Chapter 4

The bass from the remaining jukebox in the corner had finally slowed to a low, throbbing hum, vibrating through the soles of my roller skates. The event space was half-empty now, the air thick with the scent of stale popcorn, floor wax, and the lingering electricity of a night that had stretched far longer than anyone intended. Most of the guests had drifted out into the cool night air, leaving us in this private nook near the arcade section, a secluded corner shielded by rows of towering claw machines and dusty pinball cabinets. The disco ball, still suspended from the high ceiling, cast fractured shards of light across the polished concrete floor, dancing in rhythmic bursts as the spotlight faded. I sat on the edge of a velvet booth, my legs crossed at the ankles, the wheels of my white leather skates clicking softly against the wood. Across from me, he sat with one knee drawn up, his tie loosened, his eyes dark and predatory in the shifting shadows. The noise of the rink—the screech of rubber, the laughter of the few remaining stragglers, the mechanical whir of the air hockey tables—felt miles away. Here, in this cocoon of dim