Tonight, I didn't give a fuck about anybody.
My week had been endless, emails I couldn't ignore, meetings that seemed to drag on forever, and deadlines that stared at me like little monsters from the corner of my desk. And he decides to break up with me today. TODAY.
On our anniversary date,I thought we had everything figured out, I thought we had to plan our life together, forever.
He was my everything. He still is.
Why did it have to happen today?
I couldn't stop the tears rolling down my eyes as I applied my foundation. It was really messing up my make-up but I have to go out today. Lara said so.
She was already waiting for me at the club.
I picked up my phone and dialed his number again, I had already called him 56 times and I didn't intend on giving up and it seems like he was determined to ignore me too.
I wondered where it all went wrong.
My life was very much put together, I'm comfortable, rich to be precise, I had the money to give him whatever he wanted but he didn't want a life with me.
The phone rang, and I almost dropped it. Lara. I put it on loudspeaker.
"Hey babes"
"I'm already on my way, you don't have to call me"
"You've said that three times now, are you sure you don't want me to get you?" she asked, her voice softening. "this is a really hard time for you"
"Says who?" I snapped, almost shouting "I'm done with my makeup, you'll see me soon" I ended the call quickly
I looked at myself in the mirror and was very much satisfied with what I had done to my face. I stood up from the chair I sat on,took my phone from the table and gave myself a thumbs up.
My green sequined strapless mini dress hugged my curves perfectly short enough to catch attention, long enough to keep some mystery.
The elevator doors opened, and Club Eclipse hit me all at once. Neon lights bounced off polished floors, bass shook my chest, people danced and laughed, some were almost making out in public but I didn't care, I wanted to melt into it, and vanish into the crowd.
"There she is!" Lara's voice cut through the noise. She was waving like a beacon from the bar. "Finally! I was starting to think you'd chickened out."
"I almost did," I mumbled, dragging my heels toward her.
"You almost did? Isla, you are supposed to be living a little tonight, not wallowing in heartbreak!" She put my hands in hers "he was a really shitty boyfriend and you knew this"
"You just never really liked him," I snorted. "Living a little, huh? Easy for you to say. Your life isn't crumbling on your anniversary."
She winked. "Maybe, but tonight we fix that. Drink first, think later."
I sat down, letting her order something bright and bubbly. I stuck with whiskey, straight. The burn was kind of comforting.
Seems like the universe was with me because immediately the whiskey hit me the DJ started playing my song, and without wasting any time, I stood up left Lara and headed straight for the dance floor.
"Wait for me" I could hear her calling for me but I didn't wait
I let the music take over, spinning and swaying, forgetting everything. For the first time today, I wasn't thinking about the breakup, that idiot of an ex. My heels dug into the floor, my body moved with the rhythm, and somehow, it felt like the world had paused just for me.
Everything seemed to be going well.
And then I saw him.
My stomach dropped.
He wasn't alone. Not in the slightest.
He was with her laughing, leaning close, whispering into her ear, they were giggling like children. That punch to my chest came out of nowhere, sharp and heavy.
I froze mid-spin, my vision blurring slightly from whiskey and shock. The music was loud but I could hear my heart beating louder.
He had already moved on that fast. He had told me that he loved another but seeing him like this with her shattered my heart.
This was why he couldn't even muster the courage to break up face to face, shameless man. I thought about confronting them there, but it didn't look like a smart choice.
Judging by the fact that I could still decide what was wrong and right, it seems like I was sobering up, which I didn't want
I stumbled back toward the bar, trying to catch my breath. Lara had disappeared, probably lost in the crowd, but I didn't care. I needed something stronger than music to erase that image.
"Two shots of whiskey. Fast," I said, slamming my hands on the table.
The bartender raised an eyebrow but didn't argue. I downed the first, then the second, the fire burning through my chest. It didn't numb the pain entirely, but it gave me enough courage to ignore the world again.
I sensed someone standing behind me but I didn't put much thought into it.
"Can I… talk to you?" he asked, and my brain buzzed for a second before I realized I couldn't handle any social interaction.
"Nope, I'm sorry but I really need to get to the restroom now"I muttered, pointing vaguely toward the back.
The bartender gave a small nod and pointed me in the right direction.
I pushed through the crowd, weaving past dancers, flashing lights, and eventually, the VIP section. It was a little less noisy and crowded, each door i passed was closed except one, which was slightly open.
Something made me glance over my shoulder, and I saw men in black cornering a guy, beating him senseless. I blinked, confused and a little drunk, but I shrugged it off. I had bigger problems than other people's fights tonight, or so I thought.
Finally, I stormed into the bathroom, slammed the door, and leaned against the cool tiles, my chest heaving. My head was spinning.
"Aaaaaaahhhhhh" was the only thing I could hear when I turned around and noticed a man standing in the bathroom with me with blood stained shirt on.
My heart nearly jumped out of my chest.
A man. Standing in the bathroom. Blood-stained shirt. Watching me.
I blinked. Twice. Thrice. Maybe I was imagining it. I was drunk, after all. But no. He was still there.
"Aaaaaaahhhhhh," I squealed, not sure if I was scared, shocked, or just drunk enough to make a scene.
"Relax," he said, voice low, steady, somehow commanding attention without raising it. "I'm not going to hurt you."
I took a step back, my heels clicking against the tile floor. "Then… Why are you following me?!" I asked, though my voice was more shaky than I wanted.
"I wasn't following you"
He just tilted his head slightly, studying me. And then… he smirked. Just a small one, but it made my stomach twist.