SIX MONTHS LATER

I never envisioned myself in this kind of situation. If someone had told me that I would end up draping myself in glitter and wearing barely-there clothes that left very little to the imagination, all while shimmying on a silver pole in front of a sea of middle-aged horny men, I would have laughed so hard I’d probably need mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. And then probably smacked them upside the head for even suggesting such a ridiculous idea.

Not that I had anything against the women or men who chose this kind of career. I’d seen Magic Mike , but this felt like a far cry from the dreams I once had for myself. I envisioned myself as a violinist, pouring my soul out, performing in the grand halls of the Boston or Chicago Symphony Orchestras.

But here I was, caught in a reality I never could have anticipated, struggling with the disconnect between who I was now and who I once thought I would had been. But my parents’ tragic deaths forced me to move far away from our small town in Canada and into an apartment in a neighborhood that felt as foreign as a distant land.

And with it came a new name.

A new life.

When I first moved here, I had to find a job where no one would pry into my past. So, I took a job as a waitress/dancer. It wasn’t my first option, but it felt like the safest bet. An escape into the shadows, a way to hide underground and a place where most didn’t use our real names. Music and dancing had always been my refuge; I’d loved them since I was a child, especially contemporary dance, where movement told a story without words. This gig seemed like it would be easy enough to manage. Even though I didn’t have the curves that many might expect from a dancer, I did have a toned body sculpted by years of practice and discipline. Yet, oddly enough, the men seemed pleased when I was on stage. They gazed, entranced, while I fought against the unsettling feeling that my skin was crawling, as if a billion tiny bugs were scuttling beneath the surface.

Every night, under the harsh glow of the stage lights, I transformed into someone else, and it gave me a fleeting confidence. But deep down, that confidence was a fragile mask, held together by my secrets. I danced not just to entertain but to escape, to forget who I was, if only for a moment.

The worst part of this entire nightmare, aside from the unbearable pain of losing my parents, was that I couldn’t even say goodbye to them at their funeral. They had to stage my death to cover my tracks. It chilled me to wonder how Malik managed to find a body that could pass for mine. But deep down, I understood why. If those men who killed my parents believed that I was also dead, it could throw them off my scent. It might let me slip away and keep me safe for a while longer.

I couldn’t believe it had been six months since that horrible day. I adjusted the halter of my dress, the fabric hugging me a little too tightly, a reminder of how much had changed. The girls were dancing on stage to “Birthday Sex” by Jeremih. I spotted Adrian, my favorite bartender, behind the bar.

“Hey, Adrian!” I called out, making my way through the throng and trying not to fall on my face while wearing these killer heels. “What’s with the crowd tonight?”

“We’ve got a bachelor party in the back room,” he said, gesturing with his head. “Reserved the VIP section.”

I leaned against the bar. “A bachelor party, huh? Are they as crazy as the last group?”

The last one had to be kicked out for getting too handsy with the dancers and servers, including me. I could still hear the guy’s yelp of pain when I slammed a tray down on his hand. Definitely not one of my finer moments, but I’d do it again in a heartbeat. Thankfully, Lola, our boss, was fiercely protective of us. “I’d have chopped off their dicks,” she had said with a laugh.

Adrian chuckled, his tousled dark hair falling slightly over his brow as he shook his head. “No, not as bad.”

Just then, Tabi appeared, gliding through the crowd in her sequined outfit that sparkled like it was made of stars. Her platinum hair cascaded down her back, catching the light with every movement, and her confident smile drew the eyes of every man in the room. Tabi’s face lit up when she spotted me.

“Hey, Winter!” Tabi exclaimed, enveloping me in a warm hug. She leaned over the bar, giving Adrian a playful wink. “And you, my man, are looking particularly delicious tonight.”

Adrian smirked, wiping his hands on a towel. “Tabi, you’re looking amazing as always.”

“Thanks! The crowd is wild tonight!” Tabi turned back to me. “You’re not dancing?”

I shook my head. “No, Lola was short a waitress.”

Tabi brushed a stray lock of hair behind her ear. “I hope this group isn’t a freaking nightmare like the last one.”

“They won’t be,” Adrian said, pouring another round of shots for a nearby group.

As the music shifted to “The Hills” by The Weeknd, I took the drinks from Adrian and placed them on the round black tray.

