Hi all, I want to thank everyone for all your wonderful feedback on my story so far. It's my first fanfic, so the feedback has been very useful. I hope you will enjoy this chapter and I'm looking forward to write more :)
It felt like Keira's stomach would explode at any time, maybe she had eaten too much pizza. It had been so delicious that she couldn't stop eating, but she was now rather regretting that decision. They were sitting on the small terrace and nipping on the wine that had been flowing the whole evening.
'I feel like doing something,' Abby began smiling expectantly while she was looking at her almost empty glass.
'Oh no,' Tom and Keira said exactly at the same time. They stared at each other in surprise and then smirked because they both knew what was coming.
Abby pouted and pretended she was hurt. 'Come on guys, I'm not that bad!' she said while pouring herself another glass of wine. 'Anyone else?' she held up the bottle with a questioning look.
They both answered by putting their glasses on the table and Abby filled them up.
'What were you thinking about?' Keira tilted her head and narrowed her eyes. She eyed Abby suspiciously, she knew what she was capable of.
'Just like old times, going to a club or something,' she shrugged. 'See, that's not that bad, is it?' she gave them both a teasing poke and they yelped in surprise.
Tom rubbed his chin and took the plan into consideration. 'I guess it would be fun, I don't go out that much anymore now I'm supposed to be a responsible adult,' he said trying not to sound disappointed.
Abby turned towards Keira and she was clearly waiting for her answer. 'Alright, but I'm not going to some stripper club or something,' Keira warned, she still hadn't recovered from the last time.
Abby's eyes widened and she looked offended. 'I would never even propose that!' she began, but then it dawned on her, 'oh wait...'
'Yes, I've not forgotten that time and like I said back then, I'm never going there again. People mistook me for a stripper the whole evening,' Keira said while slapping Tom for laughing at her. This was not funny.
'Then you should've worn more clothes!' Abby giggled while trying to avoid Keira's arm that was planning on slapping her just like she had done with Tom.
'Should I bring up that one time you were completely naked in front of all our professors?' Keira replied nonchalantly while tugging on her hair. She knew Abby would back off now.
Abby indeed turned red and almost choked on her wine. 'Not funny!' she spluttered.
Tom couldn't help but grin. 'You two are crazy, come on. Let's go, it's time to get wasted somewhere,' he pulled the two girls out of their chairs and put his arms around them. With a playful slap on their butts he pushed them towards the exit.
It felt strange for Keira to be in a club again, it had been months since the last time she had been in one. It was full of people who were sweating and drinking like their lives depended on it. The music was not that bad and she even recognised some of it.
'Come on,' Tom shouted in her ear and pulled her towards the bar. 'What do you want? First round is on me,' he yelled again to make his voice audible in the noisy space.
'I don't care, whatever you get me is fine,' she yelled back while trying to stay on her feet. People were pushing towards the bar to get drinks and she almost seemed invisible to them.
'Here you go,' Tom handed them all a bright pink liquid, which looked like it instantly caused cancer when you drank it.
'What's this?' shouted Abby, pointing at the liquid and raising her eyebrows in horror.
'I don't know,' Tom laughed with an apologising smirk on his face, 'couldn't hear what they were saying, so I just went with it. So cheers!' He held his drink in the air and the others followed him.
They almost spat it out when they had downed the drink, it was horrible. Keira felt like her throat had been burnt.
'I feel eighteen again,' Abby laughed while putting the empty glass back on the bar.
'Maybe we are too old for all of this,' Keira said tentatively.
Tom took her face in his hands and chuckled. 'Nonsense, we're perfectly capable of having fun,' he then turned back to the bar to order a new round of drinks. This time they were neon green and they all groaned simultaneously when they saw the drinks, worst decision ever.
After a few drinks they couldn't stop giggling and Keira was sure they were slightly embarrassing themselves. The drinks had tasted like lemonade, but obviously they had been brimmed with alcohol. She already felt light-headed and everything seemed so much funnier. She didn't even care that she wasn't dressed up like all the other people in the club, she was just here to have fun. They hadn't bothered to go back home and change, so they now looked rather underdressed.
Tom suddenly grabbed her arm and put his mouth by her ear. 'Look at Abby, I think someone might have taken her interest,' he pointed in the direction of a group of men.
Keira followed Abby's stare and Tom indeed was right, she had her eyes planted on a guy with lazy brown curls. He hadn't noticed her staring yet and was talking animatedly with his friends. She could see that the whole group was made out of good looking guys, especially the guy with blonde hair and blue eyes. He reminded her of someone and she felt her stomach stir. Abby's eyes were still glued to the curly haired boy and she didn't even notice Tom handing her another drink. Keira smirked, she knew that look from Abby and she could already imagine how Abby's night was going to end. She had the natural ability to get any guy she liked in bed with her.
'Come on,' Tom pulled them both away from the bar and to the dance floor. 'I don't think he'll notice you if you're just standing still. Show some moves and I'm sure that he will be looking over here in no time,' he smirked when Abby looked a little embarrassed. She had almost lost her balance when he had started shouting in her ear.
