F I V E

EVA. 

"Last night here. I'm gonna miss this place. " Aliya sighs as she stares around the club. 

"Why did you choose here though? I thought we were heading to the recently opened one downtown?" I ask her as I take a sip of my vodka and Aliya tries to avoid my gaze as she speaks, redness coating her flushed cheekbones. "No reason. I just thought—"

"Thought you would see that nameless fuck of yours?" A mocking smile rests on my lips as I raise my brows at her and she rolls her eyes. "It was a instinct, okay?"

I hum with a shrug. "Explains why you aren't out of your seat in search of someone to fuck. "

"Shut up, Evie. " She groans and I laugh, taking another sip of my vodka. 

"You're on your seat, " she drops her gaze to my lap and I nod. "I think that's pretty obvious, Aliya. "

"Why are you on your seat? I thought you were going to make the best out of your last day to party? You probably will go back to stuffing the books in your face once we're at college. " She sighs before she shifts her seat closer to mine and place a hand on my shoulder. "I will miss your wild era, my love. "

I slap her hand off my shoulder and Aliya laughs. "Stop messing around. You should go back to looking for your girl. Do you even remember what she looks like? "

"How can I forget the face I masturbate to every single night?"

"I honestly didn't need that detail. " I scrunch my nose and she swats at my arm. 

"Or you might swing the other way tonight. " I tell her and she frowns. "What do you mean by that?"

I nod my head behind her and she turns around to follow my gaze. "The guy in the black shirt. He's been staring at you since we came in. "

Aliya observes the guy for some seconds before hissing and turning back to meet my eyes. "He's fine, and that's all. Nothing fuckable about him. "

"Looks doesn't justify how well a man performs in bed, you know. " I say and a tiny smirk crosses her lips as she says, "That's your fucked up way of thinking. If the face ain't hot then there's no way the pussy would be pretty. "

"That's just dumb. " Aliya shrugs in response and I laugh as I watch the poor guy get out of his seat and walk towards us. "You've got something coming your way irrespective of how you think, though. "

She parts her lips, but before she can speak; the guy beats her to it and I bend my hand and lean my face against my knuckles as I watch the drama unfold. 

"Hey, I've been watching you for some minutes. " The worst words to start with, dude. 

"So I've been told. " Aliya responds and the guy looks at me before looking back to her. "I'm Terry. "

"And I sincerely do not give a shit. Sorry, buddy but it's a no. " She sounds pissed and I take another shot of the vodka as I wait for the poor guy to scramble off but he surprises me by lingering by with eyes on Aliya. 

"The fuck you looking at?" She hisses and he laughs softly. "I kind of expected that attitude. "

"You dumb or something? I don't swing your way, man. Scramble off. " She snaps and the guy looks taken aback for a second. He looks at me and I nod, motioning for him to just leave. With another glance at her, he walks away and I swing a hand over Aliya's shoulder. 

"That was harsh. " I tell her and she nods. "I know, but he couldn't take a hint. "

"I think you are stressed Aliya. You aren't yourself. "

"Yes, Evie, I'm not. " She hisses. "I'm heading to college in two days, and I haven't found the best sex of my life. "

"I know you want to look for the girl, but you need to forget about her. You don't know her name and you have no way of contacting her. For all you know, she's probably beneath or on top of someone else right now. You need to move on. "

Aliya seems to process my words for a minute before nodding and raising her glass, clicking it against mine. 

"To the last night. "

"To the last night. " I repeat before pouring the alcohol down my throat. 

After another shot of the alcohol, we are in high spirits and we move to the dance floor. We throw our hands in the air, mess with our hairs and move our hips along to the beat of Chase Atlantic booming around the room and somehow, I go from dancing with my best friend to dancing with a guy who seems weirdly familiar with Aliya nowhere to be found. 

"Hey, you!" He shouts over the loud music, moving closer to me and I let him wrap his arm around my waist and push me against his chest. "Remember me?"

My dance steps turn slower as I furrow my brows and stare at his face before it hit me. It's the guy from that night. The same guy I played around with in front of Emerson and the same guy I told to fuck off when he tried to stick his thing in me. 

