"I'm feelin' like a bullet, jumpin' out a gun
I'm feelin' like a winner, I feel like the one"
~BLOW, Ed Sheeran (with Chris Stapleton & Bruno Mars)
Harry's POV
Who would have ever thought that a club would be so crowded on a Monday evening? I wonder as I get out of my car and start walking towards the entrance of the club.
I don't go to clubs on a regular basis, mostly I take some small missions and get myself engaged in working to keep my mind distracted.
And when I don't get any missions, I sleep with some random whore. It's a common thing for me to do. Besides I have some wants which needs to be fulfilled by fucking.
The club is even more crowded than a women's clothing section with 50% off. People are gushing in and out of the club rapidly, pushing and pulling.
The club is so full of neon intimidating lights that it radiates till the outside of the club. Red, blue and black shades lingering throughout the whole room. There is a usual spot of lingerie covered women on the stage, dancing. The bar on the very left of the huge room. Stairs present besides it which goes to the first floor filled with special rooms for private performances. I walk past the sweaty dancing bodies to search for Liam.
I hear my name being shouted from one of the booths and I immediately see Liam waving his hand towards me. I walk towards the booth and sit on the corner seat, relaxing a bit.
One by one more people join us. Some are my colleagues who I have never made an attempt to talk with but they know exactly who I am and some are probably Liam's friends from outside the agency. They introduce themselves to each other.
"Hey, Harry," Drew, who works with me greets.
I nod, plainly. Again, I am not a social butterfly going around talking.
"So how have you been? Heard you got a promotion," he still continues even from the lack of my response.
"Yeah the same old, work and stuff," I simply reply, moving a hand through my curls.
"Isn't it great you're moving to a big place? I wish I could go there." Drew says while living in his dream world. Like fuck, why do people go around telling that. 'Harry, you are going to the big place huh'.
"Not so big enough I think. Just a clutter of wealthy tuxedo men, besides men like you won't fit there," I speak smugly, taking out a cigarette from my pocket and lighting it with a lighter.
"Styles, we will miss your dark humor," Tom comments, sitting opposite me.
I smirk with the cigarette in my mouth as I suck in the debris into my system, filling me up with relief. I hold my cigarette in my left hand and take out my phone from my pocket to check emails.
I have no interest in talking with any one of these. I just came here because I had nothing else to do and also become Liam invited me. Besides a fun night doesn't kills.
Blaring music is being played in the club and all we could smell is alcohol and smoke in the whole area. My attention gets caught on some random whore on the stage whom I am thinking of fucking tonight if my night goes well now. I cross my legs and lean my head against the back of the sofa I am sitting on.
"I have heard there was some scam involved in the death of Harry's father. No one has tried to crack it up till now," I hear someone whisper in our table. My body stiffens and I get uncomfortable and agitated hearing about this topic. It hasn't been the best one to cope with.
I drop my head down a bit, set my phone in the pocket and watch the short guy who is whispering to the one beside him. They had introduced themselves but I didn't pay any attention. As always.
But by the name of my father leaving someone's mouth, my ears perk up. Like they always do.
That guy continues making weird assumptions about the whole incident.
Shut the fuck up, you don't even know the one-thousandth piece of what you are talking about. I have endured moments like this throughout my life but there has never been a perfect way to cope up with it. So I go by my way, 'the Harry way', which brings me peace.
Anger starts coursing through my arteries and veins, the more they continue talking about my family. Blood is boiling heavily. I try to keep my temper in control. My fists clench automatically and so does my jaw. Someone is going to have a bad night today.
Did I forgot to tell that I have anger issues?
Harry, you need to breath in then breathe out, right through your fucking nose.
Fuck, breathing for me is now more like flaring my nostrils with anger. I clench my hands.
"And see that the old man's son is also not trying to do anything. What a shame," that guy continues whispering glaring suspiciously towards me from the corner of his eye. His friend who sits beside him nudges him to stop but well guess what, he doesn't. He thinks I am deaf or what? He is saying these things right in front of me.
That's it, that is all it takes for me to stand up abruptly from my seat, I put the lit cigarette on the ash tray in front and march towards that bastard. As I approach him, he looks intimidated by my presence. Oh looks like now he remembers about who I am. I stand tall above to which he squirms into his seat.
I grab him by his collar and lift him from his seat and threaten, "wanna say anything more big guy?" All eyes are on us now and I can care less.
That guy's face runs out of colour and he starts staring at me wide-eyed and his lips start quivering.
It boosts my ego knowing that I have this kind of intimidating effect on people. It never goes unnoticed by me the way people act around me.
He squirms in my hold and tries to get out of my tight grasp but obviously fails miserably. He is so short that he is more like a kid, not even hatched from an egg.
Liam comes by my side and pulls me by my shoulder before I do something which will make this guy regret this night for the rest of his life.
Maybe I should do something, that will shut that big mouth of his.
I slam that now terrified man who might be thinking 'he just saw his death' back into his seat. And I walk back to my seat, sitting quietly, I pick up my still lit cigarette, perching it between my lips and look through my phone as if nothing happened less than a minute ago. I would have beaten the shit out of him but I am not in mood today.
I hear Liam warning that guy, "Jake, you better keep that mouth of yours shut. Next time I won't stop him from beating the living shit out of you." Then he comes and sits beside me.
Liam gives me a small smile and I nod towards him in acknowledgement.
Liam is the closest friend I have here. So I know he loves going to clubs. He is not much of a drinker just like me but he enjoys the atmosphere as much as I do.
