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Erica stepped out of the club into the back alley and breathed in deep. It didn’t smell great out here, but at least the air wasn’t stale and sweaty and too hot.
The wind cut down the alley like a knife and she shivered. God, she wished she’d worn pants, no matter how great her ass looked in this miniskirt.
What the hell was wrong with her? She normally loved dancing, loved the energy of being out and surrounded by people. But tonight…tonight she just couldn’t get into it.
She pulled out her phone and called Boyd before she could think better of it.
It was stupid. It was nearly midnight; he wasn’t going to answer. She should just–
“Erica?”
Holy shit, he’d answered. “Boyd! Hey.” Shit, shit, what did she even want to say? “I didn’t wake you up, did I?”
“Nah. I just got home. I was reviewing some stuff with Derek.” He paused. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine!” Erica said, and her voice sounded false to her own ears.
“Uh-huh.” Boyd didn’t sound like he believed either word she’d said. “How’s the club?”
“It’s fine,” she said, because it wasn’t like there was anything wrong with it. “I just…I don’t know, I’m not feeling it tonight.”
There, that wasn’t too obvious, was it?
“You’re not feeling it?” Boyd repeated. “But you love dancing.”
Erica crossed her arms and shrugged, even though she knew Boyd couldn’t see it. “I know. It’s just…off tonight. Maybe I should’ve stayed in.”
“And left Cora and Lydia to fend for themselves?” Boyd sounded faintly amused.
“I’m pretty sure they forgot I was here after ten minutes,” Erica muttered.
“Jealous?”
Erica blinked and stared across the alley. She hadn’t even considered that. She and Cora and Lydia had been going clubbing together for over a year and it had never been like this, but that was also before they had become Cora-and-Lydia.
Shit. Maybe she was jealous.
“Erica? You still there?”
“Yeah,” she said quickly. “I’m here. Sorry.”
“Do you want a ride home?” Boyd asked. “I’ll come pick you up.”
“I can’t ask you to do that,” Erica said. “You’re already in for the night.”
“I literally just walked in the door when you called,” Boyd said. “It’s nothing for me to head back out again. We can even stop by that diner you like, the one with those hash browns. You probably need some food, anyway.”
Erica opened her mouth to protest, and then closed it. Going to a diner with Boyd sounded so much better than playing third wheel to Cora and Lydia for the rest of the night.
“Yeah,” she said. “That sounds great, actually.”
“Then I’ll be there in a few minutes,” Boyd said.
“Thank you so much,” Erica said emphatically.
“No problem.” His voice carried a smile with it. “See you soon.”
“See you.”
Erica hung up the phone and sighed, tipping her head back to rest it on the brick wall. She’d have to go back through the club to let Cora and Lydia know she was leaving, and to get out to the front, but she didn’t have to do that just yet.
It said something that she’d rather spend her night at a diner with Boyd rather than dancing with her friends and many handsome strangers. But it also said something that Boyd was willing to walk right back out of his place at midnight to pick her up and take her to a diner.
Her heart beat faster, and Erica smiled up at the night sky so wide her face hurt.
Yeah. That said a lot.