Chapter 2: The Guy Named Damon

ADY

"Dad, we're going to sink! What are we going to do? Dad!"

I sat up in bed in shock, sweating and gasping for air. Since the night of the accident, I have repeatedly had that dream. Suddenly, I feel like I'm reliving that night all over again.

"It's just a dream."

"I've missed them. I've missed you, Mom and Dad." I whispered as my tears flowed down my cheeks.

***

Friday night is the big bash! The first party I've ever been to with my friends is tonight. I wouldn't say I liked how my dress fit so well. My neck and shoulders have been bare since I pulled my hair back. There were clothes on me, but I didn't feel good. On that night, there were a lot of students there, and everyone seemed to be having fun—except me. Social events aren't my thing because I'm a loner.

Substantial sound systems around the party's hall made a lot of noise and got people to sing and dance by mixing up the music. A large food table also has many tasty snacks and drinks.

Someone from my class saw me walking toward the group and said, "Ady, you look beautiful tonight."

I somewhat smiled at him and then turned away. A student gave me wine and made me drink it. I wouldn't say I like wine or other boozy drinks very much, but my friends made me try some bottles they brought in for us to try. After two more sips, I liked it. At first, the taste was so bad that it made me gag. Sweet and sour flavors were wrapping around my mouth like a warm blanket. It tastes like a fruity wine, for sure. I kept drinking it because it was just as addicting as pop. Suddenly, it became my favorite drink.

I exited our table to get more wine when I ran out. I went to the big food table. As soon as I saw what was on the table, I thought everything looked good. This cupcake caught my eye, so I took a bite.

"Hmm," and nodding kept coming out of my mouth. "All things considered, this tastes good."

I reached the end of the long table, where the drinks were kept. Each glass of wine was filled with wine, and I tasted each one. I was looking for the wine juice another student had given me earlier but couldn't find it. Unfortunately, I only grabbed a juice and walked to the closest table. While I was sitting up, I put the juice glass on the table and rubbed my lower thigh. Walking in high shoes is hard because I don't wear them often.

"Great! Now it has blisters!" I complained. "I already told Elsa that I'd be wearing rubber shoes. Damn it. It's going to hurt."

I waited for the party to end while everyone else had fun. After thirty minutes, it was dead midnight, and I was ready to go home. Ice was running up and down my back as I drank the juice. When I felt someone was watching me, it gave me the creeps. My unease wasn't just my imagination, so I turned around to make sure.

Behind the blinds, I could see a guy in casual clothes. I didn't feel comfortable in the dark parts of the auditorium, but his look got to me. I drank juice, which went up my nose instead of my throat. I coughed nonstop and felt like my throat and nose were tickled. Along with my free hand, I covered my lips and nose.

'Damn..'

"Take this."

I heard a man's voice, and a handkerchief appeared before me. The hanky in front of me, his arm, and his face caught my eye. When I saw a good-looking guy, I felt very embarrassed all over. After I turned down his hanky offer, he sat before me. My hand was covering my nose and mouth, so he took it off and wiped it. Shortly after calming down, I stopped what the man was doing.

"Hey, what're you doing?" I asked him as I took the handkerchief from him. My skin, ears, and lips felt like blood on fire.

'God, that's so embarrassing!'

"I'm sorry," he said. "Miss, are you okay?"

I looked at him with interest and surprise. It was like I knew something about his voice.

"Have we met before?" I asked. "I seem to remember hearing your voice somewhere."

He looked at me and said, "Yes, on the train."

Instant jitters came over me when I thought about that day on the train. It was one of the most fantastic days of my life.

"I am sorry about that day." He said, "I was in a hurry, so I couldn't properly introduce myself. My name is Damon."

His words were carried out when Damon extended his hand to me. I looked first at his hand and then at mine. Before shaking his hand, I quickly dried my hand and sprayed alcohol on it.

"You can call me Ady, but my name is Adira." It shocked me how warm his hand was. It feels like I have cotton gloves on my hands. "Oh, your hand feels warm." Damon took his hand off of me. "Are you all right? You may have had a fever."

He said, "I'm fine."

"I'm going to wash your handkerchief and return it to you." Hurriedly, I put the hanky in my bag.

"Did you know there's a superstition that says handkerchiefs are bad luck because they bring on tears?"

"Huh? That is an old belief. Not true."

"I'm sure it's real. You should believe me because I've seen it many times."

He pulled his handkerchief out of my bag and put it in the wine glass he was holding. I was shocked. I didn't say anything; I just looked at him.

'Wow, he is superstitious,' I thought.

Suddenly, I saw him looking at me. He pulled my hair out of my ponytail before I could say anything. It fell over my shoulders. Damon brushed the hairs behind my ear that were falling into my eyes.

'Geez, what is he doing?' I thought.

"You look lovely with your hair down," Damon told me.

I couldn't say anything about his surprise. I couldn't get the words out of my mouth.

"Did I offend you?" he suddenly asked me.

"What? "

Moving closer, he smiled and whispered in my ear.

"I'm being honest. It looks great on you when your hair is down."

Soon after, a repair worker with an industrial electric fan plugged it in. The fan's wind blew my hair around and hit Damon in the face. I fixed my hair quickly and told Damon I apologized for the mess.

"Damon, I'm sorry, I meant to..."

But Damon ran out in front of me. He left so fast that I don't know if he was mad at me.

'What did I do?'