(Nina's Pov)
You know those things and moments in life that sometimes you have this strong urge to forget it ever happened, but your mind just won't let you. It irritates you with a mission to completely destroy you. No matter how many defences you put, whatever that significant moment is, your mind will somehow break that wall down and let you remember what you're trying to forget.
Let's say, you accidentally walked in on your parents or a grandparents having sex. The image, noises, movement - it will all most likely scar you, and you'd want to forget about it the very instance you saw it (well, unless you have a sick, twisted mind and found that enjoyable). You'd long for the memory to disappear completely from your brain and wish it had never happened.
But then your mind, which is strangely enough your very best friend yet worst enemy, wouldn't allow that significant moment to fade away. It'd keep replaying itself inside your mind, slowly driving you crazy and utterly irritate you.
Your mind would just not let you forget.
And my mind was doing that to me. Had been for the past week now. That moment of meeting a man I had lost nine years ago, it was that significant moment for me. It came out nowhere, like a storm in a summer night, the unexpected that really should have been expected. And deep down, I wanted to forget about it. I wanted to act as if nothing had happened, remain unbothered and simply just erase it from my memory.
But my mind had other plans. Over the week, countless of moments I'd find myself thinking of when I had crossed paths with Lucas again. I'd think of his handsome face, think of the brief moment of his arms wrapped around me and the moment when I'd be hit with a harsh, cold slap of reality, leading me to act out on it.
He left me. His promises were empty. And now he was a complete different person.
As I thought about that moment over and over again, I came to realize I had slapped him due to being engulfed with a strong embrace of anger and feeling so much. I reacted irrationally and I somewhat regretted it.
Licking my lips, I leaned forward and sighed as I glanced around the bar. It was Saturday evening, meaning the club was more full than usual. It was a busy day, more people coming to buy drinks for others, more old perverts trying to flirt with me, which I had to return in order for a larger tip, and more drunk idiots making an absolute fool of themselves.
I pressed my chin into my palm, inwardly frowning at the thought which suddenly crossed my mind. Nearly two weeks ago or so, Lucas was here. He was seated in the VIP area, with a red haired whore straddling his lap. I wasn't sure if whether he attended The Lobby often, but I couldn't deny I was fearful at the fact he could be here. That he could show up any day of the week and I'd have to face him.
The thought had budged my mind occasionally throughout the week. However, today seeing it was a Saturday night, it was more prominent. I just had this strong feeling pulsing through me, a part of me telling me that the last time I had seen Lucas, wouldn't be the last. It felt like it was just an opening to something new.
Shaking my head, I was pulled out of my helpless thoughts when I found an oddly familiar looking man standing across from me. His eyes were searching my face, an expression of confusion entwined with shock plastered on his face.
"How can I help?" I questioned, hoping he would stop looking at me like I said cats were humans.
Blinking rapidly, he let out a small breath, before grinning at me and stepping forward, closer towards the bar counter. Absentmindedly, I took a step back, admittedly at little freaked out by him.
"Yes, you can help me." He trailed off, an excited glint shining in his eyes. I bet he was thinking of all the different ways he could butcher my body into bits and sell off my organs on the black market.
"Okay, uh, what drink can I get you?" I tried, an attempt to switch the conversation and not giving him an open chance for a sadistic response.
He didn't respond to that. Instead he stared back at me with his lips still curved upwards, eyes wondering over the length of my face. And as more minutes passed by of him doing so, the closer I grew to wanting to scream out for help. However, I did doubt my screams would have any effect in this incredibly loud club.
"Excuse me, sir. I'm afraid if you keep on staring at me, and making me unconformable, I will have to take some serious actions." I trailed off, the discomfort most likely noticeable in my words.
"Yeah, like what?" He arched a brow up at me and I found myself glancing over his face more closely. There was something oddly familiar about his brown eyes, sandy colored hair and tan skin. It was just the way his defined features stuck out to me and that strange familiarity shining in his eyes leading me to think he was someone I doubted he could ever really be.
Unless... it was him...
"Randy?" The name left my lips without a second thought.
A soft chuckle left his lips and suddenly, any sadistic, creepy thoughts about this man, disappeared.
"Took you long enough to realize, Nina." He said with a warm grin. A soft gasp left my lips as a large grin powered onto my face. Without hesitating, I pushed the bar counter door open and reached towards him, pulling him into a hug. His grown, stronger arms wrapped around me and I squeezed him tightly, shocked at seeing yet another familiar face from nearly four years ago.
"Oh my God, I can't believe it's you." Randy murmured, as I pulled back and grinned up at him. "When Lucas told me you worked here, I had to come down here and see for myself."
