2. Talia

My best friend was raining as soon as I stepped out of the apartment. A tall guy was standing beside her with a frown on his face. For a second I thought that he was angry about me cock blocking him. As I got closer I noticed that it was just the way he stood. 




"We are going to have so much fun!" Mira exclaimed, arms around my neck and pulling me closer in a hug. My nose scrunched at the way her nails were digging into me. Also, did I mention she was a hugger? 





"Yeah sure," I forcefully smiled while pulling away from her. 




"Hi, I'm Sean" The tall guy grinned, flashing his pearly whites. He was holding the door of the posh sleek car open for both of us. It made me want to roll my eyes because no wonder Mira was interested in going out with him. 




"Hey I'm Talia" 



He hummed, "Yeah I know. Mira told me all about you" 




Hiding my grimace I gave him a friendly smile and slid next to Mira. There was no way that I was going to ask him the stuff she might have told him. My best friend has the ability to blabber nonsense stuff to strangers so no wonder she might have told my entire story to Sean. 




Mira patted my arm, "I'm so ready to let loose you know. It has been a stressful week" 



My mouth slacked open, blinking my eyes, "You just got back from vacation on Wednesday" 




Last week her father was invited to Italy for wine tasting so she tagged along with him. The only reason she might be stressful was that she did not get to attend enough parties. As she was in the circle it was compulsory for her to attend parties at least three times a week.




"So? My mother made me shop along with her and it's stressful you know" 




"Oh I can imagine" 




"She asked me about you" Mira nudged my shoulders and I let out a sigh. Her mother was lovely and always wanted to take me along with her for shopping trips. According to her, I have exquisite taste in picking clothes, unlike her own daughter.




The only thing but did not sit right with me as she insisted on paying for everything. It made me feel like a charity case most of the time and yearn for items I could not afford with my bare minimum salary.  




"Yeah? What did you tell her?" 



She shrugged, "You were busy with work. She wants you to join us for the brunch this weekend though. We got some wine back from Italy and that is going to open the bottle" 




"I will think about it" 




"Okay," She smiled and before she could say something more her phone buzzed. Excusing herself she got busy texting someone else on the phone and I stared out of the window. 





My eyes twinkled staring at the huge buildings. They intrigued me, the buildings in the city. Staying in the cosy apartment among the crowded city must be so fun. That was my only aim after getting a decent job. 





"We are here" Sean's voice interrupted my chain of thoughts. He stumbled out of the car and held out the door for us again. 





"Thanks, darling" Mira softly brushed his arm as he forwarded his hand towards me. 



Stepping out of the car I noticed the long line outside the club. How are we supposed to get in? The was no way that I was going to stand in my heels till our turn.




"Talia!" Mira called out and I blinked my eyes at her. She was already standing at the doorstep but on the other side of the entrance. 




"We don't have to wait in the line?" I questioned, my eyebrows knitted together. 




Sean laughed, "This is my friend's club. Let's go" 



My cheeks reddened at that. I had almost forgotten about that. the people from the other side were glaring at us as we easily entered inside the club. 




The harsh bright lighting followed by the loud noise immediately made me take a step back. Clubs were not my scene. I would rather sit back home and enjoy reading something or working on my thesis. Maybe I should have lead with that excuse. 




"This is so loud!" I yelled over the music. Mira had a wide smile on her face as she moves her eyes around. 




Sean was hugging someone and they were whispering something in each other's ears. He might be the friend who owns the club I thought. My eyes widened when I noticed people openly stripping in the corner but before it could get wild the bounces interrupted them. What was that about? Also, who does that in the crowd? 





Mira giggled, throwing her head back and pulling me closer, "This is so fun. I am already loving this" 




"Figured" 




Sean pulled Mira towards him and I flushed turning around. That was not a sight I would like to see. He whispered something in her right ear and then placed a kiss. 




"See you soon!" 




I frowned when I noticed that he was striding along with his friend to some other room. Was there something shady going on in that room? What if they got caught? What if we all got caught? I could get expelled for that. No way! The university classes were the only hope I had for my future. I cannot get suspended. 




"Let's go!" Mira yelled tugging me forward and cutting off my chain of thoughts. I felt my breath caught in my throat noticing the dance floor ahead of us. There was no way that I was going to dance and make fool of myself in front of everyone. I should have listened to my mother when she asked me to take dance classes instead I was to focus on doing calligraphy. And where did that lead me?




"Where are we going?" 




Mira looked over her shoulder, "Free drinks!" 




"What? How?" 




"Sean talked to his friend" She whispered as we slid on the barstools together. The wide array of bottles stacked up on the shelf made me dizzy. I had no idea what to choose.





"Let's order two martinis" 





"Sure" I hummed. Someone slid beside Mira but she ignored him and focused on me. 




We tried to talk over the loud noise, mostly about what we were going to do next. I was against the idea of dancing on the floor while she was ready to let loose as soon as she had a sip of her martini. It was funny how we were best friends but so stark opposite to each other. Most of them don't understand how she ended up being my friend and I think the same. There was so much difference in our thoughts but we are friends. 





"Are you sure you don't wanna join?" Mira said taking a huge gulp of her drink. I shook my head and sat back. 




"You know I don't like dancing" 




"How can anyone not like dancing?" She exclaimed taking another sip. I threw a tissue at her to which she blushed and dabbed the corner of her mouth. 




Suddenly my neck started stinging and I arched my back. Scratching at my skin I tried to ignore the sudden twinge. What was happening to me? Was there something in the drink? 




"I can't state other reasons" 




Sean patted at her shoulder softly, "May I have a dance milady?"



She giggled and nodded her head. He pecked her lips and forwarded his hand towards her. 




"How can I refuse this?" 



She stared back at me as if waiting for my approval. I shook my head and waved at her. Sean bowed in my direction and I could see his pupils were dilated a bit. Was he high? The thought sent shivers down my spine. 




"You're the best. Will be back soon" She kissed my cheek and placed her Martini on the counter. It was boring to sit all by myself but I was trying to focus on my drink.




The guy who was sitting beside Mira moved a seat closer. It made me uncomfortable so I tried to look somewhere else. Somehow due to the dark light, I had lost the sight of Mira in the crowd. 





"Are you here all alone pretty girl?" 




His voice made me fist my hands by my side. Why was he talking to me of all people? The music was slow and quiet so I could hear his every breath clearly. 




"Do you want me to buy you something?" He tried again but I scoffed, taking a sip of my martini. Suddenly I felt his arm tugging at my wrist. 




"I don't like when people ignore me, darling" 



"What the fuck is wrong with you?" I yelled, trying to break free as he towered over me. 




The stinging in my neck got intense as a voice echoed, "Is there a problem?" 




I blinked my eyes at the guy standing in front of me. His brown hair was falling over his forehead, his eyes grey and sharp. He was staring at my hands. 




"Who are you?" The guy holding my hand sneered, glaring at the attractive stranger.




"I'm her boyfriend" 
***