"What is this place?" I muttered to myself.
I was standing inside a warehouse that had been converted into a club. From outside, the long tall building still looked like a warehouse. But all thoughts of it being a warehouse vanished as soon as one stepped onto the garage-sized dance floor.
The walls had been painted red, although the flashing lights made it hard to notice anything but my immediate surroundings. The long bar and all the other furnishings were red, in keeping with the name of the club Red Heat. The place was packed with people but nobody seemed to mind the lack of space. Everyone was moving to the music as if entranced in a spell.
The cab driver had called the place "Life of New York City" and it did feel like all the New Yorkers were right here, in this place. The music was so loud that I could feel it reverberating through my body and surprisingly, it felt good.
"You okay?" Sean asked. Even though he was standing right next to me, he had to raise his voice for me to be able to hear him.
"Yes. This place is awesome!" I shouted back causing him to smile.
"Come on people. Let's hit the dance floor!" Reese shouted and all of us headed on to the dance floor.
After about two hours later and completely exhausted we were all sitting at a table.
"So what would guys like to drink?" Allen asked.
"I'll take a vodka." Reese said and I was shocked to hear that she drank.
"You drink?" I asked.
"You don't?" Reese asked back.
"Um. No." And suddenly I found seven pairs of eyes staring back at me in shock. "What?" I asked uncomfortable with all the attention.
"Nothing. Nothing at all." Mike said as he chuckled.
"This was expected from the nerd." Pam, Allen's date said.
Before I could say something to defend myself Sean said, "It's good that you don't drink."
"How?"
"Saves me from having to tow along a drunk girl." He answered causing everyone to burst laughing. I blushed a deep shade of red and just ordered a diet coke.
"I was kidding." Sean whispered in my ear after everyone had gotten their drinks and were busy talking.
"Sure you were."
"But I am glad you don't drink."
"And I am not that you do." Sean had downed almost three glasses of rum.
"Don't worry. It takes around seven glasses for me to even start feeling tipsy."
"So you are going to drink till you start feeling tipsy?" I didn't want to sound like a controlling girlfriend here but I couldn't watch him go on drinking like that.
"You want me to stop?" He asked.
"I'd like it if you did but I am not forcing you."
"You don't force me to do anything. If you want me to stop, then just say it."
"Okay. Yes I want you to stop. But I don't want to sound like a controlling girlfriend."
"Aria, you are not a controlling girlfriend and you don't sound like one either. I don't know where you get these idea's from. You can always say what you want to me. Okay?" Sean had pushed his drink away and now was holding my head in between his two hands. I nodded. "Good." He said before dropping his hands and taking one of my own in between his.
"I need to pee. Aria, come with me?" Reese got up and I nodded, getting up after her.
"One of life's greatest mystery , why does a girl need another girl when they go to pee?" Mike asked.
"Exactly. Why?" Kevin added.
"There's a reason it's called it a mystery and I suppose we should let it be that way." Diane who was with Mike answered and gave us both a wink.
Laughing, Reese and I made our way to the washroom. There was a huge line outside and when I had entered the washroom my phone buzzed in my pocket.
Unknown: Just a question.
Me: What?
Unknown: Is love really that blind, that you can't even see what's in front of you??
Me: Stop talking nonsense and get to the point.
Unknown: The main question is, Why haven't you asked him yet? Afraid to find out the answer?
Me: I am not afraid of anything.
Unknown: Great. Then you shouldn't have any problem asking him. Or...
Me: Or what?
Unknown: Or you're just afraid of losing the only guy who ever liked you. Haven't you ever wondered why you?
This was exactly what I was afraid of but I wasn't about to let this person know. No matter what.
Unknown: Oh and when you do ask him, don't forget to ask the connection between you and Sofia.
Sofia and I were connected? But how was that even possible? I didn't know anyone named Sofia. This person was talking nonsense. But she did know a lot of things no one else knew.
"Aria? Are you okay? What's taking so long?" Reese asked breaking me from my reverie.
"Coming." I opened the door stuffing my phone in my back pocket and walked out.
"What took you guys so long?" Pam asked.
"Long line." I replied before Reese could say anything. She gave me a weird look but then shrugged it off.
An hour later, back in our rooms, I was lying on the bed freshly showered. The texts still fresh in my mind I tried to sleep but to no avail. I groaned and turned to my side.
"Aria?" Reese whispered.
"Yeah." I turned to face her and saw her sitting on her bed cross-legged staring at me with concern.
"What's wrong?" She asked.
"Nothing. Why would you say that?" I tried hard to sound nonchalant.
"Cut the crap and tell me what's wrong."
I sighed and realised that I actually could talk to her about it. "Someone is texting me."
"Who?"
"I don't know."
"What are they texting you?"
"Things about Sean."
"What?"
"Yeah." I rubbed my eyes and sat up. There was no way that I would be able to sleep now.
"What are they saying?"
"Just some stuff like ask him why he came here and all that."
"So they aren't actually saying anything?"
"No. But they know things about him. Things that he has only told me."
"Like what?" Reese asked and before I could respond she added, "Don't tell me. They are personal?"