"The fuck?" I hiss, trying to push away from him but his grip tightens around me and he shakes his head. "Not so fast, sweetheart. I'm here to finish what you started. " He smirks coldly at me and it turns the adrenaline rush of excitement that pumps through me to a scary one as panic sets in. 

I've had my fair share of men and I make sure it's nothing other than sex. There is no personal information disclosed and no question asked– you hit it once and leave, and on some occasions, paths cross again but I've never had a man stalk me like this fucker right here. 

"Get your hands off me!" I hiss, wrapping my hands around his to push him off, but he doesn't even budge. 

"I told you I'll be seeing you again, didn't I? Did you think you could tease me and get away with it? I don't think so. " He pushes me tight against his chest as he moves his face closer. My eyes are wide and my heart is beating fast in my chest as I stare around the room in search of Aliya but all I see around me are bodies sliding against each other and people too drunk to care about what's happening with me. 

I freeze when his lips melt against my neck. My body goes stiff as the pain comes rushing back with full force. 

"No. " My voice is small and it sounds so fucking weak to my ears. I'm not weak. I haven't been weak in years and no way am I letting anyone take that away from me. "Let me go, you fucker!" I lift my free hand and hit him by the side. 

His face twists into one of pain as he pulls back before it turns into a look of anger and he's coming towards me again. I prepare to knee him in the groin, but someone else beat me to it. 

"She said to let go. " It's a voice I'll recognize anywhere and anytime because I've heard so much of the annoying sound. 

Emerson grabs his hand and stands before me, looking so tall and mighty. 

"When a girl says to let go, you let go. " He says calmly and I watch as he twists his arm. The guy cries in pain and a few heads turn our way before Emerson let him go, shoving him to the side. 

He turns to me and without a word, he grabs my hand and pulls me towards the exit. 

"Are you okay?" He asks when we arrive outside and I jerk my hand from his hold. 

"I didn't need your help. " I hiss and he laughs. "You sure as hell didn't. "

"I had it under control. "

"Tell that to that scared part of you. " He retorts and I glare at him. "Fuck off. "

"You know, Carson, " His gaze falls to my chest before he brings it up to my face again. "I just saved your ass, and even for someone with a rotten character like yours, I expected you to thank me for it. "

My lips turn up in a half-smirk and I fold my arms against my chest. "I'll never thank you for anything, Ford. Never. " 

"You shouldn't mess around with men like that, Carson. " He responds instead. 

"Then who should I mess around with? You? I'll pass, jerk face. I don't think that small thing in your pants is capable of satisfying me. " Hatred can be good. With hatred, there's anger and with anger, you can hide your real issues. With anger, you can easily put up on an act. Hating Emerson Ford doesn't only please me; it gives me confidence because the words of an insult thrown at each other and the refusal to never back down make me feel strong and strength is the one thing I crave. It's the one thing I've always chased. 

"I'll bend you over my leg and make you swallow those words back. I'll show you just exactly how what you refer to will wreck that pussy of yours, and I'll have you begging for more by the end of it. "

All previous thoughts evaporate into the thin air at those words and I know I should walk away right there. Touching myself to an image of Emerson in my head is one thing, sharing a kiss with him is another thing, but goading him into touching me again is a different thing and I blame it on the three glasses of vodka I had earlier with the sudden agonizing ache between my thighs because that's exactly what I do. 

"I. Dare. You. " I seethe, his words bringing about images that shouldn't be there. Not here. Not with Emerson. Ford. 

"Desperation is a bad thing, Carson. It turns a blind eye to the worst of things and I can see how desperate you are to get fucked by your worst enemy. " A taunting smirk crosses his lips and when he steps closer to me, he brings with him fire that burns through my veins and has my lips shivering. Begging for another feel of his on mine. Craving... Desperate. 

"Go to hell, " I breathe and he chuckles. 

"I'll be dragging you right there with me, Carson. Because we both know you can't stay long without me. " I don't have time to process his words and think of a comeback before his lips crash against mine and my anger funnels into an intolerable want. A want between my thighs and every single inch of me. 

A want for Emerson Ford.