Gemotions

The invitation crackled in Amelia's hand. Tonight! At last! For weeks, she'd been badgering Ben about finally seeing the "state-of-the-art" lab where he supposedly worked as a bioengineer. He'd always deflected, citing confidentiality clauses or sensitive experiments. But tonight, it was on. A company social. Her stomach fluttered with anticipation.

She bounced on the balls of her feet, her gaze darting around the packed party. Flashing lights and upbeat music thumped through the cavernous space. This wasn’t a lab at all! It was a nightclub. Every face she saw was unfamiliar. She spotted Ben, laughing with a group, and hurried over. He saw her, and his face turned a peculiar shade of pink.

"Amelia! You... you actually made it!" he stammered, his eyes wide. A woman, tall and strikingly beautiful, draped an arm around his shoulder. "Ben here is a... uh... *promoter* for the club!" she announced, her voice dripping with amusement. Amelia's jaw dropped.