"Yeah." I murmured feeling guilty. "I am sorry."
"Don't apologise. It isn't your secret to tell." She was a quiet for a while musing over the things I had told her and then said, "Have you mentioned any of this to him?"
"Of course not."
"Hmm. And this person who's texting you, knows that you haven't talked to him?"
"She seems to know everything. About me and about Sean."
"She?" Reese looked at me curiously.
"I assume it is a she 'cause I thought she was jealous of our relationship." I shrugged.
"Good point. It could be a she. What about Caroline?"
"No. It's not her."
"How do you know?"
"I just do. And from where do you think she'd get all the info about Sean? It's not her."
"Okay." After another pause, "Maybe you should ask Sean."
"Ask him what?"
"Ask him why he came here." Reese answered with an unusual quiet in her voice.
"Hey, it's Aria. Could you come to the lobby in five. We need to talk. Okay bye." I hung up.
"Did you call?" Reese came out of the bathroom.
"Yeah but it went to voice mail. I left him a message though."
"That's good. Face to face is better. If he would have picked it up he would have wanted to know the matter."
"Yeah." Reese and I had planned, actually Reese had planned, for me to go and speak to Sean once and for all. To clear everything. And I agreed since it sounded like a good plan.
Five minutes later when the elevator door opened I found Sean sitting in the lobby facing away from me. When he turned to look over his shoulder I froze in my steps. He looked terrible. His eyes had panic and fear in them and his hair was even more disheveled than usual.
"What's wrong?" I asked him as soon as I was in front of him.
"What did I do?" Sean asked.
"What do you mean?"
"What did I do, Aria? I am sorry I drank. I won't do that again. When we said goodbye, I thought everything was good. What happened? What changed?" His voice almost cracked and it pained me to see him like this.
"What are you talking about, Sean?" I was too confused to make any sense of all this.
"Why do you want to break up?" His voice almost a whisper made my heart stop for a second. This is what he thought I was here for?
"I don't. Whatever gave you that idea?"
"You don't?" He asked and I shook my head. He seemed to visibly relax at my response and pulled me in a bear hug which I was more than grateful for. Thinking about asking him those questions filled me with dread, afraid of what the answer could be.
"Then what did you mean by 'we need to talk'?" Sean asked once we had broken our embrace though he still held me close like he was afraid of losing me.
"That we need to talk?"
"So you want to talk to me about something?"
"Yup." I nodded.
"God, Aria! Don't scare me again like that. Need to talk is what girls use when they want to break up!" He told me and I was too stunned to respond. No wonder he was so upset. I pulled him in for another hug and hoped that he could feel what I wasn't able to say.
"So what did you want to talk about?" He asked pulling away sooner than I'd like.
"Um." I fiddled with my fingers unable to come up with the words.
"You can say anything, babe." He said while putting a hand over mine to stop mine from fiddling.
"I had a few questions." I said in a rush and was glad when he didn't ask me to repeat it.
"Go ahead." He nodded encouragingly.
"Why did you come here Sean?" I asked as seriously as I could.
Confusion was clear on his face. "I told you, I came here cause my dad got transferred."
"How did Sophia die?" And I could see the hurt in his eyes at the mention of her name but I had to ask. Because if I didn't ask today, I wouldn't ask ever.
"She was murdered." Sean replied slowly not looking into my eyes.
This was news to me and I didn't know whether to throw myself into his arms or continue asking the burning questions. I took a deep breath and decided on the second.
"How am I connected to Sofia?" I asked the one question that had been bothering me the most.
"What?" His eyes snapped up to mine and I could see fear in them.
"I asked, how is Sofia connected to me?" I repeated looking carefully back at him.
"You are not." He was lying. I could tell. He wasn't looking at me and his eyes were darting back and forth.
"You are lying. I need to know, Sean, I do." I asked putting my hand in his.
He looked up at me and I was surprised to see panic and hate mixed with fear. Hate for who?
"You'll hate me." He whispered.
"No I won't."
"Promise?" He pleaded.
"Promise." I leaned in and gave him a peck on the cheek. Looking at him all so vulnerable made me feel scared. What was the big secret?
"Come. Let's go to my room to talk. Kevin's already in your room."
"Okay." I replied as he pulled me along to the lift. On the third floor we got out and sneaked into his room. I felt adrenaline course through me as I realised that I had broken a rule but it was soon replaced by fear when I saw the way Sean was looking at me. He looked terrible. His hands were shaking and he was visibly scared. He looked at me like I was about to hurt him. When I took a step towards him, he shook his head stopping me.
"Wait till I finish. I am sure you'll want nothing to do with me."
"That's not true, Sean." What can be so terrible? I wanted to add but didn't.
"It is."
"Tell me what is it?" The suspense was killing me and I was sure I couldn't take anymore of it.
"Let me start from the beginning." Sean said and I nodded.
_________________________________________________________________
A/N: Sorry guys for the late update. Had exams going on. They still aren't over but I couldn't help myself. So, here ya go. The next chapter is up. It isn't edited yet so there may be a few mistakes. Anyway thank you for reading and do keep reading, voting and following!
Love,
anushaz