Order is a word that can mean a number of things. Uniformity. Command. Condition. Arrangement. And this list could certainly be even longer. Sometimes, order may exist between two words that oppose each other, in some manner. Though some words oppose each other when it comes to the feelings that they evoke in us, the fact remains that at the centers of such words are usually similarities.

Off and On both refer to a state in which something can be.

Right and Left both refer to directions.

Both Love and Hate are emotions. And as a matter of fact, these two emotions are considered by many to be the two strongest emotions that can ever be expressed, in addition to the fact that these emotions can be expressed under a number of circumstances.

But what happens to order when two people meet, if these two people oppose each other in almost all ways, with one essential exception: the fact that they love each other?

“Guys! I…ugh, you know what, guys? I-I-I think that I’m just going to go on back home. I’m just not in the mood to be here, tonight.” Ester said as she tried with all of her might to get out of her friends’ almost unbreakable grasps.

Today is her birthday, and the newly 20-year old’s plan for the day was to spend all of her time at home, in her bedroom, surrounded only by snacks and movies, and more than anything else: alone. The idea seemed even better now, at a time like this. Being dragged by her friends to a place called Certify, the hottest dance club in Florida, was the last thing that she wanted. Her friends were well aware of her initial plans for the day. They just didn’t care.  

“Oh, oh, oh, oh HELLL no,” was the response that came from Ester’s best friend, Yetta. “I’ll be damned if I let my best friend stay home and feel all miserable instead of getting out and having fun. Especially on your birthday. The hardest part’s already over, Ester. It took a half-hour for you and I to pick out an outfit that we agreed was good enough for you to wear tonight, and it took a whole hour for you to take a shower and for me to do your hair and make-up. And don’t forget about how long it took all of us to finally convince you to come with us tonight, in the first place. Let’s just go inside and at least try to have some fun. Please?” Yetta pouted as she held both of Ester’s hands.

Ester looked from Yetta to the rest of her friends: Simon, William, Yetta’s boyfriend Yule, and Yule’s best friend George. Ester and Yetta met Yule and George as well as Simon and William just a couple of years ago during the summer before they all began their freshman year of college at Florida State University, and they’ve all been friends ever since.

“Come on. Just give the place a try,” Simon said.

“This place really is the best. Bailing isn’t an option. Seriously. I’m not even joking.” William said with a smile.

“What do you have to lose?” Yule asked.

“Besides, it’s still early. So if you aren’t having any fun after an hour, we can go somewhere else. Maybe that laser tag place, since it’s got bowling and a bunch of other stuff, too. Or, if you really want, we’ll even agree to call it a night and just do something tomorrow,” George promised.

Ester pondered, for a moment. A part of her actually agreed with everything that her friends just mentioned. And she didn’t want all of the effort that they put into getting to this point to be proven wasted. Eventually, Ester made up her mind.

“We’re already here…Okay,” was the only thing that Ester said before taking a deep breath.

Yetta was incapable of containing her excitement. A scream that was more of a squeak came from her throat, and she wrapped her arms around Ester’s shoulders as she alternated between jumping and spinning them both around in a circle.

The guys playfully rolled their eyes and laughed at the girl’s antics.

George presented his arm to Ester. “Shall we?” He asked playfully, with a smile.

Ester smiled and happily linked her right arm with George’s left arm. “We shall,” she said.

Yetta smiled and playfully bumped hips with Ester before holding hands with Yule as Yule led Yetta and the rest of their group towards the entrance of the club.

“Wait. What are we doing?” Ester asked as she pointed to the extremely long line that they were currently passing on their way towards the club’s doorman. 

“Girl, please. We’re not waiting in that line. My baby’s got the hook-up. Watch,” Yetta said before she turned her attention towards her boyfriend.

Yetta and the rest of the guys smirked cockily, and Ester was stunned, as they all witnessed Yule momentarily chat with the doorman.

Whereas Simon and William as well as George have only been here once before, and Ester’s never been, Yetta and Yule have visited this club several times, in the past. And apparently as a result of the couple’s visits, Yule-ever the networker-has made some connections with some of the club’s employees, especially the manager as well as the security staff.

Yule and the doorman shook hands, and the doorman smiled at Ester as he unclipped the long, red, velvet, shiny rope that had been clipped to the stanchion in front of the club’s door. Ester smiled back at the man before she and her friends made their way inside of the club.

The atmosphere was unlike anything that Ester had ever experienced before, which wasn’t saying much since she’d only been to a dance club once in the past, and that place was nothing in comparison to this place. She knew that it would be crowded, but not like this. EDM hit songs played, and the lighting alternated between strobe and laser, as people crowded the bars, the tables that were along the walls, and of course the dancefloor.

“…Awesome,” was the only thing that Ester could say, in this moment.

George smiled at the beautiful woman on his arm. “Nice, huh?” He asked. He laughed as he watched Ester nod and continue looking all around as though she was in a trance.

“Girl, wait until you see what’s waiting just for us.” Yetta said with a wide smile.