My smile faltered slightly at the mention of his name, but pushed the image of his grown, matured face away from my mind.
"It's been too long," I cleared my throat, eyes wondering across his face. "You look great."
And I really did mean that. He looked exceptionally similar to the nineteen year old I last saw, but he was now more grown and mature. Other than gaining a bit more muscle, growing out more facial hair and equipping a new haircut, he was still the same Randy.
"Thanks," He flashed a small smile. "You look gorgeous, Nina."
I rolled my eyes. "Yeah, right. As if the bags under my eyes couldn't carry an old women's grocery shopping."
He had to be lying to me. Although I was aware of the fact I wasn't some ugly duckling that would make little children scream if they were to look at me, I knew I wasn't jaw dropping pretty. I was decent, average and was quite content with that. Puberty hadn't been as friendly as it had been to others. My breast had grown, and were now average size, I guess. My behind wasn't all too large nor small. And for the most part, my facial features had matured slightly not drastically.
He laughed, arching a brow at me. "Come on, I'm being serious here. You look really good, Nina."
"Although I know you're lying, I'll take the compliment... Thank you." I gave him a pointed grin, which he just smiled and shook his head at. I returned back to behind the counter, watching as Randy glanced behind him briefly, before taking a seat across from me on a bar stool.
"It's been what? Five years or something since I last you? Fill me in on everything that I've missed." I smiled at him, once again leaning my chin on my palm, however this time from interest rather than boredom.
"I don't know, where do I start?" He blew out a breath, running a hand across his face.
"Start from the very moment you left the foster home." I suggested, the memory of the day I had lost my only other friend than Lucas, still all so fresh in my mind. It was just over a year when I was entering Junior year, Randy got accepted into fucking Harvard. He was a smart guy, always had been, and almost didn't make it into college due to tuition fees. But as if the dean or whoever was in charge, came to their senses, offered him a full scholarship.
I had high ideas on what the man sitting across from me had been doing over the past few years. Judging by the diamond watch wrapped around his wrist, along with two gold rings on his fingers, and the tailored, perfectly fitting Italian suit - I presumed he done a lot. Besides, I could easily identify when someone was wealthy, I had been around those people way too often.
"Well, I graduated from Harvard a year ago. Started looking around for jobs, eventually someone got back to me and I got an office job at some large tech company. I got promoted over time and yeah, it's going great, Nina." He said with a light laugh. "Far more better than I would have ever expected."
"I'm so happy for you... That's exactly what you deserve, Randy." I sincerely told him, reaching out to gently squeeze his hand.
"Yeah, I guess." He shrugged, humble as always. "How about you? How's life been?"
"Okay," I don't know why my throat churned as the response left my lips. It strangely felt as if I were lying. "I've got a permanent job here, as you can see, have a decent apartment and pick up any side jobs available."
His eyes searched my face, whilst I searched his. I wasn't blind to the little glint of sympathy what warmed his hazel eyes, making me inwardly sigh and caused my stomach to clench. I knew where that sympathy sourced from.
"That's good. I'm glad to hear that." He trailed off, clearing his throat. "But is that what you want, Nina?"
"Can we not talk about this please, Randy?" I bit my lip, grimacing at him. He nodded, murmuring a small apology before flashing me another warm smile.
"Anyways, how's the love life?" I arched a teasing brow at me, changing the subject swiftly in seconds.
"Of course not as interesting as yours has been." He challenged, raising his own brow back at me.
I rolled my eyes, ready to respond with a smart remark, however found myself speechless. Because the abrupt presence of another standing right behind him, made me forget what I was going to say and and quite frankly made me feel dazed.
The gut feeling that told me the last time I had seen him wouldn't be the last, was right. Standing a feet across from me, was the same grown, handsome man that once was my best friend years ago. He looked Goddamn hot, even more than the last I saw him. I never noticed how well men pulled off suits until him.
Approaching cautiously, he glanced at Randy, who had also turned around to face him and then back at me. Of course, he was here with him. How on earth had I forgotten Randy's clear mention of his name. I guess it was nice to see Lucas maintaining a friendship with at least someone.
Maybe he was still the same guy somewhere deep down inside.
Or maybe I was most likely delusional.
I cleared my throat, blinking out of my little trance of staring at him. Shifting my eyes away from him, I focused them back on Randy, who I picked up was closely watching me.
"What drink can I get you, Randy?" I questioned, ignoring the piercing gaze set on me.
"Uh, just a bit of Rum." He tossed out, glancing at Lucas and then back at me. Nodding, I turned on my heels, pulling out a clean glass and a bottle of liquor. When I finished with his drink, I placed it across from him, trying to control my racy heart that was acting out from seeing Lucas.
