Piece by Piece

Chapter 19

Aliena

"Hey! There she is!" Mattheo cheers as soon as I step onto the VIP platform of yet another club I've never been to. It's beautiful; classy and spacious with a raging dancefloor. A crazy light show's going on with colorful beams of light jumping over the room. There are more lights, steady ones, casting the room in a blue hue whenever they don't shut off to leave only the tiny lasers and spotlights to provide light. I don't want to know what all happens on the dancefloor in the safety of the darkness.

And then there are the flashing lights that occasionally disrupt the steady sounds of the club as the crowd erupts in cheers. To say the party's already in full swing would be an understatement and I'm convinced it'll only get better.

The VIP part is slightly elevated so we can see over the dancing crowd. It's equipped with three black satin couches that look surprisingly clean and some space for dancing, if anyone wants to put on a private show, I guess. Oh, and there's a small box that looks like a minibar and a button on top of it that says "service".

Fancy. This seems like my kind of place.

Mattheo is sitting on the couch and I make my way over to him before he can bother to stand up, throwing myself into his welcoming arms. I haven't seen him since the night I was attacked and I missed the idiot. I clumsily settle on his lap, hug his narrow middle and bury my face in his neck, sighing contently. God, I love tight hugs. Especially the ones coming from giants like Mattheo that can envelop me entirely.

It's been too freaking long since I got a hug. One from a guy, at least. A guy that isn't my best friend's boyfriend since Andrew hugged me once we got out of the car in front of the club. Embraces like that are obviously appreciated too but it's not the same, you know? I don't know.

"Someone's happy to see me. How are you?" he asks, letting me pull away slightly to look at his handsome face.

"I'm great, thanks. This place looks awesome!"

"Did you expect anything else? You know your best friend has taste," Lily pipes in from another couch. I smile at her over my shoulder.

"She does. She also spends way too much money on me though!" I insist again.

"We split the price, Sweetie. Don't worry about it," she tells me. Well, that doesn't make me feel any better.

"You all paid for this?" I ask, looking at all of them. They nod.

"Seb too," adds Andrew. That reminds me.

"Where is he, by the way?" I ask, looking again around the empty space apart from the four of us.

"In the bathroom, I guess. I'm sure he'll be back in a second," Mattheo tells me, caressing my arm sweetly. I nod at him and smile.

"Well, I'm not waiting for him. Come dance with me," I say, getting off his lap in the hopes that he'll follow. Only that he doesn't. Instead, his face turns empathetic, something I don't like at all.

"As much as I'd love to do that, and you know how much I would, I'm afraid there won't be any dancing for me tonight," he tells me.

"What? But it's my birthday," I protest, trying not to sound too pouty or upset. No dancing? What is he talking about? He reaches out and gives my hand a squeeze.

"I know, Amo, I'm sorry but one must follow the doctor's orders," he says, nodding to his right leg. That puzzles me enough to forget being upset.

Instead, I ask, "What? What's wrong with your leg?"

"Dislocated my knee two weeks ago. It's still healing. I actually went back to the doctor today for a check-up but I'm afraid I'm blocked for the night. That's why I met you guys here. Sorry, I really tried," he explains but I'm already shaking my head.

"But how did that happen? Did you do something wrong at practice?" I prod.

"Not exactly," he replies wryly. Before I can push him for answers, Sebastian joins us on the platform and redirects my focus.

"Look who decided to make an appearance. How lovely," I tease him. He just rolls his eyes at me and falls back on the unoccupied couch.

"What are we talking about?" he asks, looking between Mattheo and me.

"Nothing," my friend replies at the same time as I say, "He won't tell me how he hurt his knee." My eyes briefly snap to Mattheo's in question but he keeps looking at his friend across the platform so I follow his gaze. The men share a look I don't understand until finally, Mattheo looks away glumly while Sebastian turns his eyes to me, arching an amused brow.

"Well, Aliena, sometimes people just don't want you knowing all their business," he says. The innuendo about how we first met and how he still holds a grudge because of that isn't lost on me. Sometimes, I really don't know what goes on in his head. I think we could've gotten along great if only he hadn't been a dick to me the second I stepped into his house.

As if I hadn't stayed quiet about our first meeting if only he'd asked me to. It could have been our little secret but he made it the reason we can't be friends. Idiot.

"It's her birthday, dipshit. Be nice," Andrew pipes in. Sebastian just raises his hands in surrender and melts into the couch cushion. For a second, I'm just standing amidst them, unsure of what to do. Then, I decide that this isn't how I want to spend my birthday and I let go of Mattheo's hand.

"Well, it's a real shame you can't keep me company but I'm sure I'll find someone else to dance with. Y'all have fun sitting here, losers."

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So, I hope y'all are ready for some tension in the next chapter...

Have a glorious day;)