The group headed towards a secluded area located halfway between the open area of the club and the back of the club. The short hallway led to an elevator. An employee stood beside the elevator, and after he and Yule greeted each other, the employee removed a keychain with a single key on it from around his neck. He used that key to activate the elevator. After the elevator doors opened, the employee politely gestured for the group to enter the elevator first, and after he entered, he pressed one of only a few available buttons, and the elevator doors closed before the elevator started moving. Eventually, the elevator stopped and the doors reopened to reveal another short hallway. After everybody exited the elevator, Yule and Yetta led the group to an area that was separated from the hallway by a curtain.

“Welcome to the V.I.P. lounge, y’all!” Yetta yelled excitedly.          

The lounge looked excellent. The dimly-lit area was basically a balcony that overlooked the lower floor of the club. From the lounge, they had a perfect view of the dancefloor as well as the DJ booth. The lounge had enough seats for about 50 people, a somewhat open area in the middle of the room that Ester assumed was for dancing, and a private bar.

Ester smiled as George led her to the black, leather, U-shaped, sectional sofa. They all sat down and continued to observe their surroundings.

“Still thinking about going back home?” Yetta asked playfully.

Ester smirked before she playfully stuck up both middle fingers and mouthed the word “bitch”.

Yetta laughed as she and Ester hugged.

“Dude, I thought that you having connections here meant that you could get us in without us waiting outside. Do I even want to know how you hooked this up?” George asked.

“What can I say? When you’ve got it, you better know how to use it. I’ve got it, and I sure as hell know how to use it,” Yule said cockily.

“You can say that again,” Yetta said. She giggled as Yule pulled her onto his lap before they kissed.

Ester smiled and playfully shook her head at the couple’s antics.

“I don’t suppose connections include us being allowed to use the bar?” George asked.

“Actually…yeah. We’ve got bar access. But only as long as we follow some rules. This place has a reputation to uphold, and the last thing that the guys in charge want to get busted for is serving alcohol to under-aged customers. So we can’t get fucked up, and we can only drink while we’re in here. We can’t draw attention to ourselves. Other than that, the night’s ours,” Yule said. “Told you guys I’m good.”

Ester playfully rolled her eyes as everybody else cheered.

“How about we all start with a round of vodka shots,” suggested Yule.

“Oh, I don’t know,” Ester said, unsure about whether or not they should be drinking.

“Aw, Ester, just try one shot. It’s no big deal, and it’ll loosen you up.” Yetta said.

“…Really?” Ester asked, still unsure about this.

“Yeah. I won’t have any more than four throughout the night, and maybe I’ll have a sip of whatever Yule gets,” Yetta said. “But you know that I can handle way worse than that. I learned what my limits are during freshman year, with all of the partying that we did.” She laughed.

“Oh, yeah, I think that we all remember those days.” Ester laughed when Yetta playfully pinched her on the back of the neck. “…Okay. But only one,” Ester agreed.

About a half-hour passed, and everybody’s been having an awesome time.

They’ve been dancing and drinking, and even interacting with some of the other guests at the club. Simon and William went back down to the lower floor to mingle and occasionally dance with some of the young women that caught their eyes, Yetta and Yule have been doing what they consider dancing though it’s what normal people would consider foreplay, and George and Ester have been talking.

“Want to dance, Ester?” George asked.

Ester smiled. “Aw. No thanks, George. At least not now. Maybe later though…But I wouldn’t mind watching you,” Ester’s tone was playfully suggestive.

George smiled and gave Ester a sweet kiss on the forehead before he stood and did some playful dance moves, which made Ester laugh.

Simon and William were all smiles and laughs of their own as they re-entered the V.I.P. lounge.

“Well, well, well, well. I was starting to think that you guys left us for some of those girls that you obviously love dancing with so much. Good thing you didn’t forget about us. Especially Ester, since it is, oh yeah that’s right, it’s her BIRTHDAY!” George said. “Dicks,” he playfully mumbled.

Ester laughed again and gave George a playful wink.

Simon and William playfully pouted.

“Shut up, dude. You know that we’d never forget about our Ester,” Simon said.

“Exactly. We weren’t down there for that long. And Ester knows we’d never forget about her. You know that don’t you, Ester?” William asked.  

Ester smiled at the two guys before opening her arms to hug Simon and William. Both of the guys immediately closed the space between them and Ester. They hugged her tightly, which caused her to laugh. “It’s okay, guys. I know that you love me,” Ester said.

After the hug ended, Simon and William got an eyeful of Yetta and Yule, as the couple continued dancing, though they both seemed to be focused on kissing the near life out of each other more than anything else. The two guys turned to look at Ester and George, who looked at each other then back at Simon and William, then all four of them shook their heads and smiled before sitting down.

“Speaking of you guys being away, how’d things go? Did either of you meet the love of your life, yet?” Ester asked.

“Nah. But it’s always fun searching. Actually, no, let me correct that. Searching’s the best part,” Simon said.