They were dancing like fools, because they all had lost some of their coordination after the drinks. However, they didn't mind one bit and we're enjoying themselves. Tom was the master in sick dance moves and in no time a whole group of girls had appeared out of nowhere to dance with him. Abby and Keira couldn't stop laughing at all the blatant attempts to get his attention. He had the widest grin and kept coming back to Abby and Keira. Abby was still busy eying up the guy she had spotted at the bar and she was obviously playing a game with him. After a while of batting her eyelashes and licking her lips he made his way over to her. She giggled loudly when he started dancing with her and it didn't take long for her to feel up his body.
Tom's cheeks were red and he sounded out of breath when he found his way back to Keira. 'I see that Abby hasn't lost any of her tricks yet,' he sniggered while pushing away a few girls. He put his arm around her shoulder and they continued dancing together.
'You also have some success,' she pointed at the group of girls which were now giving her dirty looks for having the nerve to dance with him. She blew them all a kiss and ruffled Tom's hair to let them sulk even more.
'Thank you,' he whispered thankfully, 'I can't get them to bugger off.'
She shook her head and pulled him away from to group to get closer to where Abby and her guy were dancing. It had been a good decision to go out, she thought, she couldn't remember the last time she had let steam off like this.
Suddenly she could hear Tom's voice in her ear. 'I think someone has taken an interest in you,' he said with a twinkle in his eyes.
'Don't be so stupid!' she replied and gave him a little push. No one would take an interest in her, especially dressed like this.
'I'm not stupid,' he yelled, 'just look over there!' he pointed in the opposite direction.
There he was, the guy she had spotted earlier. She subtly took in his appearance, his blonde hair was a little messy and his eyes were an icy blue colour. They did not have the warmth of Seb's eyes, but they were pretty nonetheless. She felt her cheeks turning pink and she quickly turned back to Tom.
He smirked when he spotted her red cheeks. 'He's cute, isn't he?'
'Shut up,' she muttered while trying to make her hair somewhat more decent. She suddenly felt a bit uncomfortable in her casual clothes.
'I'm going to get more drinks,' he gave her a knowing wink and was gone before she could react.
She stood rooted to the spot and felt rather helpless, she was all by herself and couldn't believe Tom had left her alone.
'Hey there,' she suddenly heard behind her. She quickly turned around and almost choked when she saw those icy blue eyes.
'Want to dance?' he asked while holding out his hand. He was sizing her up and gave her a meaningful wink.
Maybe it was the alcohol, she didn't know, but without much hesitation she took his hand and shot him a lopsided grin. She could see Tom giving her his thumbs up from the bar and she rolled her eyes at him. She suddenly felt a hand on her waist and his warm breath on her skin.
'You look beautiful tonight,' the guy whispered in her ear.
A shiver crept up her spine and she could feel the goosebumps starting to form on her skin. She tilted her head to catch his eyes and she saw he was grinning. He was incredibly beautiful, his pale skin complimented his messy blonde hair and his muscular body was visible under his tight shirt. However, it was nothing in comparison to Seb. Maybe he wasn't as muscular as this guy, but his lean body looked even better in clothes. Not that she knew how it looked without clothes, she thought. She then caught herself thinking about stuff she really shouldn't think about and quickly tried to remove that mental image. Not that she could, but she tried her best while turning her attention back on dancing with the handsome guy.
'Do you want something to drink?' the guy asked after dancing for a while.
She blew a lock out of her face and smiled. 'Yes please.'
'What do you want?' he asked while letting his eyes wander over her body.
She tried not to get nervous when she caught him staring at her. 'A beer please,' she answered. Neon coloured drinks were done for the night, she still had to be able to stand on her own two legs when going home.
'Keir!' Abby swung her arms around Keira's neck and was almost choking her. She tried to loosen the grip and signalled Tom for help.
'I saw you dancing with a guy,' Abby giggled while blowing kisses in the direction of the brown haired guy. She was clearly drunk and was swaying dangerously, so Tom and Keira grabbed her arms.
'I guess I did.'
'Do you like him?' Abby was now making kissing noises and Tom was trying hard to keep her on her feet.
Keira sighed and laughed at the sight of her best friend, she indeed looked eighteen again. 'I don't like him, but he's kind of cute, right?' she said while trying to locate him in the crowd.
'I think he's really cute, but I don't think you want to share?' Abby tried to pout, but ended up laughing each time she pressed her lips together. 'Oh, he's coming back!' she yelled pointing at her left.
'Your drink,' the guy said while raising an eyebrow at Abby. He clearly was confused by the situation.
Keira grinned. 'Don't bother, she's drunk,' she grabbed his hand and pulled him away from her friends. She stuck her tongue out at them and gave them a small wave.
