A funny thing happens when your heart gets smashed into a million pieces.

You stop caring about anything else, all you want is to move on from that person and prove you're alright without them.

At least that's how it was for me.

And for my friends that meant trying to hook me up with someone else as soon as possible.

" Guys, I'm telling you. Sleeping with someone is not suddenly going to make me suddenly feel better."

"And, I'M telling you it will," said Sienna. Sienna was copper skinned, with natural curly hair she constantly complained about and said was impossible to tane. But it always looked immaculate. "The fastest way to get over someone is to get under someone else."

"Sienna, Laurel just got dumped today. Give her a sec, Jesus." Sophie was two years older than me but several inches shorter. Her black hair was cut in an alien to her chin which seemed to accentuate her baby face but she anything but naive.

"Laurel didn't just get dumped. She caught that cheating bastard in the act." Sienna persists, fists on her hips. "So yeah I'd say the quicker she hooks up, the better."

I sighed, audibly. The last thing I wanted was to be out right now. I hated clubs in the best of times. And now was not the best of times. It had been the worst say of my entire life.

Being betrayed never felt good. But being betrayed by someone you trusted indefinitely, by the one person you thought would never betray you...well that was a scar I wasnt sure I'd ever get over. Jason and I had been dating since I was sixteen years old. Nine years of my life I spent on him, nine years I thought we were so happy. I came home early from work today and realized the last nine years of my life was a lie

I wasn't the one night stand type of girl. But hey I didnt think I was the get-cheated-on by your childhood sweetheart type either and yet here we were.

So I was willing to try anything that night to get him off my mind.

"Okay," I said. "Find me a guy."

The hunt began. Notably, it wasnt me doing most of the rejecting but Sienna and Sophie.

"He looks like a sleazeball. And what kind of name is "Chad" anyways. That's a douche name if I've ever heard one."

"Brown shoes with a black sweater? Over my dead body."

I felt relief wash over my as Sienna vetoed the fiftieth guy. I had wondered if they were doing it on purpose, sending my apprehension.

"Okay well while you guys check out every man in the place, I'm gonna go get another drink." I didn't want sex. I wanted booze. And a lot of it.

It was a Friday night so the bar was even more crowded than the dancefloor. Having just caught my boyfriend cheating on me I hadn't really felt like dressing up so I didnt exactly look like a ten either. Which meant I could be waiting for awhile to get my drink.

A girl in a skintight white dress walked up to the bar after I had been there ten minutes and had her drink almost immediatley.

That made me angry.

Of course I knew pretty people were always going to be treated better. That's just the way the world works. But my nerves were pretty much shot at this point and I didn't care about anything else.

I slid off the stool and walked behind the bar. The two bartenders didnt even notice me as I took two bottles off the shelf.

I smiled to myself, triumphantly. If I was dressed like that girl i never would have gotten away with that.

I eyed my prizes. Some brand of gin I'd never heard of and a bottle of wild Turkey, which just so happened to be my favorite. Not a bad haul.

I stopped almost at our table. Sophie and Sienna were being chatted up by a couple of guys and looked to be enjoying it. I didn't really feel like being around happy people. Or any people for that matter. The club was full and crowded and it suddenly felt too much for me. I just wanted to be alone. Fresh air. That's what I needed. The entrance was too full of club goers entering and leaving so I went around to the back hoping to spot an employee entrance or something.

"Bingo!" A cocktail waitress dressed in a sparkly navy dress entered from a door and I slipped out behind her. It must have been a side alley because the street was deserted. There was a low concrete wall next to the door which I sat on, dangling my feet over the edge. I lifted the bourbon, taking a large glug.

The bourbon warmed me from the inside out and seemed to dull some of the day's sting.

I watched as a few employees and probably some of the more regular customers entered and exited the club. No one really paid me any attention other than a curious glance here or there. I was a woman drinking alone outside a popular night club. Any man would take notice of that. Especially a drunk one. Luckily none of them tried anything or even spoke to me.

There was something about the night that was just so peaceful. Most people, women especially, probably wouldn't agree. Night is when danger is higher or course. But to me, night was the most relaxing and beautiful time of day. There was something about being awake when the world was winding down to sleep.

A man exited the club. He stood not far away from me as he lit a cigarette. He had black hair, longer than most guys usually had which was tied back out of his eyes. He wasnt wearing a jacket so as he took a drag from his cigarette I could tattoos dancing against his skin as his muscles rippled slightly. He was definitley attractive. Not bad one night stand material. I wondered if he was in the club while Sienna and Sophie passed their judgment on the men of the club.

I quickly decided they must not have seen him. A man this beautiful never would have gone unnoticed.

The man raised an eyebrow at me, leaving against the wall next to me. "Are you gonna keep staring at me all night or are you going to offer me a drink."

Wordlessly I handed him the bottle of gin. I didnt need two anyways.

He rotated taking drags from his cigarette and drinking from the bottle.

I probably should have been a little uncomfortable around him. He was a stranger after all. But something about him seemed oddly comforting to me. He didnt set off any red flags at least.

After a while he finally spoke to me. "So what's a girl like you doing sitting out here by yourself anyways?"

I raised an eyebrow at him. "I'm not by myself. I'm with you."

He laughed. "Oh yeah? Do you think that's a good thing."

I curled the left side of my face into a slight half smile. "Could be if you take me home."