“If every night was like tonight, there’d literally be no chance of me ever even wanting to be in a relationship. Tonight proved that being single can be way too much fun,” William said.

“Well, I’ll say this. Choosing between being single and being…them-” George said, referring to Yetta and Yule, as they finally started breaking out of that trance of theirs. “-is the easiest choice that anybody could ever make,” George continued, with a chuckle.

Yetta and Yule looked at their friends with playful confusion. “Whatever do you mean?” They playfully asked George.

“You two freaks know exactly what I mean, so shut up,” George told the couple, with a smile.

“Whatever, hater.” Yetta said. She playfully hit George upside the back of his head before Yule sat down and pulled Yetta onto his lap.

“Hey, since the gang’s finally back together, no more flirting on the dancefloor or damn near fucking in this otherwise perfect lounge-” Ester said, which caused Simon, William, Yule, and Yetta to offer playful denial. “-how about a photo of us all as a group,” she suggested as she held up her cell phone, which she finally found in her purse. “OMG, I can’t believe that I almost forgot about photos. I’ve got to get at least a couple. And now’s probably the best time. Who knows how much longer you guys can hold off on getting too wild for your own damn good,” Ester laughed. Unsurprisingly, everybody tried denying what she’d last said. With the cell phone’s camera feature, Ester took a group selfie after telling everybody to gather close together then counting backwards from five and instructing everybody to smile.

After Ester took the cell phone photo, everybody agreed that they could all go for a second round of vodka shots. Before Ester could follow her friends over to the bar, she took a moment to create an album specifically for the photos that she’ll take throughout the night. Afterwards, the cell phone alerted her again that she’d missed a call earlier, which made sense because the cellular device had basically been off, all day. Reluctantly, letting her curiosity get the best of her, Ester listened to the message that the caller left for her.

“Hello, Ms. Goings. I’m calling on behalf of Florida State University’s Admissions Office. It has come to our attention that your grade point average has dropped below the permitted average that would allow you to continue receiving the benefits of the FSU Environmental Studies scholarship. Unfortunately, due to the low GPA, you are also now academically dismissed from the university. It is our suggestion that you speak to someone in our office as soon as possible to discuss your options for resolving this situation and making the choices that are best for your education as well as your life. Thank you, and have a good day,” the FSU worker said. 

Ester closed her eyes and sighed before slowly moving the cell phone away from her ear and turning it off.

As though none of the fun that she’d been having up until this point ever happened, just like that, her mood was even worse than what it was when the evening began.

She shook her head with an expression on her face that was a combination of anger and sorrow, as she put her cell phone back in her purse.

Yetta noticed that Ester was still sitting, and that she had a now blank expression on her face. Worriedly, she approached her best friend. “Hey…Everything still okay?” Yetta asked.

Ester turned to look at Yetta. “…I don’t know,” she said honestly, in a defeated tone.

“Oh no, please don’t say what something tells me you’re about to say,” Yetta said, as she sat beside Ester.

“And what might that be?” Ester asked with a sad smile.

“That you’re back to feeling all miserable, again.”

“…Well…sorry to say it, but that’s exactly how I feel right about now,” Ester said. “…Why the hell am I even here?”

“Because this is exactly what you should be doing. This is what we all should be doing. And why wouldn’t we? It’s like I always say, Ester: we’re sexy and we’re young, so why not have some fun?” Yetta laughed. “And most of all, we’ve finally got some free time, since-”

“Since what, Yetta? Since it’s summer? Since sophomore year’s over? Since we, or should I say you guys, are actually halfway finished with college?” Ester asked, with a sad tone. “I don’t have any reason to celebrate, Yetta. Everything’s ruined for me.”

Yetta hated that Ester was feeling this way. She didn’t know what to say or do, or even if anything could be said or done to help Ester, at this point. She wrapped her arms around Ester’s shoulders.

Ester gave a small smile as she and Yetta affectionately pressed the sides of their faces together. Truthfully, Ester did appreciate what her friends were trying to do for her, tonight. She wished that she really could enjoy herself, if for no other reason, because it’s her birthday. But she just can’t.

“I’m…” Ester sighed. “…I’m going to go outside, for a bit. But don’t worry, I’ll stay close. I want to get some air and hopefully clear my head. Maybe afterwards I’ll feel like making a slut out of myself, on the dancefloor.” She said while attempting to give a more convincing smile.

Yetta nodded. “Okay,” she said. “Ester…I know that it might not seem like it, now. But things will get better. Honestly. But until it’s actually time to worry, just try to have some fun. At least for tonight. You deserve it.” She spoke from the heart.

Ester and Yetta hugged for a moment before Ester got up from her seat and started walking towards the curtained archway.

After she pulled back the curtain, she exited the lounge.

She scanned the short hallway for a moment in search of the worker that operates the elevator, but eventually she spotted a door located at the opposite end of the hall.

Assuming that behind the door was a stairwell that would lead her to the lower floor, she walked over to the door.

