Lingering Thoughts

RUBY'S POV

What the hell did I just do?

I leaned against the cold sink in the bathroom, my hands trembling as I tried to steady myself. My reflection in the mirror looked just as lost as I felt. My red lipstick was smeared, my hair was a mess, and my dress clung to me in all the wrong ways. How had I let myself get carried away like that?

Dominic Rutherford. His name echoed in my head like a curse. A stranger. A man I had barely known for all of five minutes, and yet I’d let him pull me into something reckless and stupid.

Unprotected sex!

This wasn’t me. I wasn’t the type to lose control, to throw caution to the wind. I was sharp, calculated, and independent. But somehow, around him, I became a version of myself I didn’t recognize—soft, pliant, and completely at his mercy. What had he done to me?

I quickly adjusted my dress and reached for my mask, pulling it over my face. The voices outside the bathroom grew louder, and panic bubbled in my chest. I had to get out of here. I had to pull myself together.

Checking my makeup, I groaned at the sight of my ruined lipstick. “Great,” I muttered, scrubbing at it with a tissue. No amount of fixing would hide the evidence of what had just happened. And worse, how was I supposed to return to the party like this? Everyone would know. They’d see it on my face, in my disheveled appearance, in the way I couldn’t seem to catch my breath.

The bathroom door creaked open, and a group of masked women walked in, laughing and chatting. They stopped when they saw me, their gazes curious and a little too knowing.

“Are you okay?” one of them asked.

I mumbled something I couldn’t even understand myself and darted past them, my head down as I stumbled out of the bathroom. My heart pounded in my chest as I navigated through the crowd, the music pounding in my ears.

I needed a drink.

The bar came into view, and I collapsed onto a stool, waving at the bartender. He approached and asked, “What can I get you?”

“Anything,” I snapped. “Just bring me something strong.”

He raised an eyebrow but nodded, moving to prepare my drink. The bass of the music throbbed in my skull—It felt like a hammer against my temple. The room felt too crowded, too hot, too suffocating. I clawed at my neck, trying to get air, but it didn’t help.

I needed Ariana. She would know what to do, how to pull me out of this mess in my head. But where was she?

The bartender placed a glass in front of me, amber liquid swirling inside. I didn’t even ask what it was before I took a sip, the burn sliding down my throat and grounding me, if only for a second.

The relief from the drink was immediate and overwhelming, but it was short-lived. The crowd around me shifted again, and I caught sight of him across the room. His mask was a dead giveaway.

He was staring at me like a predator sizing up his prey. Like he was daring me to tell anybody about what had happened in the bathroom.

My fingers tightened around the glass, and I swallowed hard.

I wasn’t sure if I wanted to run or if I wanted to stay and face the chaos he brought with him.

A hand clamped down on my shoulder from behind, and a scream caught in my throat. For one horrifying second, I thought it was Dominic Rutherford again, and the air turned to ice in my lungs. I spun around, ready to lash out at him and tell him to leave me alone.

Instead, I came face-to-face with Ariana. Relief surged through me so fast that I almost collapsed into her arms.

“Ruby! What’s wrong with you?” Ariana asked in concern.

I tried to answer, but my tongue felt like lead in my mouth. She tilted her head, scrutinizing me. “Where the hell have you been? I’ve been looking for you for the past thirty minutes!”

Thirty minutes? I blinked at her, struggling to comprehend. Thirty minutes? It felt like I’d been trapped in this night for hours, days even.

“I… I was just…” The words jumbled in my mouth. What could I even say? Certainly not the truth. “I needed some air,” I mumbled. The lie sounded weak, even to me.

Ariana frowned, leaning in closer. “What did you say? I didn’t catch that.”

Her persistence angered me, and before I could stop myself, I snapped, “I said I needed some air, okay? Just drop it!”

The sharpness of my tone made her recoil, and the guilt hit me immediately. I rubbed my temples, exhaling shakily.

“Ruby,” she said softly, “you’ve had too much to drink. Let me get you some water or—”

“No,” I cut her off, shaking my head. “It’s not that.”

I sighed, wishing I could tell her everything. But how could I admit that the reason I was falling apart wasn’t alcohol—it was Dominic Rutherford? The man was like a disease infecting my thoughts, my body, my very sense of self.

I glanced at her apologetically. “I’m sorry, Ari. I didn’t mean to snap. I just need somewhere to rest, somewhere quiet.”

Something eased in Ariana’s eyes. She nodded. “My condo isn’t far from here. I’ll tell your driver to take you there.”

Relief washed over me. “Thank you.”

Without another word, Ariana left, returning moments later with my driver. I let him and Ariana guide me through the crowded room toward the exit. My body felt heavy, and my head felt heavier.

But even as we walked outside into the cool night air, I still felt like I was being watched. I didn’t need to look to know who it was. Dominic. He kept tailing me with his eyes like a hawk.

I increased my speed, desperate to escape his invisible hold, and climbed into the backseat of the car. Ariana squeezed my hand before closing the door, offering me a reassuring smile that did nothing to ease my anxious thoughts.

The driver pulled away, and as the city lights blurred past the window, I finally felt like I could breathe again. The pounding music was gone, plus the suffocating crowd of the party.

We arrived at Ariana’s condo in what felt like seconds. The driver helped me inside, where I stumbled through the door and collapsed onto the plush couch in the living room. My body sank into the cushions in exhaustion.

My thoughts were still tangled in Dominic Rutherford—his alluring blue eyes, the way he called me Kitten, the lingering touch that burned through my skin. I hated him. Hated him for the power he seemed to have over me.

But even as I slept off, his name echoed in my mind like a curse I couldn’t escape. And in the silence of the condo, I realized with a shiver that no amount of distance could put him out of my head.

This man was here to stay.