there are way too many people in this club, clara thought to herself. it was nice to get out of work and let loose sometimes, but she’d always done it with a group of friends where they could book a table and stay away from everyone else while still having fun. but clara was here alone tonight, and fun was more trouble than it was worth.
at least there was alcohol, that she could handle. skirting the dance floor, she made her way to the bar, hopping onto an empty stool. the bartender turned to her, took her order, and in a couple of minutes a sweating highball glass was placed in front of her. that was something she could appreciate about this place, clara mused - at least the bartenders were efficient, even at an event like this.
she didn’t like to mix her work and personal life, but tonight was different. she hardly had a friend in the club here, and her next best friend would be her work email. in the poor lighting, the glare of her phone screen nearly blinded her when she started it up, but her eyes adjusted fairly quickly, and soon she was scrolling through her messages while sipping at her drink.
it had a calming effect on her almost immediately, and she stopped paying attention to the people around her - until someone bumped her elbow, causing liquid to slosh over the side of her glass onto the bar, and onto the front of her dress. it would dry soon enough, but the sudden cold was enough to shock her into annoyance. “what the hell?” she exclaimed, pulling away to glare at the person. “watch yourself!”