After pushing the door open, the first thing that she felt was the feeling of a rare, mild, nighttime, summer breeze. An occurrence like this is always enjoyed by the inhabitants of this area, because of the ordinarily humid climate.

Realizing that this is an outdoor lounge, she slowly walked through the doorway.

She smiled as she noticed the beautiful view that she had. The downtown city lights were certainly a sublime sight, but they could never compare to the beauty of the night sky. Despite all of the bright lights that came from the buildings that populate the downtown area, many stars were still visible.

“Guess I’m not the only person that needed some time away from all of…whatever you call what’s happening in there,” said a mysterious stranger, as he stood near the railing.

Ester turned her attention towards the man. She hadn’t known anybody else was here. “Oh… yeah,” she said with a smile. “It is pretty out of control, huh?”

He took another hit of what looked like a cigarette, which he’d been holding, before he put it out, then he flicked it out of his hand, over the railing. “Out of control is an understatement,” the man smiled too.

“Yeah, you’re probably right,” Ester laughed.  

The man turned so that he was now facing Ester, and as soon as he saw her, he almost wished that he hadn’t, because he’d never forgive himself if he embarrassed himself in front of her, especially by staring at her like an idiot. Unfortunately, his staring at her was inevitable, because this woman is someone that he could only describe as the most beautiful woman that he’s ever seen.

Her beautiful skin was a dark chocolate-colored brown. Her matching colored eyes were as innocent-looking as can be. Her round nose was the cutest that he’s ever seen. He could see himself spending all day and all night kissing her pink, plump, soft-looking, beautiful lips. Her hair was the color of the night sky, and currently styled in an up-do. And her body? It truly was perfect as far as he was concerned. She was probably about 5’6’’, though the heels that she currently wore made her appear to be somewhat taller.

The form-fitting, short, black dress that she currently wore showed off the fact that she was wonderfully curvy in the bust and butt departments, despite her otherwise small frame.

“Well…I guess it’s only natural to eventually tire of getting so much attention from guys all night. It’s understandable why a beautiful woman like you had to step away, for a while,” he said.

Ester shyly smiled at him. “That’s nice of you to say.”

She was captivated by the unbelievably handsome man. He looked like the perfect combination of a modern, grunge, rock and roll musician and a male model.

She knew that if not for the sun, his barely tanned skin would likely be pale. His eyes were such a rich-green color. As nerdy as it may seem, they reminded her of the vegetation that she’s studied while attending FSU. The beautiful flowers, plants, trees, etc. that have always fascinated her. His pink lips were small, as was his nose. His black hair was currently slicked back. It was probably about an inch and a half long in the front and center, but cut low on the sides and in the back. His built seemed to be like that of a swimmer, and he was probably about 6’1’’.

He was wearing a thin, black, leather, fitted jacket, a white T-shirt, black jeans, and a pair of casual, slip-on, white vans.

“Maybe I shouldn’t ask you this, because I don’t think that it’s wise to question why good things happen. But was I right about why you’re out here, and not still inside with everybody else?” He asked.

Ester laughed. “Well…to be honest, no,” she said. “Actually, it’s a long story.”

“Let me guess,” he said. He took a moment to get another good look at her, from head to toe. “Hmmm, “a long story,” huh? Well, I know that it can’t have anything to do with relationship trouble. You could have any man that you want, and a guy would have to be crazy to mess things up with you.”

Ester smiled.   

“That’s not it, huh? That’s okay. I don’t know about you, but I’ve got all the time in the world. So if you don’t tell me, I’ll just keep guessing” he said.

Ester smiled again. “Okay, okay-okay-okay-okay,” she said, with another laugh. “Well, today’s actually my birthday, but since I wasn’t in the mood for partying, my friends had to drag me here, tonight.”

“Ohhh,” said the man. “I know that ordinarily women don’t like it, but would you mind me asking how old you are now?”

Ester giggled. “No, not at all,” she said. “I actually turned 20, today.”

The man nodded. “I figured that was your age,” he said. “…And that actually sucks for me, to be honest.”

“Why?” Ester asked curiously, with a smile.

“Well…I hoped to get your number by the end of the night, to be totally honest. But I don’t know if that’d be a good idea now that I know I’m that much older than you.” He said honestly.

Ester playfully rolled her eyes. “Oh please. Give me a break. You don’t look a day older than me. Besides, I’m mature for my age,” she said. “So how old are you?”

“I’m actually 26,” he said with a nervous smile.

Ester smiled. She wasn’t intimidated by that at all.

“I’ll bet you’re in school too, right?” He asked.

Ester nodded. “Yeah. I’m…well, I was at FSU,” she said.

“What’s that mean? “Was?” What, you transferred or something? No, wait, don’t tell me that you actually graduated, already,” he said.

Ester remained silent for a moment. She didn’t want to talk about any of what was happening with school, and she certainly didn’t want to talk to a stranger of all people about something like this. But she didn’t know what to tell him other than what’s true. “Well…Things didn’t go too well for me while I was there…As a freshman, I was making all C’s, and as a sophomore this past year, making all C’s was my goal…A goal that I didn’t achieve, if you know what I mean,” Ester said. “So now I’m through at FSU, at least for a while…For about a month now, since the semester officially ended, I’ve tried avoiding the inevitable…And I was doing a good job until tonight.”

