"Can you even hear yourself over this bass?" Emma shouted, her voice barely cutting through the thumping rhythm of the DJ set. She leaned closer to Jake, her hand brushing his arm as she steadied herself against the crowd’s push. He grinned, his face glowing under the neon lights, and shouted back, "Who cares? Just dance!"

Emma rolled her eyes but couldn’t help smiling. She and Jake had been friends since college, though lately, she’d noticed the way his gaze lingered on her when he thought she wasn’t looking. Her tank top clung to her skin in the humid night air, and her dark curls stuck to her forehead as she swayed to the beat. Jake, tall and lanky with a mop of messy brown hair, looked like he belonged here, his loose shirt soaked with sweat and his hands already in the air.

As the beat dropped, Emma caught a glimpse of someone in the crowd—a man in a black hoodie, his face half-hidden, staring directly at her. She froze, her smile fading. Jake noticed and followed her gaze, but the man was already gone. "What’s wrong?" he asked, his voice suddenly serious. Emma shook her head, forcing a laugh. "Nothing. Just thought I saw someone I knew." But her eyes kept scanning the crowd, her heart racing for reasons she couldn’t explain.