Before the man has time to answer me, the service door to the club bangs open.

A burly man storms out. He didnt look that old but he was big. Easily over a foot taller than me.

"REN, YOU SONOFABITCH."

Anger or possibly alcohol had his words slurring together.

Ren wasn't short by any means. He was probably around 6"1. And this man still had a few inches on him. He towered over Rem, leaving forward menancingly.

"Brian man you really wanna do this now?"

Ren hadn't even moved since the other man came out. He didn't seem the least bit phased.

"Did you think I was just gonna sit around as you cut me out? I'm not fucking scared of you Ren."

Ren sighed. "Brian, man, you have two choices. If you walk back inside now, I'll pretend this never happened."

"And if I don't?"

Ren sets the bottle down and straightens up. "I think you know the answer to that."

Brian seems to consider for a moment and then steps back. "Come on Ren, I was just joking. I just wanted to talk." His eyes fall on me and he grins widely. "And who is this?" He steps toward me and my warning sensors go off. This was definitley not a calm men. The expression in his eyes was wild. Whatever had happened with him he was angry.

"Baby, you up for some fun."

I squashed down my anxiety, pretending not to fear him. Calmly I met his gaze straight on. "No, thank you."

His smile fell. "Come on babe, don't be like that. You know you want to."

He grabbed at my arm causing the bottle of bourbon to shatter, and pulling me roughly off the wall.

"Let go of me!" I spat. I struggled to get free but he was too strong. He grabbed my hair from the roots, slamming me into the wall.

I squirmed in his arms as his other hand went to my neck. "If you act nice I'll be nice back."

"Brian, let the girl go." He didn't yell or raise his voice, but Ren's tone was deadly. Brian didn't seem to catch that.

"Oh come on Ren, what is she to you? Why do you always ge t all the fun?"

I fell to the ground as Brian was pulled off me. I hadn't seen what happened but Brian lay on the concrete while Ren stood over him.

"This is the last time you get on my fucking nerves, Brian."

Ren walked over to me, holding out a hand to lift me up. Still coughing, I accepted. His hand was warm and I could feel slight calluses on his palm.

"Are you okay?"

I nod, not trusting my voice.

He eyes me a moment. "I'd take you up on your earlier offer but I think you've been played with too rough already tonight. Rain check."

I stared at his back as he entered the club again, grateful he hadn't asked me back to his place. This was obviously not a man I wanted to get involved with.

Brian let out a soft groan. So he wasn't dead then.

Almost the second I walked back into the club Sienna and Sophie were there.

"Laurel where have you been?" Sophie pulls my arm, practically in a panic. "We have to go."

I stopped letting Sophie pull me and glared at my two friends suspiciously. "Why?"

They glanced at each other and then Sienna shrugged. "Jason is here."

It was as if speaking his name had summoned him. No sooner had Sienna spoken his name and my eyes seemed to zoom onto him.

There was a balcony over the dancefloor that led to the VIP area and a second bar, and that's where he stood

Jason had his arm around the waist of some blonde girl. Which I happened to notice was not the one he was with earlier that day. He whispered something into her ear and they both burst into fits of giggles. There was something about that, about seeing him look so happy that really pissed me off.

My eyes darted around the room, hoping to find an exit. But a familiar dark haired man is what my eyes found instead. Standing at the stairs of the balcony was Ren Shaw.

I hadn't ever considered myself a petty person. But at that moment all I wanted was to make Jason realize how much he messed up. I wanted losing me to hurt.

So without really thinking, I strode over to this stranger.

"Ren!" I called. "Ren!"

He turned around and before he had a chance to say anything my lips were on his. He was a bit taller than me so I had to sort of grab his shirt to pull him towards me.

In my experience first kisses were always awkward. Of course my last first kiss was when I was sixteen so it's not like I had a whole lot of experience to compare. But it seemed like it had taken a moment to get used to the other person.

That was not the case with Ren. His arms snaked around my waist and mine went around his neck. My body responded to his touch.

I didnt know if it was because I had been drinking or because being spurned had given me a rush of adrenaline, but I had never felt anything like that when I had kissed Jason.

I dont know how long we had actually been kissing for but when we broke apart I was panting, not able to catch my breath.

I didn't dare to look up to the balcony. If Jason has caught my revenge show, his knowing it was on purpose would defeat the purpose, at least partially. I didnt want him to know it was premeditated.

Instead I just grinned at Ren, flirting had never been my strong suit but something seemed to be giving me an extra dose of courage. Trying my best to seem as sexy as possible I leaned in towards him so I wouldnt have to shout. "That is to tide you over until our raincheck." I winked at him, before striding back across the floor towards my friends.

The walk back seemed much longer than the previous. Anxiety had me in knots. Did I really just wink?!

Sienna and Sophie practically had their jaws on the ground.

"What was that?" Sienna shouted. "I have never been so impressed by you Laurel. That was easily the most bad *** thing I've ever witnessed.

"Did he see it?" I asked.

Sophie nodded, as Sienna burst into laughter. "See it? I think you just broke up with latest relationship? He looked so mad the bimbo he was with stormed off. It was hilarious."

I grinned widely as we walked out of the club.

Being dumped was probably one of the worst blows an ego could take. But making out with a hot stranger who made you feel sexy? Well that was like super glue to a broken heart.