“Why do you say that?” He asked.

“…I got a call from someone in the Admissions Office earlier today…I’m sure you can just about guess what was said.”

The man’s eyebrows raised. “…Damn,” was the only thing that was said by him.

Ester nodded. “…Yeah.”

They both got comfortable as they turned their backs to the railing and leaned against it, standing beside each other.

“Listen…I know it’s probably killing you right now…But it’s no big deal,” the man said. “What was your major?”

“Environmental Studies,” Ester told him.

“See, I knew it. It’s not even like you were going for something easy. Science? I gave up on it altogether by the time I was like five.”

Ester laughed.

“Seriously, it’s tough as hell, already. I don’t even want to think about how tough it is on a college-level.”

“Well what’s your major? Or did you already graduate?” Ester asked.

With a chuckle, the man shook his head. “No, no. Trust me. I’m, uh, I’m not the college-type,” he said.

“…Oh,” Ester said, not knowing what to think or what else she should’ve said in response to that.

“Anyway, I bet that everything will get better a lot faster than you even expect.”

Ester smiled, with a nod. “…Thanks.”

“Nah, don’t mention it.”

There was a comfortable silence that lasted for about a minute.

Eventually, the man spoke again. “…So what’s your name?” He asked with a chuckle. 

Ester laughed.  Afterwards, and with a smile, she said. ”…Ester.”

He was actually shocked to hear her say that. “Your name is Ester?” He asked.

She nodded.

“…Not what I was expecting, but I do like it.” He said honestly. 

Ester smiled again. “Oh? So what should my name be?” She asked with a laugh.

“…To be honest, I’d call you something like…I don’t know, maybe…Essence…Yeah, it’s close to Ester, and it sounds like a combination of Ester and goddess. I think that’d be perfect for you.”

Ester didn’t really know what to say. “…I don’t know if that’s the corniest or sweetest thing anybody’s ever said to me.”

He smiled, hoping that he wasn’t blushing, something that he hasn’t done for as long as he can remember, though it felt like that’s exactly what was happening now. “…Guess there’s a fine line.”

Ester laughed. “So, are you going to tell me yours now?”

He smiled. “…Envy.”

Ester’s eyebrows raised. “Are you kidding me? ...There is no way that’s your name.”

“Okay, I’ll admit that it’s not my real name. It’s not a name that I’ve always had or anything like that…But it fits me. Besides…I like it.” Envy said.

Ester was nearly speechless. “There’s obviously a story behind that…hopefully I’ll hear it someday,” Ester said flirtatiously, with a smile.

Envy smiled too. “I’d love to tell it to you someday,” he said in an equally flirtatious tone. “Especially since you were nice enough to tell me about yourself.”

Ester laughed. “No wonder you had a different name in mind for me…Essence and Envy…I won’t lie…That sounds unbelievably bad-ass.”

Envy nodded cockily. “Agreed.”

They shared a laugh.

Envy looked Ester in the eye for a moment before extending his hand towards her. “It’s nice to meet you, Ester.”

She smiled. “It’s nice to meet you too, Envy.” Ester said as she shook hands with him. “…And you can call me E if you want, since you obviously have a thing for unconventional names.”  

They shared another laugh, neither of them believing that they’d actually gone this long without getting one another’s name.

“So, I told you about why I’m here. What about you?” Ester asked.

Envy decided that, as of now, it was a good idea for him to keep his answers to her questions as simple as possible, though he hated that he wasn’t going to be as honest about himself with her as she was about herself with him. “I, uh, I know someone that’s cool with the owners of this place. As a matter of fact, you could say that he is one of the owners, since he helped them get this place up and running, back in the day.”

Ester was impressed. “Awesome. So you must come to places like this all of the time.”

“…I guess you could say that,” Envy said, though that wasn’t true.

Ester smiled. “Well, it probably wouldn’t be as big of a deal for you as it was for us…But one of my friends hooked it up so that we could use the V.I.P. lounge. I’d love it if you would join us for the rest of the night…And maybe later…we can talk about you getting my number,” she said.

Envy returned the smile. “That sounds awesome. Especially that part about me getting your number.”

They stared into each other’s eyes for a while before walking back towards the door that would lead them back inside of the club.

“Maybe I should go out there and make sure that she’s okay,” George said, somewhat worried because Ester had been gone for a while now.

Though Ester had no idea, George had been even happier than Yetta about Ester having chosen to stay. Truthfully, he’s been looking and hoping for a way to get even closer to Ester for quite some time, now. He values her friendship, but he doesn’t just want to be friends with her. He knows that with everything that’s been happening in her life, now would be one of the worst times to make a move like that, so until the best time comes along, he’s just happy to be another source of support for her.

