An Unforgettable Birthday

Alicia's POV

“Let me out!” I screamed at the door, tears coursing down my cheeks. “Please…” I fell to the ground, all hope of leaving this prison slipping away like sand through my fingers.

A whimper left my lips at the idea of never leaving here, never seeing the sun again, or my dingy apartment...

How did things come down to this?

I curled up into a fetal position thinking about the series of strange, surreal events that had overturned my life this week from what it had been before…

Five days ago:

“Do I really have to do this?” I grumbled to Daya, the only friend I had. She was fixing her makeup, putting on some eye glitter on her lids expertly, but had the time to turn around and fix me a long glare.

“Don’t start with that kind of attitude now, Alicia,” she warned me in her no-nonsense tone. “Besides, you should be happy I even thought to take you out on your birthday. You’re no longer a teenager. You’re 22! How much longer are you going to keep on complaining about my goodwill?”

I sighed, my hands finding the bottom hem of the INCREDIBLY short minidress she had tossed at me from the depths of her closet.

“But-“ I tried to speak again but this time she tossed a small object at me. I caught it luckily before it would hit my face, and gazed down at it. It was a small compact powder.

“Stop complaining! Do something about your makeup. I don’t have time for that tonight. The dress and heels will have to do,” she wrinkled her nose as she glared at me before returning to patting more color on her lids.

I let time pass a little by obliging her, removing my glasses and putting on some powder. I already had lip gloss in my bag and so, I put that on too. I gazed at my reflection showing on the small round mirror.

My round eyes with blue pupils shone now that the view of my face was unobstructed by frames.

That, combined with the freckles and heart shaped face I bore, painted a lovely picture.

I was beautiful.

My brows furrowed and I let out a small, frustrated sigh.

But beautiful wasn’t what I wanted.

Growing up in an orphanage and later attending a public school where the prettier, softer girls got the worst sort of attention, I didn’t want to be seen as pretty in any way, shape or form.

I immediately put on the glasses: though not prescribed, they helped as a sort of disguise I treasured. I became invisible: no one commented on my eyes, or my features, and instead walked past me like I was never there.

The perfect sort of life.

“By the way. Did I tell you about yesterday? I got the number of a major modeling agent. I’m going to see him the next night,” Daya was saying.

“Yeah?” I didn’t bother telling her that she had already told me this thrice now. With how many times she had told me the story within the last day, I already knew something about that was suspicious. Modeling agents didn’t lounge around in seedy bars after all. But I knew Daya didn’t care - all she wanted was a life of luxury and to be some supermodel.

The sound of the doorbell ringing in the small apartment saved me from more whining about my appreance from my only friend. I put my hair up into a bun, similar to the style I wore at the small office I had met her in.

“That must be Jimmy,” she stated, standing up, and tossing the brush she held somewhere on her bed. “Let’s go!”

An hour later Daya and I walked into the club, aptly named Dark Desire. It was one of the most exclusive clubs in the entire city, and Daya and I were only able to get in due to Jimmy’s connections, working as a lighting specialist for various events, from what I had gathered.

“Oh hey, there’s the DJ!” Daya pointed and tugged her flavor of the week in that direction. “Go on, Alicia! We’ll meet up with you later!”

I winced at how loud everything was: the music, the raised voices. Too much for me.

This is the last time, I promised myself, and went over to the only place I could find some peace: the bar.

I sat down on one of the barstools trying to think of what to order.

“Um… can I get a rum and coke?” I tried to signal the bartender, but he wasn’t paying attention, or rather, I was so invisible I couldn’t even order.

“A rum and coke for the lady,” a deep British baritone rang out right beside me, that my heart stopped. “And another round for me.”

I turned to see…

Oh.

He was… the most handsome man I had ever seen.

His eyes met mine and somehow, even though my eyes were obscured by the glasses, I knew he could SEE me.

Almost like he had done some magic spell, I saw a drink in front of me without even another word said.

“Here you go, sir,” the bartender handed the man his own drink, and I was sure I saw a flicker of respect in his eyes.

Was this man beside me that prominent of a fellow?

Somehow I could imagine it.

I picked up the drink, turning to the man who looked stately and elegant. The strobe lights weren’t enough to make me take my eyes off him and I mouthed, “Thank you,” to him gratefully.

“My pleasure,” his voice washed over me and made me melt. “You don’t look like you belong here.”

“I- I’m not sure that I do,” I replied, raising my voice above the noise. Talking to him was worth it. “It’s my birthday today. My friend brought me here.”

“Happy birthday,” he sounded pleased, and I was captivated. “I’m Acker Madden.”

How could no one swoon at the sight of him?

“I’m Alicia,” I said to him, smiling despite myself.

I idly noticed that all of the club goers seemed to give us a large berth, as though there was a force field around us. But I didn’t care.

I had found something to be excited about tonight.

Sipping on the alcoholic beverage, I was content to spend my time in the club getting to know about this mysterious hunk of a man.

…

I groaned as I came to, my eyes flickering open. My mouth felt like there was cotton in it and I pushed myself to sit up.

What happened?

Oh no, I thought, as my vision cleared up and i realized I wasn’t back at my apartment.

I looked down at myself, and realized I was naked.

Oh no.

I left the bed, shuffling away and still trying to piece together before I heard a noise behind me. My heart stopped and I turned around slowly, to see a man on the bed.

No, not just any man, but the man I had spent the night in the club talking to for a long time with.

Acker.

It was clear what happened between him and I by our collective nude states. A shiver rolled down my spine as I glanced at the toned musculature of the man covered partly by the sheets.

He was impressive.

Memories rushed through my head: blurred drunken ones. We had talked for a long time and I had ended up spilling a lot of my life story to him. I had embarrassed myself and yet…

I remembered the deep British burr of his voice that could only be classified as sex.

Seeing him shift on be bed, I startled.

Damn, I had to get out of here now!

Quietly as I could I began to pick up my clothes, slowly putting them on. The dress Daya had lent me was all shades of difficult to put on, but I didn’t have a choice.

Before Acker could ever wake up and see me, I rushed out of the hotel room, my heart pounding and mouth dry as the drunken memories from last night filled my mind.

…

“Where did you go last night?”

Daya startled me as she said those words, entering my tiny office later that morning and sitting on the only other chair inside it, fixing her almond shaped brown eyes on me.

“What?” I breathed out in shock, still processing everything.

“I didn’t see you in the club yesterday. I forgot to call you when Jimmy and I left but… you didn’t do anything too out there, did you?” She asked nonchalantly.

“I-I don’t know what you mean,” I stuttered out, fixing my eyes in the paperwork the manager tasked me with. I was hoping to get a promotion that would give me a good enough raise to move out of my dingy apartment soon.

Maybe Daya would get the drift and go back to her own work for once.

“Oh whatever. You probably went home early anyway,” she huffed, waving her arms about.

“Anyway, I’m going out for a shopping trip. I need a new dress to meet that agent, you know. Cover for me?”

Before I could say something she was off, her heels clicking out of the cubicle of an office, leaving me alone.

I decided to focus on getting to work. I’d try my best to forget about that man.

Yet as I went about my day, all I could think about were the stormy eyes and striking face under the strobe lights and pounding music of the club.

…