She could dance the whole night, she thought while swaying to the music. He was a good dancer and he made her feel alive with his small touches and eager smiles. Not that his smile was as perfect as Seb's, no definitely not. Seb's smile made her heart race and made her forget about anything but him. They way his lips curved to show a row of perfect teeth, the way the corners of his mouth lifted, the way his smile travelled all the way up to his eyes, it was all perfect. No, he definitely wasn't like Seb. Not that it mattered though because she was dancing with a handsome guy and she was enjoying herself. She locked eyes with Abby and Tom who were dancing close to her and they all shared the same thought, tonight was a good night.
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She didn't know how late it was, but she knew it was difficult to get her key into the lock of her front door. Giggling at her own clumsiness she tried another key, this time she was able to put it into the lock. God, she was really drunk, she thought. They had stayed longer than anticipated and also drank a lot more than she had wanted to. It had been fun though, it was good to let your hair down once in a while. It was not so much fun the way her head was pounding right now and she made her way to the kitchen to get some water and painkillers. There was still a light on, so David must still be up.
She swallowed the painkillers and emptied the glass of water only to fill it up and empty it again. She walked into the living room and found David sitting on the couch, watching TV with a bottle of Vodka in his hands.
'Where have you been?' he snarled.
This wasn't going to be good, she sighed. 'Out,' she answered.
'With who?' he narrowed his eyes and put the bottle on the ground. His jaw clenched and his expression hardened when he noticed she was drunk.
'Abby and Tom, who else?' she said. She was standing awkwardly in the doorway and didn't know if it was wise to come in.
'Why are you drunk?' his voice was full of anger and his eyes had darkened. He kicked over an empty bottle when he tried to get up.
She was weighing up her options, but knew she could better tell the truth. 'Because we went to a club and had fun,' she said. She folded her arms and hoped she didn't look like a pushover.
'You were hooking up with other guys, weren't you?' he spat at her while trying to stay on his feet. He stabilised himself against the wall and narrowed his eyes. 'Don't lie to me!' he yelled.
She hadn't said anything yet, but it was clear that he was imagining things. He stumbled into her direction and she felt the urge to run, but she knew he would be faster than her. With quite some force he yanked her bag out of her hands.
'Shall we look on your phone then?' he shot her an evil grin while rummaging through her bag. His eyes glittered darkly when he found what he was looking for. Knowing her code he unlocked her phone.
She knew she had nothing to hide, because she wouldn't do anything to hurt him. She just had to be patient and try to calm down, she told herself.
A loud growl came from David's direction. 'I knew it!' he yelled. 'You little slut, you thought I wouldn't find out?' he spat in her face and took a step closer to her. 'Who the fuck is Sebastian?!'
She felt all the blood drain from her face, she had forgotten about those messages. Not that they were anything to feel ashamed about, but she knew David wouldn't listen to her if she explained it to him.
He brought his face very close to hers. 'How dare you come into my house while smelling like other men!', he gave her a small push. 'How dare you sleep with anyone else and humiliate me,' he pushed her again and she was now standing with her back against the wall.
Fear crossed her face and she closed her eyes, she knew what was coming and she wasn't able to defend herself, again. She dug her nails into the wall and she felt her lip tremble, she had never seen him this angry before. She was scared and afraid of what was coming. She tried to push him away, but he only snarled and pushed her back against the wall.
'You want to get away, darling?' he said while using a baby voice. 'Though luck, you're my property so I decide when you stay or go, OK?' he brushed her cheek gently with his finger.
The hairs on the back of her neck stood up and a shiver crept up her spine when she felt him touch her face. His breath smelled of alcohol and she almost passed out when he breathed heavily in her face.
'Such a pretty face,' he said with a sardonic smile. He swept his brown hair aside and whispered something in her ear.
If there had been any blood left in her face, it had now gone. She bit her lip and pressed her lips together. She hadn't dared to open her eyes again and was waiting for his next insult.
'You're a slut and a liar now, aren't we?'
Without any warning her head hit the wall and it felt like her skull was splitting open from the pain. She could taste blood in her mouth and panic flowed through her body. Before she could gather her senses she felt another blow to her face, she tilted her head, but pain spread to her limbs and she was unable to move. Her body felt numb and she couldn't process what just happened.
'Just what you deserve darling, I think no one would want you anymore now.'
She could hear his voice from somewhere far away, but she couldn't understand what he was saying. Her eyes stung and she could feel the blood dripping on her arms. Suddenly the air was knocked out of her lungs and she felt the need to throw up. The pain from the last blow numbed her brain and she couldn't think straight. She needed to protect herself, so she stuck her arms out. They were immediately pushed aside and another excruciating source of pain arose on her face. She tried to say something, but nothing was coming out of her mouth. Her chest was hit again and not able to breathe she sank down to the ground, protecting her face in the process.
She could hear footsteps going to the door and then the sound of the front door being slammed shut. She tried to get up, but she couldn't. So she crawled over the floor to pick up her phone. With the greatest effort she found Abby's number.
'Abby, Abby help me please...' she muttered inthe phone before the phone slipped out of her hands. She tried to reach the phone with her fingers, but it was too far away. Then everything went black before her eyes and a last tear rolled down her cheek.