“Chill,” Yetta told George. She and Yule couldn’t help but laugh as they saw George look towards the curtain again as though he was expecting Ester to come walking through the curtained archway at any moment. “She just needed some time to herself. She’s okay, George. Just relax. Have another drink or something.”

George reluctantly nodded. Just as he slowing started making his way over to the bar, he heard Ester’s voice.

“Hey! Sorry for being gone for such a long time, everybody,” Ester said, as she and Envy entered the V.I.P. lounge.

“Hey, you’re back…and with a guest,” Yetta said as she and everybody else turned their attention towards the man that was standing beside Ester.

“Yeah. Well, actually, he’s technically part of the reason why I took so long outside,” Ester said.

“Me?” Envy playfully asked, with a chuckle. “What are you talking about? And here I thought that we had a moment, while we were out there. But, no. I guess you were just humoring me by putting up with me while you got some air, right?”

Ester giggled. “No. Don’t say that. That’s not what I meant. We had an awesome time together, and that’s why I ended up staying out there longer than I thought that I would…Okay?” She playfully pouted as she rubbed his cheek.

With a playful pout of his own, he nodded.

Everybody watched as Ester and Envy laughed.

“Everybody, this is Envy,” Ester said. “Envy, these are my friends. This is Yetta, and the guys are Simon, William, George, and Yule.”

“Nice to meet all of you.” Envy said. “Yeah, E mentioned that she was here with friends tonight to celebrate her birthday.”

“…”E”?” Yetta asked with a wide smile on her face. She was already excited about the chemistry she knew she was seeing between her best friend and this mysterious not to mention sexy guy.

“Oh,” Ester laughed. “Yeah, I told him that he could call me that.”

Yetta nodded knowingly. She smiled as she and the guys got a better look at Envy.

“…Yeah, like his real name’s “Envy” anyway,” George mumbled quietly before sipping his drink.

Yetta led Ester and Envy over to the sofa and insisted that they get comfortable.

“So, Envy, tell us about yourself,” Yetta said, barely able to contain her excitement.

“Yetta,” Yule warned, as he and Yetta sat across from Ester and Envy. Everybody knows that Yetta can sometimes be the type to get ahead of herself, especially when it comes to love. It went without saying that Yule was already annoyed by Yetta’s forwardness.

“What? I just want to know more about your guest here,” Yetta said, in her own defense. 

“Well, maybe he should be able to decide for himself what he wants to talk about,” Yule said.

“No, no. It’s okay. I don’t blame her, actually. I mean I am still practically a total stranger and all. She’s got a right to want to know about a guy that’s around her friend, all of a sudden,” Envy smiled. “The thing is though…there’s not much to tell,” Envy looked downward as he lied to all of them.

“What he really means is that there’s nothing that he wants to tell YOU guys. WE had a great talk while we were in the outdoor lounge area,” Ester said before she and Envy shared a laugh.

“Oh, you went to the outdoor lounge, Ester? How’d you know about it, since now that I think about it, we never mentioned it? Is that where you two met? I thought that you meant that you were going downstairs when you said that you were going outside for a bit,” Yetta said.

“Yeah, that’s where we met. And I actually accidently found the outdoor lounge. The guy that was working the elevator wasn’t around, so I walked towards what I thought was a door that led to a stairwell, but after I opened it, I saw that I was wrong, and that the door actually led to the outdoor lounge,” Ester explained.

“Wait. If this place is supposed to be so exclusive that only a key can work the elevator, then unless you work here, how’d you get up here to even get to the other V.I.P. lounge?” George asked suspiciously as he came to stand behind Envy. He stared down at him while he continued drinking his drink.

Envy smirked, humored by the fact that Ester’s friends likely assumed that he snuck up here. “It’s not what you might be thinking,” he said with a chuckle.

Ester smiled. “No, no. Before anybody goes any further with that thought, allow me to ease all of your minds by telling you that he actually has a hook-up of his own, here.” She said. “He knows someone that’s practically one of the owners of this place.”

“Really? Damn, you guys and your networking,” Yetta smiled as she looked at Yule and playfully shook her head.

“Well, actually, it’s not that. We’ve known each other for years. He’s basically family. I think of him as a father and he’s always treated me like one of his own sons,” Envy said.

“That’s really nice,” Ester said as she smiled at Envy.

Envy smiled too as he looked at Ester.

“Feel free to get whatever you want to drink, man…Actually, wait, that reminds me,” Yule told Envy before he remembered something. He stood and went over to the bar, and after about a minute, he came back over to the sofa with a tray of several shots. “Since Ester never did that last round with us, I say we go again. Especially since we’ve got a guest.” Everybody laughed and grabbed a shot glass before clinking all of their glasses against each other’s, and then taking their shots.

Hours passed, and after what was certainly the most fun night that Ester had ever had in her entire life, all of the friends as well as their new friend exited the club.

“Thanks so much, guys. Tonight was so much fun,” Ester said as everybody walked towards the parking lot. “I may regret saying this…but, I’m glad that you guys convinced me, well actually more like forced me, into coming here tonight…you guys were right, for once…and…I was wrong, for once,” Ester said as she playfully rolled her eyes and laughed.

