A Little Love (a CGl Romance)

Chapter 18

Chapter 18

Alec

Ariana had been checking in with me like she was told to. Every twenty minutes, my phone would buzz, and a heart emoji would signify that she was fine. If at any time she didn't feel fine, she could send me a black heart and I would be there on the double. I was expecting to see a black heart at some point, especially when she mentioned that Taylor had invited more people.

I tapped my foot impatiently when twenty minutes had passed, and I hadn't received a text from Ariana. She was supposed to send me a picture of her eaten dish of food, so I knew she ate. Five minutes go by and I still hadn't heard from her. When ten minutes went by, I was starting to feel both concerned and annoyed.

I was in the middle of a lengthy text to scold her when her name showed up on my phone. I calmly held the phone up to my ear. "Yes, Prince—"

"Bathroom. Inside. Can you come to pick me up, like right now?" I frantically heard, cutting me off from any sort of greeting. The colour drained from my face as I heard the panic in her voice. With one hand I struggled to put my laptop away and leave cash on the table for a tip.

Through her tears, she was trying to tell me what was going on in whispered hyperventilation.

"It's okay, Ariana," I tried to tell her, but it seemed no matter what approach I made to calm her down she wasn't calming down.

"He's—" I heard her say, followed by muffled sounds.

"Ariana, honey, are you okay?" I asked, listening intently. "Ariana are you there?" I repeated her name until the phone line went dead.

"Shit," I cursed and tried to dial her number.

"The person you are trying to reach—"

I pocketed my phone as redialing wasn't going to yield the same results running to the restaurant would. Five minutes felt like an eternity as I ran as fast as I could to Rockies.

When I entered the restaurant, I disregarded the 'wait to be seated sign' and went straight to the restrooms.

"Ariana, you okay in there," A man standing outside the door called out. "If you don't hurry up, I'm going to have to order another cab." The man in front of me looked annoyed and persistent at the same time. My knuckles turned white as I struggled to stop myself from punching the guy. As I approached the man, he had the nerve to turn to me and ask, "Woman, hey? Always making us weight, always need to powder their noses and can't hold their bladder if it would save their life."

Gritting my teeth, I tried to stay calm.

"Yea... sometimes that just happens..." I said lowly. Trying to understand the situation I asked, "waiting for your girlfriend?"

"Nah man, just some girl. My boys and I were invited by this girl named Taylor." The man briefly explained what Taylor's intentions were for the evening. They were solely there for a hook-up, and Ariana was right in the middle of it. "Hey, if you're looking for a hookup, I don't mind sharing her. She's a meek, and shy little thing, but they are always so tight. She would never have an experience like this again in her life."

My lips curled in anger.

"But right now, she's taking her damn time in the bathroom. Hurry up!"

Pressing my back against the wall, I folded my arms and controlled my breathing and said, "I'm going to make this very clue for you. The girl, Ariana, waiting in the bathroom isn't waiting for you, and I can guarantee that she has no intentions of leaving with you. I can also guarantee that she has no intentions of hooking up with you either."