweetheart?” he asked her as he gave her a big bear hug.
“I’m doing okay,” she replied and smiled up at Nathan as he released her from his embrace. He was a good guy.
She couldn’t help but quickly scan the crowd.
“He isn’t here,” Nathan said, knowing what she was doing and Ally blushed. “He is heartbroken Ally.”
“Please Nathan,” Ally said as her heart ached just as the thought of Cole being upset. She blinked back the tears.
“I’m sorry ,” Nathan replied quickly when he saw the pain clearly etched across Ally’s face.
Caitlin introduced Nathan to Sid before Nathan stopped a passing waitress and ordered a round of drinks.
Ally slipped in to the booth, remaining at the edge of the chair and nervously picked at the beer matt on the table. She looked up and she smiled brightly and blushed a little when she realised she was being watched by the entire group.
“Hannah, where’s Rob tonight?” Ally asked hoping to take the focus of f her for two minutes.
“We broke up,” Hannah scowled and shrugged. “He wanted me to spend tonight sitting in with his parents. I told him it was New Year’s Eve and I was going clubbing. He said he couldn’t date a party girl. Me!! A party girl!”
Ally laughed for the first time in days. She missed her friends and was happy to be back among those she loved.
They were almost an hour in the club and everyone was in great spirits. Even Ally was finding it easier to paint on the smile she didn’t quite feel. Sid was in the middle of telling them a story when Nathan looked up and his expression changed and he quickly shot a look in Ally’s direction and she knew instantly why. Cole was there. She could sense him there before she could even see him.
Ally sat there in the club and her heart was racing fast. It had been six days since she seenCole . Six days since she last touched him, last smelt his glorious scent. Six days since he kissed her goodbye and she watched him walk out the door, leaving her heart shattered in pieces.
And now there he was, stand ing at the far side of the club, his eyes burning into her. She could feel his eyes on her and it made her skin burst into flames.
She looked over at Caitlin and her friend s miled at her sympathetically, then she reached out to squeeze Ally’s hand reassuringly. Ally knew coming tonight was a mistake, but just how big a mistake remained to be seen.
Caitlin watch ed Cole as he walked to towards the DJ box and leaned in and whispered into the DJ’s ear before he turned and walked towards their table. She began to shift in her seat as her