Jesus Christ, I needed to get a hold of myself.
"What would your friend like?" I addressed, not wanting to return his gaze that was set on my face.
"His friend would prefer if you spoke to him directly," His raspy voice uttered, sounding all too familiar and I hated that it managed to make my stomach flip.
Trying not to clench my jaw out of anger, I flashed the handsome man a tight smile. "What can I get you?"
"A glass of scotch," He murmured, his hazel eyes roaming every inch of my face, causing it to heat up. "Laphroaig, if you have it."
"Of course." I muttered out, flashing him another tight smile before going to pour out his drink. As I moved around, his gaze followed me closely. I wasn't sure why he had the nerve to show his face around here again, didn't he get the memo the last time I spoke to him? I didn't want to see him.
"Here you are." I placed the glass across from him and immediately stepped away, sighing as I began cleaning the surface of the counter which was pretty much spotless. Even if there was a slight speck of dirt or whatever, the fat pig Chris would go wild about it. I'd rather not deal with that.
There was an undeniably hard to miss awkward silence hovering around in the air as I busied myself with cleaning glasses, making sure everything was spotless as liked by Chris and checking my phone constantly for nothing in particular. Eventually the two men seated across from me, began speaking among themselves, lowly, might I add. It was hard to hear their conversation, but I could still feel Lucas' strong gaze set on me.
Just as I finished checking my empty phone call log, I glanced up, catching the sight of Randy who grinned and waved me over. Hesitantly doing so, I tucked my phone into my trouser pockets and faced him.
"More rum?" I arched a brow.
"No, but Lucas and I were just talking about that time when we sneaked out of the foster home and went to salty lake," He said with a large grin. "Remember how pissed Mrs Smith got when she found out? And I think it was the only time I ever saw Mrs Maroon mad."
I couldn't control my lips that quirked upwards, and for I second I found myself forgetting that the man who had broken my heart and trust, was present. Instead, I let myself enjoy the treasured, unforgettable memory of us three as children, careless, excited and... happy.
"Remember you got sick a few days later?" I heard him speak, looking at me, making me hesitantly turn to face him.
"Yeah..." I bit my lip.
"You puked all over my best shoes." He said with a smile on his face.
"You weren't even mad." I felt my cheeks heat up.
"No, I could never be mad at you about anything, Nina." He softly said, making my heart squeeze.
"Yeah..." I whispered quietly, and suddenly found myself looking into pleading hazel eyes. I was unable to look away, my heart going incredibly crazy whilst my stomach clenched in a manner it had never done so before. I was abruptly hit with a wave of emotions, and I suddenly wanted to scream, to cry, to yell, to hit something and run into Lucas' missed embrace.
But instead, I just stared.
And continued to do so, until another costumer approached the bar, and I was forced to glance away. I was feeling all so much at that moment, and had to let out a deep breath, in hopes to steady my fast beating heart.
As the night went on, I went back to busying myself with irrelevant things and from a distance, could still hear Lucas and Randy conversing. It was only when they got up to leave, I heard a familiar voice call me.
"Nina," Randy called, making me glance up at him. "I'll be on my way now. Expect to see my face more often, I'll be around here much more."
"I look forward to it." I smiled softly at him. Sending me a curt nod, his eyes darted briefly to Lucas before he went on his way. However, Lucas didn't follow behind him. He stood on spot, once again, intensely watching me.
"Nina," His gentle voice ushered me to glance up at him. Swallowing, I forced myself to face him, biting my lip in order to feel some sense of control with my own self.
"I know I'm the last person you'd probably like to speak, let alone see... But I..." He trailed off, looking frustrated with his lack of words that didn't seem to be coming to him. He was cautiously picking at what to say next, making my heart drum faster behind my chest.
"What, Lucas ?" I quietly questioned, encouraging him slightly.
Meeting my eye, he sighed deeply. "Have dinner with me this Wednesday, please?"
I should have turned my cheek. I should have shook my head. I should have told him no and to be on his way, that he should never come back because there was no hope to restore what was once between us.
But I didn't.
"Okay," I found the word slipping from my lips without a single utter thought.
Because when you feel too much in a moment, you never do think.
•••••
(AN) Hey guys! I hope you're all having an amazing day! I also hoped you enjoyed the chapter! What are your thoughts? What would you do if you were Nina? Do you think Lucas and Nina will ever retrieve what they lost?
And happy new years everyone! May this year be one full of growth, success, happiness and everything you long for! Wishing everyone the best for 2019 ♥
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