by L.H. Cosway
“Look! This is our stop,” Nicki announced, and we all lined up to get off the bus.
Nicki slid her arm through mine as we made our way down the street. I spotted the long line first, and then the club. There was a bright red neon sign over the entrance in fancy cursive font that read Crimson. I hoped Nicki’s passes meant we didn’t have to queue.
No such luck.
It took over half an hour to get inside, but as we entered, I was pleasantly surprised. The place was very tastefully designed for a Goth club. The expensive looking black velvet and dark red silk reminded me more of a high-end BDSM establishment than a place where sweaty rockers moshed out to heavy metal music.
“Would you look at this place? Very swish!” Dillon exclaimed.
I eyed Nicki, both of us quietly impressed. Maybe tonight wouldn’t be so nightmarish after all.
A DJ stood on a high podium playing “White Rabbit” by Jefferson Airplane while attractive people dressed in black filled the dancefloor. Wearing Nicki’s dress was a good idea because I fit right in.
“I’ll get the first round,” Nicki said while Amanda took me by the hand and led me to one of the booths centred around the dancefloor. Above the DJ podium were several steps leading up to a VIP section. A man sitting at the head of one of the tables seemed to be attracting a good deal of attention. I gasped in surprise, recognising him instantly. It was Blondie! I’d know those golden eyes and perfect head of hair anywhere.
Beside him sat the same redhead from last night. Her long, wavy hair shone under the club lights, and the deep purple dress she wore highlighted her flawlessly pale skin.
A wave of shock flowed through me when her head suddenly turned in my direction as if she’d sensed me watching her. Her eyes locked with mine and the second seemed to last an eternity. I quickly glanced away, but not before I saw a marked look of concern cross her delicate features. She leaned close to Blondie, whispering something in his ear.
“Are you okay, Tegan?” Nicki asked, arriving at the table with our drinks.
“Yeah,” I said, frowning to myself. “I just saw someone I recognised.”
“Oh? Who is it?”
I shook my head. “No one really. Just someone who came into Hagen’s last night.”
“I can’t believe you’re still working at that place,” Susan remarked with disdain. “It’s in such a dodgy neighbourhood.”
Yeah, tell me about it. I lifted the gin and tonic Nicki placed in front of me and knocked back a long gulp. “Beggars can’t be choosers.”
“It’s not like that nail salon you work at is so high end,” Nicki scoffed at her.
Susan made a face. “It’s better than washing dogs’ buttholes all day.”
“Dogs are the best. I have no problem washing their buttholes,” Nicki shot back, defending her career as a pet groomer.
“I love this song! Let’s go dance,” Dillon suggested when the Eurythmics’ “Sweet Dreams” came on. They all got up, but I remained at the table.
“Aren’t you coming?” Nicki asked.
“I’ll stay here and keep the table,” I told her. The excuse came easy—I wasn’t one for dancing.
She reached out and squeezed my shoulder. “I’m so happy you came out with us tonight.”
I nodded and smiled, taking another sip of my drink as I watched my friends attract attention on the dance floor. Something about the flashing lights plunged me into a memory, twisting my stomach into knots…
Flashing ambulance lights. Paramedics.
I was the one who found Matthew when he died. Up until that point, I’d never seen a dead body. My blood ran cold whenever I remembered it. He’d been so … still. I hated myself for not noticing the signs of depression in him sooner. Maybe then I would’ve been able to save him from taking his own life.
Matthew had messy dark hair and the deepest brown eyes I’d ever seen. We’d met at a house party last year. He asked me for a lighter and I asked him to play me a song on the acoustic guitar he was holding. He might have asked me for my mortal soul, and I would have willingly handed it over. I was still trying to get used to the fact that he was gone.
I downed the rest of my gin and tonic and decided to make my way over to the bar for another. I drank my second one in record time and took a quick glance at the VIP section again. Blondie and the redhead were gone now. Maybe I’d imagined them. Last night’s attempted robbery had left me with quite a bit of unresolved stress.