“I’m off,” I said. With a final wave, I spun off toward the first table of the night.

* * *

I stood in front of my door, retrieving my keys from my purse to unlock the apartment door. I groaned in frustration as the jumble of keys in my hand seemed to mock me.

“Oh, come on,” I grumbled, almost losing my grip on the paper bag of groceries. It felt like a cruel game, and all I wanted was to be inside so I could kick off these damn shoes and crawl into my warm bed. Just as I was about to scream, I heard the door from the apartment behind me open.

“Looks like you could use a hand there,” my neighbor Liam said with a chuckle.

I looked over my shoulder and noticed he was leaning against the doorframe, arms crossed over his black leather jacket.

“That smile is not going to work on me,” I said sarcastically.

Liam was a player, but he just brushed it off as doing the ladies a service, whatever the hell that meant. He was good looking with a nice body, but there were no sparks between us. No romantic connection.

Liam shook his head and smiled. He pushed off the frame and reached out to take one of the bags off my hands. “You’re so damn stubborn.”

“Yeah, I know.”

He snickered. “You can always set the bags on the floor.”

“Shut up,” I muttered, but he laughed it off.

Once I had one hand free, I put the key in and unlocked the door. Liam followed me and set the bags down on the kitchen counter, and I began unpacking the groceries.

“You’re making homemade pizza,” he stated, peering into the bags like a kid searching for a toy in the cereal box.

“Yeah,” I replied with a casual shrug as if making pizza late at night was the most normal thing in the world.

“Now?” he asked, raising an eyebrow.

I nodded, a grin spreading across my face. “Yep. I want pizza.”

“It’s almost midnight,” Liam pointed out.

“I know,” I said, tearing open the packet of pepperoni. “But ignoring my stomach is like almost beating that level in Candy Crush, only to have that sweet victory explode in your face when you lose it all because of one stupid candy that just refuses to break free from its blocky prison.”

He burst out laughing, the kind of laugh that made it impossible to keep a straight face.

“Seriously,” I continued, throwing a pepperoni slice in my mouth. “My stomach is always demanding attention, just like those annoying notifications on your phone.” His phone went off every fifteen minutes when he was around me. It was so freaking annoying. And he knew it annoyed me. That was why he never silenced it.

Liam continued to laugh and shake his head at me.

“Don’t judge me,” I said, returning his grin, trying to sound serious but failing miserably.

“I’m not,” he protested, raising his hands in mock surrender. He leaned against the counter, arms crossed, a playful glint in his eyes. “Okay, fine,” he conceded. “But if this pizza is inedible, what’s your backup plan? Tacos? Chinese? A juicy burger?”

“First of all, my pizza will be the best homemade pizza you’ll ever taste. But you can always go to Taco Bell or Wendy’s since they’re open 24/7, right?”

“True,” he said. “But I think I’ll stick around and take my chances.”

“You have to beg me first,” I countered as I tossed a slice of pepperoni in his direction like a frisbee.

He caught the pepperoni mid-air and stuffed it into his mouth. “Please, please, pretty please, Winter,” he shot back.

I couldn’t help but laugh. “You’re such a dick”

“That’s right, baby,” he replied, leaning over to steal another slice and kissing my cheek. “But you like my dick.”

“That’s just... I don’t even know what that is,” I muttered. “That’s gross.” I paused, trying to decide how to respond. “Yeah, that’s just gross, Liam.”

He took a step back, laughing so loudly that I wouldn’t have been shocked if the other neighbors decided to come over and complain about the noise. Just as Liam was about to make a comeback, his phone repeatedly dinged with notifications.

“Oh, my God! I told you!” I placed my hands on my hips like a mother ready to scold a child. “If you’re going to stay and help, the phone needs to go.”

“Help?” he replied, a cheeky grin spreading across his face. “No, baby girl. I only came here for the food.” He winked, answering his phone and strutting out of the kitchen.

Moments like these reminded me how effortlessly Liam could lighten my load, even for a day, just like Kara used to. It sometimes made me think of Kara and how I missed her like crazy. I often found myself wondering how she was doing and if she had found a way to deal with my supposed sudden death. It pained me to think of what must have gone through her mind after hearing the news.

I sometimes wondered if he could read my thoughts like he was looking into a crystal ball. Whatever the reason, I was not going to question it. I’d take it and be glad to have found a friend in Liam.