Everybody laughed. Simon, William, George, and Yule smiled, and practically told Ester in unison that it was their pleasure to be here with her tonight and that she didn’t have to thank them.

“That wasn’t such a difficult thing to admit, now was it?” Yetta asked in a playful tone, and smiled.

Ester and Yetta locked arms as the two of them as well as everybody else headed for either Yetta’s or Yule’s car, which were parked beside each other.

After everybody approached either car, Ester hugged Simon as well as William, and the two guys each gave her a kiss on the cheek before getting in the backseat of Yule’s car.

Ester smiled as George approached her. She held open her arms and he gladly hugged Ester, lifting her into the air and playfully spinning her around in a circle, causing her to laugh.

“I’m happy that you had fun, tonight.” George told Ester while he put her back on the ground.

“I really did. And that’s got a lot to do with you, especially. You were so sweet for always doing what you could to make sure that I was having fun. Not that your sweet nature came as a surprise. I always have fun with you,” Ester said.

George didn’t know what to say. Hearing her say that made him happier than he could even describe. “…You mean that?”

Ester nodded with a smile before giving George another hug.

George smiled happily and returned the hug.

After the hug ended, Yetta and Yule called out to Ester so that they could ask her about her plans throughout the week. They were hoping that the group could all get together again sometime before the next weekend.

After Ester headed over towards Yetta and Yule, George and Envy were left standing near each other, alone.

Eventually, George decided to end the silence.

“So…it, uh, it was nice meeting you, man,” George said as he extended his hand towards Envy.

Envy nodded and shook George’s hand. “Yeah, you too. Thanks for letting me chill with you guys, for a while.”

George hesitantly inquired. “So…I guess we’ll be seeing you more often from now on, huh?”

Envy smiled. “Well, I hope so…if you know what I mean.” Envy said as he hinted towards Ester. 

George understood. He wished that he didn’t, but he did. “…Yeah,” he said in a disappointed tone. “…I, uh, I know what you mean.” He forced a smile upon his face. “Later,” he said before he headed to Yule’s car and got in the driver’s seat.

Since George was certainly the most sober one of all of the guys in the group, he decided to drive Yule’s car and take everybody home.

Yule and Yetta finished talking with Ester, then Yule gave Ester a huge hug, too. He and Yetta kissed before he approached Envy.

“We’ve got to do this again sometime, dude,” Yule said.

Yule and Envy smiled as they also shook hands.

“Totally. I had fun with you guys,” Envy said.

Yule headed to his car and got in the passenger’s side front seat. After George started the car, all of the guys playfully waved at Ester, and as George slowly started driving away, he and the rest of the guys sang Happy Birthday, making Ester laugh.

Yetta’s smile could not be any bigger as she watched Ester and Envy turn their attention towards each other and stare, with smiles upon their own faces.

“…I’ll leave you two alone to talk, or…whatever,” she said as she playfully winked at them and laughed. Yetta and Envy said their goodbyes to one another before Yetta got in the driver’s seat of her car.

Yetta actually stuck to her word for the most part about how much she would drink tonight, so she’d still be able to drive Ester home, since Ester rode here with Yetta in Yetta’s car, and they’d all left from Ester’s house.

Envy approached Ester and chuckled. “So…” He said playfully.

Ester laughed. “So…” She also said in a playful tone as they now stood in front of each other.

“I guess there’s no need for me to even ask if you had fun, tonight,” Envy said.

Ester nodded. “I did. It was more fun than I ever expected to have, that’s for sure.”

Envy was happy to hear that. “Good. That’s at least how birthdays should be, since all days usually aren’t that way.”

“Unfortunately,” Ester said, agreeing with Envy.

Envy threw caution to the wind and made the decision to just go on and ask Ester what he has been wanting to ask her all night. “Did tonight put you in a good enough mood that you’ve decided to give me a gift, of my own?”

Ester smiled. “Well, I think that’ll depend,” Ester said with a playfully sassy tone. “What type of gift do you want? Money? A watch? A vacation trip? What?”

Envy laughed and shook his head in response to all of her playful suggestions. “Actually, I was hoping to get that phone number of yours that you said you’d consider giving me.”

“…Well…I guess I might be able to make that happen,” Ester said. “Give me your cell phone.”

Envy smiled as he retrieved his cell phone from his pant pocket and gave it to Ester. The smile never left his face as he stared at Ester while she entered her number into his phone.

With a smile of her own, Ester gave Envy his cell phone back, after she finished entering her number. “You’re not some weirdo that’ll make me regret giving you my number in the first place, right?” Ester asked playfully.

Envy smiled again. “…What do you think?”

Ester looked into his eyes as she thought for a moment. Everything that she’d experienced tonight with Envy was new for her. Her head was telling her to worry about the possibility that she was making a mistake. But her heart was telling her that though she didn’t know him well, she could trust him. “…I think everything’ll be okay,” she said with a smile.