Suddenly, a wave of claustrophobia hit me. The club felt way too crowded, and I had an overwhelming urge to flee. It was the same feeling I’d gotten last night when I’d locked eyes with Blondie, right before the thief came into the store.
Someone brushed against me and I glanced up. Well, speak of the devil.
“Hello. I hope you don’t mind me saying, but that is a stunning dress you have on,” Blondie said, his voice oozing charm and charisma.
“Well,” I deadpanned, “all you have to compare it to is my unflattering work uniform, which isn’t a very high bar to surpass.” His face dropped, and I frowned. Was it something I said? His entire being grew still as he stared at me, clearly confused.
“Um, are you okay?” I asked, gasping once I saw his gold eyes flash black.
“You remember me,” he said. He sounded pissed.
A chill came over me and the urge to flee intensified. I took a tentative step back, edging away from him until I had enough room to turn and run. I had no idea why I was running. I just knew I had to get away from him. Every cell in my body screamed at me to move.
I reached a fire exit and pushed it open, finding myself in a back alley next to several large waste bins. I began to run in the direction of the street but ended up walking right into a hard, impenetrable wall. No, not a wall, a chest, and a muscular one at that. Blinking, I stared up into Blondie’s intense gold eyes. At least they weren’t black anymore.
“We have to stop meeting like this,” he said, the charming tone gone. His voice was low and somewhat disgruntled.
“I was just leaving,” I said, moving to get by him only to be blocked. Frustrated and scared, I turned to go in the other direction, but the alley was a dead end. My only other option was to go back inside. Maybe I could lose him in the crowd. It was better than staying out here in a deserted alley alone with him. I pushed open the fire exit to go back into the club and came face to face with the redhead and the dark-haired man from last night.
“This part of the club is off-limits,” the dark-haired man said, eyeing me up and down with a cruel slant to his mouth. “Trespassers will be prosecuted—I mean, punished,” he continued with a mocking laugh.
“I didn’t know. This is my first time here,” I told him.
“Makes no matter to us,” he said before taking a step toward me.
I looked at the redhead and found her glaring at me. “You remember us,” she said, like it was the worst thing imaginable. What was wrong with these people? Of course, I remembered them. It was only last night that they came into Hagen’s.
“Well, yeah, I’m not going to forget three weirdos like you in a hurry.”
Behind me, Blondie re-entered the building. “Weirdos? That’s not a very nice way to refer to the people who stopped a junkie from robbing you, now is it, Tegan?” he chided, the barest hint of reprimand in his tone.
A shiver ran down my spine at the way he spoke my name. My eyes surreptitiously moved from left to right, searching for an escape. “My apologies. You’re not weirdos. In fact, I think you’re all totally delightful. Now, if you don’t mind, I’ll be on my way.”
“You’re not going anywhere, prey,” the dark-haired man said.
I shot him a dirty look. “Prey?”
“I can’t think of anything else to call you. Coming in here smelling like that.”
“Leave her, Lucas,” the redhead said, an obvious warning.
“I’d oblige you, Delilah,” Lucas replied, snapping his head back to her, almost too fast. “But th
is one is far too intriguing.” I bristled when he reached out and ran a finger down my cheek. “Look at those eyes, so blue, such—what is it that I see? Ah, yes, pain.”
I tried not to flinch at his accuracy. “Look, if you don’t get out of my way, I’m going to start screaming, and believe me, I’ve got a hell of a set of lungs on me.”
Blondie appeared in front of me then, his gold eyes overwhelmingly sharp. “We won’t harm you. You have my word.”
“Aw, come on,” Lucas complained from behind him, and Blondie whipped his head around, his voice cutting. “You will not harm her, Lucas. That is a direct order.”
Lucas gave a reluctant sigh. “Fine. I’ll keep my fangs to myself.”
My eyes went wide. Fangs? Blondie’s tone turned even more cutting. “I’ll also remind you that she’s seemingly impervious to compulsion so watch your words.”