The club is filled with nostalgic music to which people are grinding against each other on the dance floor. There are half naked women on the stage and on the strip poles. Some are even giving lap dances. Clingy couples are wrapped around each other, making out. In this sweaty atmosphere how can one even think of touching another person.
And get attached to their stinky selves.
Slowly different types of drinks and shots are ordered around the table. I order myself a martini. Long forgotten my fight with Jake but I noticed Jake looking at me in fear a few times.
The waitress that comes to serve us at our table is really sexy, I would say and with a great body. As she bends down to place our drinks on our table, that Jake guy who is just a punch away from me starts glaring at her as if she is his next predator.
I hate when someone disrespects women, it's just so not cool. I mean I would also have done something like that but obviously in a better way. If you wanna become a man then you should learn to respect women or else you will get beaten harshly.
Jake tries making a move on her but she rejects him strongly and walks away. Jake's face goes furious with humiliation while I control myself from stifling a laugh at this whole scene. He probably deserved it.
As time passes, people around me start making small talk and I only reply when someone asks me any question. And that too I answer in a few syllables. I am not much of a talker. I took a drag of my now third cigarette and blow out the smoke.
Within no time, the time has already passed and now it is nearly midnight. All the guys in our booth are totally wasted and are slurring confessions in the air. I have hardly taken two shots and am now seated on the same spot since I came here and listening to the music being played in the club.
Not being much of a drinker has its own cons and pros.
Advantages are that I will be aware of your surroundings which is majorly important for the work I do as I can be called at any time without any notice. And also my mouth won't be reeked by alcoholic smells.
But the personal drawback for me is that when I am stressed from work, alcohol doesn't help in distracting my mind from stress due to which I have to go to the gym and do some heavy workout sessions to get distracted and calmed down. Having sex helps too but I am kinda bored of it. Not bored but I usually don't find someone who is up for adventurous sex.
I am always sober enough to know what is going around me.
It is already past midnight and the place is still crowded the way it was when I entered. Don't people have any work to do instead of getting wasted here? It's just Monday.
But wait, I am here too.
I am gonna go home now anytime. I just decided to stay here as this place is full of people whereas in my apartment I would be all to myself. And mum had told me about meeting people and I am trying the meeting people thing. But I think a part of meeting people also involves talking with them.
Yeah, I am definitely not doing that.
In the corner of my eye I feel someone watching me. It definitely has happened with me before but it is not a common situation where people are keeping a watch over you. I very well know how this goes, I have been in that person's place before.
I make no movement to let them know that I yet don't know that they are observing me. I can see a slight movement in my hindsight.
I tilt my head a little to get a look at the clothes that person is wearing so that it becomes easier for me to find and turn him in. The guy is a brunette and probably in a dark grey jumper. It is not very clear because of all the weird lights in around here but I have a good eyesight.
I swiftly turn my head one-eighty degrees and searched for him, but to my surprise there is no one at the place where I found that 'person watching me' person.
This is suspicious.
I don't even excuse myself from the table and directly run towards the direction where that brunette could go. This place is still packed up making my speed slower while passing through the sweaty dancing bodies.
Once out of the damn club I look left then right. I can see no brunette wearing a grey sweatshirt. There are cars parked across the road, but would he be able to get into a car and drive away so fast? It's not so possible right? I look at both the directions again.
Where should I go next?
My instincts are telling me to go left. But what if he went right?
Judging that my instincts have been helpful to me in the past, I run towards the left but still keep an eye behind me, just in case.
I keep running what feels like a mile now, I still don't get anyone remotely similar to that guy. What if he went in the other direction then possibly it would be very difficult for me to track him down now.
Fuck!
I start breathing heavily as I return back to the club. I check all my belongings by patting on my shirt and pant pockets. Everything is in their place. My keys, phone and pager.
While entering the club, I feel a tap on my shoulder making me turn immediately out of reflex. Soon there are a pair of clammy hands on my body roaming everywhere. I look at the person and there stands a woman with dirty blonde hair. I think I have seen this person before.
"Harry babe!!! I missed you," she squeals, placing her hands on my chest and pressing herself on me. She is wearing a tight red dress covering not even half of her body and smelt of cheap perfume. She brings her face closer to my ear and whispers, "we can go to my place tonight and go on all night," I didn't say anything as she starts irritating me whoever she was. I am already pissed off by that guy and now this.
She holds my hand and starts dragging me back towards the door. I stand still making her stop and turn towards me and arching her eyebrows.
"Baby, lets go. I can make you feel amazing," she says trying to sound seductive. She walks near me and wraps her arms around me whispering nonsense to me.
"It is me Sophie, babe," she moves closer to me. Now I am feeling aggravated. I am already angry by not catching that grey sweatshirt guy and now this bitch is irritating me.
I fuck random whores from clubs or whatever place and when they try to have conversations, I leave. I just use them for myself so I don't care whoever the hell she is, Sophie, Sydney or whatever.
I push her off my body, her eyes widens as she is now standing a foot away from me.
"Shut up whore." I say and walk back to where I was sitting earlier with the other guys. I run a frustrated hand through my hair, tugging at the roots rather harshly.
I sit next to Liam and try explaining to him about the strange encounter of mine but he shrugs me off saying that could be some illusion of mine as an after effect of drinking alcohol.
It was real. There was really someone keeping a watch on me. I didn't even drink much to see delusional things.
I need find out who he was. Has he followed me before? Why haven't I seen him before? Why was he observing me?
Fuck, my brain hurts. I need sleep.
Deep down I know this isn't a sign of something good.
But the subconscious part of my brain is saying, what if it is spy-paranoia?
*******
you will love the next chapter very much.
i will update it soon :D