Envy would never be able to put it into words how happy it made him that she seemed to be willing to give him a chance. He could tell that she wasn’t the type of girl to get picked up in bars or anything like that. Hell, it wouldn’t shock him to learn that she was a virgin. Though Envy himself was hardly someone that could be described as pure, the same couldn’t be said about Ester. And that was something that Envy immediately noticed about Ester. “Good,” he said.

They shared a laugh.

Neither spoke for a while as they stared deeply into each other’s eyes.

“Hope you had a happy birthday, beautiful.” Envy said with a smile before he grabbed one of Ester’s hands with both of his own, and placed a kiss on the back of it.

Ester giggled.  “Thanks,” she said shyly.

Ester slowly started making her way over towards the passenger’s side of Yetta’s car. She and Envy never broke eye contact as she got in the front seat. As Yetta slowly started driving away, Ester and Envy continued staring at each other. It wasn’t until they were so far down the road that he couldn’t clearly see them anymore that Envy headed towards his own vehicle.

As soon as Ester turned around and faced forward in her seat, Yetta started yattering.

“Girl…I don’t even know where to start. What’s up with you and mister mysterious? I mean obviously he’s…well, let’s just be honest. Next to my baby, he’s probably one of the best-looking guys that I’ve ever seen for myself, in real life. And the chemistry’s obviously there between you two.” Yetta continued. “But, still, this is you, Ester. You never do this. Giving out your number and spending so much time with some random guy? I love it! So, was tonight the first night of this new Ester? And what about you and Envy? He obviously likes you. And I’m guessing that you like him too. When do you think you’ll see each other again? Soon? Promise me it’ll be soon, okay?”

Ester rolled her eyes and shook her head before she laughed at her best friend’s predictable reaction and response to all of this. “Shhh, just inhale and exhale deeply and try to calm down,” she said playfully. “We’ll talk about this later.”

Knowing that Yetta wouldn’t take no for an answer easily if at all, Ester could only laugh as Yetta unsuccessfully continued to try and get Ester to give details about Ester’s feelings for Envy.

Eventually, they arrived at the house that Ester again shared with her parents.

“I don’t want any excuses. You better be ready to spill it all tomorrow, girl.” Yetta said as Ester got out of the car.

After closing the car door, Ester stuck up both middle fingers and mouthed the word “bitch”, which caused Yetta to laugh. “Goodnight, Yetta,” Ester said, in a playfully annoyed tone.  

“Goodnight, missus…whatever his last name is!” Yetta said, with a laugh. “Love you.”

Ester gave Yetta a genuine smile. “Love you, too,” she said before she started walking towards the front door of her home.

She got her keys out of her purse before unlocking and opening the door then entering the house. After she closed and locked the front door, she paused for a moment to listen out for her parents’ voices or any other noises that would indicate that they were still awake.

After a little while of not hearing any sounds at all throughout the house, Ester took off her heels and headed for the staircase.

Exhaustedly, Ester made her way up the stairs to the second floor of the house. Ester tip-toed towards her parents’ bedroom. Since their bedroom door wasn’t closed, she could clearly see that they were in the middle of a deep slumber. A small smile formed upon her face as she closed the door gently, before she slowly started heading for her bedroom.

After Ester entered her bedroom, she closed the door, put her keys back in her purse, and put her purse down as well as her heels. She took off her dress before putting on an old t-shirt of hers and one of her favorite pairs of shorts. She took her hair out of the up-do style and ran her fingers through her black, long, thick, tight curls before putting it all into a big two-strand twist then securing it with a big claw clip.

She went to her bathroom to wash her face of the make-up that she’d been wearing, and afterwards she re-entered the bedroom and headed for her bed, ready to get some sleep.

Before she could even rest her head on the pillows, she heard her cell phone vibrating.

Ester slowly sat up before getting out of the bed and walking over to get her purse. After picking up and opening her purse, she took her cell phone out of the purse. She checked the caller ID and saw a number that she’d never seen before.

Ester somewhat hesitantly answered. “Hello?”

“Ah, good, so this is your number. I was afraid that you might have pulled a fast one on me by giving me a fake cell phone number,” said Envy.

Ester smiled as soon as she heard him. “What are you doing calling me already, and this late? Some people are in serious need of some sleep, and you’re preventing them from getting said sleep.” Was her playful response.

Envy laughed. “Okay. Well I’m sorry for bothering you. But I promise that I’ll make this short. I just have a question to ask you, and as soon as you give me an answer, I’ll let you get as much sleep as you want.”

Ester laughed too. “Awesome.”

Envy had a smile on his face as he spoke again. “Well the reason why I’m calling is because I’d like to know if we could see each other again tomorrow. Well, technically, today. Later today, that is. If you’re not busy, I’d love it if you met me back at the club. I’d be honored to have you in my presence again, and to get to know you more. And if the fun that we’ve already had together is any indication, a second time should be even better…Your answer now, please.”

Ester laughed again. “…”Yes” is my answer,” she said with the utmost certainty.