Okay, this was all getting way too strange. Blondie returned his attention to me, his voice suddenly courteous. “I’ll let you go. I’d just like to try something first, if I might ask your permission?”
I folded my arms. “No, you don’t have my permission. Now get out of my way.”
He stared me down a long moment, before finally stepping aside, “Very well then. It was a pleasure to see you again, Tegan.”
“Sadly, I can’t say the same, Blondie,” I replied then speed-walked the hell out of there.
I heard the redhead, Delilah, chuckling as I left. “Did she just call you Blondie?”
“I can’t believe you let her leave. She smells like—”
“I’m well aware what she smells like,” Ethan cut him off, and that was the last thing I heard before I was back in the main part of the club, thumping music filling my ears.
I found Nicki easily enough over by the bar. The other three were still out on the dancefloor.
“Tegan! I’ve been looking for you everywhere,” she said, her relief evident.
“There was a really long queue for the bathroom. Listen, I’m going to head home. I’m not feeling this place.”
She looked disappointed. “Oh, well, do you want me to come with you?”
I shook my head. “You stay and enjoy yourself. I’ll grab a taxi and text you when I get home.”
“Okay, don’t forget to text when you get to your apartment. Otherwise, I’ll worry.”
“I won’t forget,” I assured her. We hugged, and I made my way outside. I couldn’t spot any taxis on the road, so I decided to save some money and take the bus instead. I walked the short distance to the bus stop and sat down on a bench, my mind reeling from the weird encounter back in the club. I shouldn’t have been surprised though. This city was full of nutjobs. And besides, what else did I expect visiting a Goth club? That Lucas guy said something about fangs. Were they into vampire role play? It was the only thing that made sense.
I didn’t know how long I sat there when a black SUV pulled to a stop in front of me. I looked up as the window rolled down, revealing Blondie sitting in the driver’s seat.
Fuck my life.
“Need a ride?”
I tugged my coat tighter around myself. “No, thank you.”
“Tegan, get in the car. There isn’t a bus coming this way for another hour and it’s freezing. You’ll catch your death.”
I scoffed. “You sound like someone’s grandmother.”
He smirked. “That’s because I’m older than I look.”
I arched a brow at his curious statement. “How old are you?” I asked. He looked about thirty, mid-thirties at a push.
“Get in the car and I’ll tell you.”
I glanced up at the screen showing the bus times. He was right. I’d be waiting an hour for the next one and I didn’t fancy sitting on a damp, cold bench for that long. Besides, he’d let me go back at the club. He’d also given me his word he wouldn’t harm me. Not that a virtual stranger’s word was anything to trust, but still, he had helped me last night by disarming the thief at Hagen’s.
Sighing, I stood and approached the car. “Fine. But just so you know, I have pepper spray in my purse and I’m not afraid to use it.”
“I promise there will be no cause for that,” Blondie replied as I walked around to the passenger side. He threw the door open, and I warily climbed in. “My name’s Ethan,” he said, formally introducing himself as I strapped on my seatbelt. “Ethan Cristescu.”
“Interesting surname.”
“It’s Romanian.”
I glanced at him a moment. So that was where the unusual lilt in his accent came from. “And what brought you out to Crimson tonight?” I asked in an effort to make casual chitchat.
“I own the place.”
3.
“I own the place.”
Well. That was unexpected. Though, considering the car he drove, Ethan obviously had money.
“What do you think of it?”
“The club? It’s very, um, Eyes Wide Shut,” I answered honestly, soliciting an amused chuckle from him.
“That’s exactly what I was going for.” He glanced from me to the road ahead. “So, where to?”
“I live near Singh Square,” I replied, avoiding giving my full address. Ethan was still a stranger, one I wasn’t entirely sure of, and I had decided to reserve judgment until I knew more about him. We drove in silence for a few minutes, and I was a little annoyed that he didn’t speak or give any explanation for his and his friends’ odd behaviour back at the club.
“What’s wrong?” he asked, clearly sensing my annoyance.
“I have questions.”
“Ask them then.”
