Stories Based On Taylor Swift Songs

RED: 60. I Knew You Were Trouble

60. I Knew You Were Trouble (12/7/21)

The music was blasting through the speakers, and Abby rocked her head back and forth along with the tune. She leaned across the bar to talk with her friend, Edith, who was studying her phone, waiting for a text message from her boyfriend.

"Edith, let's face it. He's not coming." Abby had a tendency to be too straight-forward with some people, but her best friend of three years usually picked up on the cues. Edith sighed and returned her phone to her purse.

"I just don't understand. He promised he would be here," she explained to Abby, who accepted a second drink from the bartender.

"Guys lie sometimes," Abby pointed out, stirring her drink before downing the alcoholic beverage. She could feel the adrenaline coursing through her veins. "Why don't you go and call him? I'm tired of you worrying about it."

Edith nodded and grabbed her purse before leaving the bar. Abby turned around in her seat, surveying the area. She was in-between boyfriends right now, and while she wasn't necessarily looking for anything serious, she always loved to examine her options. A few seats down, a group of college kids used fake IDs to get beers and front row seats to tonight's football game. It was a commercial break, so the guys were debating the latest plays and speculating about what the teams were going to do next. Abby rolled her eyes; she never went for the sporty guys. She hadn't been interested in sports before, and she didn't feel like learning about the play-by-play for some guy.

Groups of girls were dancing on the main floor, and some of the tables were filled with co-workers or couples. Abby was about to give up on her conquest until she looked at the front door. Instead of finding Edith, she found a hunky man walking into the bar. She nearly sucked all the air out of the room.

The man was tall and muscular. He had a smile that could kill and electric blue eyes that pierced your soul. Abby had just seen this man, and she already knew he would ruin her life. Not thinking of the consequences, she pulled herself off the bar stool and walked towards him.

The man stopped in his tracks when he noticed Abby. She prided herself on knowing what to wear to a bar to highlight her natural curves and gorgeous brown hair. Tonight, she was wearing a strapless red dress and black heels, but despite the added height, she was no match for the tall man who had just entered. He towered over her like a skyscraper.

"Hi, there," Abby said, and before she knew what was happening, the man was gesturing to a nearby table. The two sat across from one another, and the nameless man ordered her a drink.

"What's your name?" Abby asked before taking a sip of her drink. She couldn't look away from the man's blue eyes. There was something so mysterious about them that made her want to know everything about him.

"I'm Ethan. I haven't seen you around before - do you come here a lot?" He asked, acting as if he owned the place and knew every denizen by name.

Abby shrugged. "I was supposed to meet up with my friend and her boyfriend, but he hasn't shown up yet."

Abby could tell Ethan was considering her words for a moment. A part of her hoped he would ask the question that was also burning on her lips.

"Do you have a boyfriend?" He finally asked, swirling his cup around in his hands.

Abby's face formed into a smile. "No."

It was only one word, but it gave them guidance. It only took them one drink before Abby and Ethan were entangled in each other's arms, their mouths finding each other in the dark back room. Ethan had told her that he knew the owner of the bar, and he wouldn't be upset if they used the back room. The room was bare, with only a few chairs and filing cabinets pinned to the wall. Ethan shut the door behind him and placed Abby against the door. He kissed her passionately, and it seemed like he knew what he was doing. Abby couldn't help but give into temptation and kiss him back. She knew it was wrong; she hardly knew this man, and Edith was probably waiting for her. But at that moment, she didn't care.

Ethan created a trail of kisses down her back, and Abby heard herself let out a sigh. They helped each other out of their clothes, and before Abby agreed to anything, she whispered to Ethan, "Promise you'll call me, okay?" She wanted to know everything about Ethan; this wouldn't be a one night stand, and Abby would try her best not to make it one. Once they exchanged numbers, Abby lay on the floor of the back room and let Ethan consume her.

He didn't call. He didn't text. In fact, Abby didn't hear anything from Ethan until two weeks after their hookup. But it was not good news.

She had tried everything. Two days after their hookup, Abby had texted Ethan. She limited herself to one call and two texts a day. She knew if she did any more, Ethan would assume she was crazy and desperate. But she needed to see him again, and by the end of the second week, the sad truth dawned on her.

The bad news came in the form of a call from Edith. After leaving to call her boyfriend, Edith had left the bar all together and didn't hear about Abby's run-in with Ethan until the next morning. Abby had shared every juicy detail, from the night she spent with Ethan to the one-sided texts and calls.

Abby was feeling hopeless, until Edith called. "Did you get my text?"

"What? What's wrong?" Abby had just woken up and didn't have time to process everything.

"You said that Ethan guy had blue eyes, right?" Edith sounded out of breath on the other line. "If he does, I think I found him."

Abby checked her texts and saw that Edith had sent her an article. The main photo was of Ethan and a girl named Rosalina. She was some Italian actress, and it appeared as if Ethan was some multi-millionaire who owned bars and hotels. Maybe Abby had been right that night at the bar; maybe Ethan did own the place.

"It's him," Abby said, her voice breaking into a million little pieces. "I had no idea about any of this."

"I'm so sorry," Edith replied. "I gotta go. Call me if you need anything okay?"

The line went dead. Abby was left to study her phone, her eyes filled with tears and her mouth agape. In her moment of need, Edith had left.

She opened the article again. The headline read "Ethan Jackson seen with model/actress Rosalina Aciman." Abby skimmed the first few lines, and understood that Ethan was a well-known businessman who owned bars and hotels from coast to coast. His dating life was extensive, and he seemed to jump from girl to girl at the drop of the hat. And Abby had been one of them.

That night at the bar, she knew what she was getting herself into. And yet she still agreed to spend the night with Ethan, and she held on to whatever hope was left in her body. But she had been right all along; Ethan would ruin her life.