Forbidden Fruit

Chapter 6

"Hey, has anyone seen my drink?" Rachel asks as she stumbled towards me and Logan. "I can't find it anywhere." 

I grinned and rolled my eyes. "For the hundredth time Rach, you've already drank it." 

She pouted at us before walking away, no doubt in search for the alcohol she believed had mysteriously vanished. I couldn't help but laugh at her. It was obvious that she was gone. Like stumbling on a sidewalk gone. There was no way she was gonna be let in anywhere at this rate. 

And she wasn't the only one. The pre-drinks at ours before the indie club had been going on for an hour or two, and it had already turned into a mini party. At first it had just been the guys I'd met today at uni, but then some of Logan's friends had joined, and then some mutuals arrived; and finally the random stragglers who always arrive at parties but no one really knows turned up too. The flat became packed pretty quickly. 

I was having a good time but I also realised it would probably be best to move the party on, and soon. And I wasn't just thinking for my benefit. 

Logan and I lived in rooms opposite each other, with him sleeping in A and me sleeping in B. But we weren't completely alone in the flat: there was a room C, and it wasn't empty. 

I knew this because during the last few days I would hear noises coming from the other side, and it wasn't the kind of noise some sort of animal could make, unless they'd managed to teach rats how to take a shower. But at the same time the noises were so nondescript that I couldn't work out anything about this person, whether they were male or female; friendly or anti-social; human or not. And Logan was having the same problem: we just didn't have any idea on who this person was.  

I knew it wasn't rare to get flatmates you didn't get along with, but to get ones that literally hid their existence from you? I didn't think that was common place, and I still wasn't entirely certain the person was real...

But I was certain about one thing. If he/she was real, then they probably wouldn't want to have a load of drunk teenagers trash the kitchen and possibly make them lose a deposit. 

I knew I needed to act soon. I just didn't want to: I wasn't sure if it was just a British thing, but kicking people out was always a hugely awkward experience I liked to avoid. 

But before I had to do anything I didn't want to, Drake came to my rescue as his voice rose above the music and the loud, drunken buzz. "Hey everyone! It's time to move onto Veggie Flares or they won't let us in." 

There was a murmur of excitement as everyone got ready to go, and I sent Drake an appreciative look. He smiled back at me but sighed when he caught sight of Rachel, who was tottering her way towards us once again. 

"Rach I'm gonna take you home: you're in no state to go to Flares. Can one of you guys come outside to meet me when I get there?" 

"Yeah sure," I replied, glad I wasn't the one having to take Rachel home. "I'll give you my number." 

"Thanks." He passed me his phone and as I was typing he put a supportive arm around Rach, who was swaying precariously on the spot. I grimaced at her and handed his phone back, before he left slowly with the poor girl struggling to walk. 

Veggie Flares from the outside already looked way cooler than Devs, which had the strange combination of dingy rooms and blinding strobe lights. Instead, the building the club was in seemed to be some sort of old town hall, with a large vintage clock face stuck below a small white turret, looking down on a set of impressive oak doors held ajar by a strong bouncer. This place looked interesting; I just hoped it was as quirky inside as it was outside.   

After a few minutes most of us were let in, bar a few of the guys who'd begun to get a bit too rowdy for the man's liking. I couldn't really blame him; I strongly suspected alcohol wasn't the only thing running through their systems.   

As I walked inside I wasn't at all disappointed by the interior. The club was reasonably large and distinctly split into two sections: the half nearest to us was a bar and lounge area, with big leather sofas and comfy chairs and wooden tables to put your drinks on; whilst the part furthest away was a dance floor with muted lights and loud music. 

We all made a beeline for the club section as an indie banger started to play. I wasn't really keen on dancing but when I was nicely tipsy and the right song was on, I loved to jump about and muck around. 

Molly looked happy with my enthusiasm as I got to dance floor and started moving around herself, doing some sort of TikTok routine she'd been drunkenly practising at the apartment. 

I thought she was being funny but then there was Logan. 

Okay, it wasn't like I was the most relaxed and slick person when I was dancing in the club, but I could have fun and let loose. I couldn't say the same for my roommate. I had never seen someone who was so awkward. 

He started to move slightly, raising an arm and then lowering it before it got too high, before robotically stepping back and forth at a completely off beat pace. I stopped bopping and found myself doubling up with laughter as he continued to dance like a constipated alien who had just discovered gravity. 

He glared at me and angrily gestured towards the lounge area, and I decided to take pity on him, but not enough to stop laughing. I followed him to a sofa where some of our friends were sitting and he plonked himself down, his ears distinctly red. 

"Aw you're embarrassed," I cooed, tugging one of his earlobes mockingly. He swatted my hand away and continued giving me a stony expression. "I'm going to the bar, what would you like?" 

"Surprise me," Logan grumbled, and I couldn't help but laugh in his face one last time before I took off to get drinks. 

I got to the bar and rested my arms on the counter, trying to get the bartender's attention. He started making his way over to me but before he could take my order, a girl with dark hair brushed past my shoulder and slid in beside me. 

"Two martini's please," she said, her voice seductively light and smooth like an ice cold cocktail on a summer's day. She turned towards me, a gorgeous, slightly smug smile on her beautiful face as she addressed the guy she'd just pushed in front of her. "Hey." 

I almost couldn't believe my eyes: it was Victoria Grange.