Fiddling with the sleeve of my coat, I blurted, “Do I smell bad?”
He cast me a quick, disbelieving glance. “Do you smell bad?”
“Several comments were made by you and your friends about how much I stink. Obviously, it’s difficult not to take offense,” I explained, lifting my chin. Maybe it was Nicki’s dress. I bent down to sniff the material, but there was only the faint waft of fabric softener.
“You don’t stink. On the contrary, you smell wonderful. You smell like … like …” he faltered, as though he couldn’t find the right word. When he spoke again, he sounded oddly bereft. “You smell like sunshine.”
I shot him an arch look. “Sunshine?”
He nodded and stared back at the road. I frowned and bit my lip. I had no clue what sunshine smelled like, but maybe he meant fresh, like a Summer’s day or something. He was Romanian so perhaps his true meaning was lost in translation.
“Okay, well, I’m glad I don’t stink. Why were you so stunned that I remembered you from last night?”
“That is a question I can’t answer. Not yet anyway.” An intense, brooding expression came over his face, making him look rather fetching. Not that his good looks mattered. I wasn’t in the market for a new relationship, not even for casual sex. After what happened to Matthew, my heart was still on the mend. It would be a long time before I opened myself up to someone new.
“I’m just going to put this out there so you don’t go wasting your time,” I said. “I’m not interested in anything romantic right now, so if that’s what this ride home is all about—”
“I assure you, my intentions are purely platonic,” Ethan cut me off.
“Oh.” I was a smidge embarrassed by his blatant dismissal. “Well, what are your intentions then?”
His gold eyes flicked to mine. “Curiosity. Friendship?”
“A night club owner wants to be friends with a lowly grocery store clerk?” I asked, incredulous.
Ethan shrugged. “You seem like you could use a friend.”
“I have plenty of friends.”
“None like me.”
“No,” I agreed. “None like you.”
A faint whisper of a smile graced his lips, “Now you do.”
Something about the way he said it made me feel oddly touched. I didn’t meet men like him very often, and certainly not ones who wanted to befriend me. I knew I should be suspic
ious, but for the moment, I chose to enjoy the feeling of being valued as a person.
We were almost at Singh Square when I commented, “You have the most unusually coloured eyes.”
His hands tightened on the steering wheel. “What do you mean? My eyes are brown.”
“No, they aren’t. They’re gold,” I countered.
“They’re brown, Tegan,” he argued forcefully.
I cocked my head at him. “Um, I’m looking right at you, and it might be dark out, but your eyes definitely aren’t brown.”
His features hardened, and I grew tense. Why was he acting so pissed all of a sudden? After a moment, he relaxed and plastered on a neutral expression, but it looked like it took effort. “Sorry. I normally think of them as golden brown, but you’re right, they’re more gold than brown,” he amended.
I swallowed tightly, a voice in my head saying I should get out of the car right now. “Oh, look. We’re here. Thanks so much for the ride,” I said as he pulled to a stop and I quickly vacated the SUV.
“You’re welcome. Don’t be a stranger, Tegan,” he called, his voice unnervingly flat as I speed-walked down the street.
When I reached my place, Florence was there again. I’d never been happier to see her. Something in my gut told me I didn’t want to be alone in my apartment tonight. I had no idea why, but I was beginning to suspect that my subconscious was warning me that Ethan Cristescu was bad news. Not to be trusted.
“Hey, come on in,” I said, a little breathless as I slotted my key in the door.
“You look nice. Did you g-go out to a bar?”
“I went to that new Crimson club with Nicki and a few of our friends,” I told her as I went to grab a glass of water. Why was I so thirsty? Maybe it was all the fight or flight responses Ethan brought out in me.
“Did you have fun?” Florence asked as she sat down. The pillow and blanket she’d used last night were still out, placed neatly over the arm of the couch.
“Not really. I think I’m getting too old for clubs. I’d rather stay in and watch a movie while eating Turkish Delight to be perfectly honest.”
Florence laughed. “You really are obsessed with that stuff.”
