"Are you alright?" The man asked once more, but I still kept silent.
I raised my head slowly till our eyes met— dark, focused eyes, sharp nose, an irritatingly perfect facial structure. And he looked awfully familiar.
"I'm sorr—," I said, finally finding my voice.
"It's fine. Are you alright?" He asked once more.
"Yeah, I think so."
We were still talking when someone bumped into him from behind, splashing the glass of whiskey he held on my dress.
"This day just keeps getting worse," I muttered, but it looked like he could still hear.
"I guess it's my turn to say I'm so sorry."
"It's alright," I lied.
It was far from alright. I mean, the gown I had on cost a thousand dollars. I wore it especially for my supposed anniversary.
"What sort of cursed day is this?" I blurted out this time.
It seems this day was set out just to torment me and I couldn't hold it in anymore. The tears began to roll.
"Heyy, what's up? I'm sorry, I'm sorry for spilli—"
He tried to speak but I cut him in.
"He's a bastard" My frustration gushed out.
"I loved him. God, I loved him so much. How could he do this to me? How could he-" My voice cracked. "He knows how much I care about him and he did this. I hate him, I hate him so much."
And suddenly, I was crying profusely.
I don't cry. I barely even complain. I'm the strict person one, the bold one but right now I was broken completely. Although I don't look the type, I'm a lover girl. I mean, I haven't really dated a lot of men and I turn down advances really fast, but when I fall in love, I fall in deeply and Steve did everything that would make any woman fall.
He was kind, gentle, comforting, funny, a great talker, and treated me like a queen. He also doesn't make advances towards other women. I know this because I'm a very keen observer.
I was still dwelling on all our moments together when I felt an arm lean closer and pull me in. He embraced me as he let me cry into his arms.
"It's alright, it's alright, let it all out," he said, and for some reason, I felt safe. It was unlike me to let my emotions get the better of me, but this guy had something about him that made me let my guard down.
I began to cry harder and though the music was playing loudly, all I could hear was his voice.
"Hey, you're going to get through this. It's alright..", "It's alright, just let it out"
His voice was soothing, and I hated how much comfort I found in it.
"I'm sorry. I don't know what came over me." I whispered eventually, my face still pressed against his chest.
"Don't talk like that. I mean I don't have a problem with it, neither should you."
"Listen, sometimes all you need is to talk to someone new. A stranger you might never see again. Whom you won't be ashamed to confide in or be scared to act natural around, and I'm glad I could be that person to you. So it's fine."
I felt the truth hit deeper than I wanted to admit, but a part of me was still embarrassed by all that had happened, so I made up the smartest excuse I could think of.
"I'm going to go get myself cleaned up," I said stepping back, I grabbed my bag and turned.
He nodded once— no judgement, no pity.
I got to the restroom and suddenly turned to my reflection in the mirror.
"What was all that out there, Jennifer Wilton?"
I looked at my reflection. My mascara looked like I had survived a house fire, and my hair was messy.
I hated how I looked but more than that I hated what transpired out there.
Losing both parents at an early age of ten taught me to rely on myself. Thankfully, I still had my grandma, who gave me some solace. Katherine and Alexandra became the closest thing I had to family when I got to high school, but I still had that brick wall built up in my emotions.
I dropped some water on my dress and used the wipes that were just beside the faucet to clean up.
I took my time on that before heading out.
I had left my phone on the bartender's counter just beside that guy, so I had to head back out there to pick it up before leaving. I got there, but couldn't find him. My eyes screened till I caught sight of him. Just that this time he wasn't alone.
He had another woman pressed against the wall kissing her like the world was ending. One hand at her nape, the other inside her skirt. I'm not going to lie, a part of me felt disappointed. I know, it's not in my place, and I'm supposed to mind my business, but we kind of had an emotional connection a while ago.
How do these men switch up so fast, can't they be loyal to something, even their emotions? It would take me a while to get horny if I had just shared a moment like that with someone.
I picked up my phone and left. It was past 11pm, and the street outside was practically deserted, no taxis, no bikes, not even someone to ask for directions.
"Just great," I muttered. "What a night!" I made my way down the alley. On getting to the end, I realized that I had missed a turn. My head was also beginning to bang really hard now. I guess all the crying and alcohol are getting to me.
I switched on my phone to try to use Google Maps, but the network was awful so I angrily threw it back in my bag and turned to try to figure it out myself.
I took several turns and had been walking about for some minutes now, but I still couldn't hit the road. I was also far from the club now, so I took out my phone to try to check for internet service once more.
I heaved a sigh of relief as I saw it load up, but my moment was short-lived when I caught a shadow in the darkness walking close to me.
Slow.
Deliberate.
Following.
I walked further, ignoring whatever the online map had told me to do. Right now, I don't think that was important. I was just hoping it wasn't what I was thinking. I quickened my pace, and it seems the footsteps quickened too.
My heart rate increased rapidly.
It was dark right now, and I watch a lot of movies, so my mind was going through a million scenarios.
I turned right. Then left. Then right again. Nowhere looked familiar. It just looked like a potential murder crime scene.
My head was still hurting and I could feel my body losing its balance with each step I took, but that didn't make me halt. Instead, I began to run.
"SOMEBODY HELP! HELP!!"
"I'm being chased! HELP ME PLEASE!"
I kept on screaming while running even though I was in the middle of nowhere. I just wanted to believe someone was out there who would rescue me.
One of my heels broke, causing me to fall to the ground and sprain my right ankle. I took off the other shoe and began leaping. I kept on screaming just as the tears began returning.
"Please, somebody help me!"
I was out of breath and my eyes were practically shutting themselves now. The figure was also getting so close that it was just behind me. I knew somewhere in my mind that I couldn't outrun it anymore, so I had to fight my way out.
I took in all the oxygen I could gather and decided to turn, but I soon felt my legs give up on themselves and my body descending to the ground.
I was watching helplessly as the dark shape grew closer.
Although I couldn't move my lips, I began praying that I come out of this alive.