by Calista Kyle
Lily’s hand on my arm stopped my frantic packing and I looked up at her, the tears blurring my vision.
“What happened, Mel?” she asked. Her brows were knitted in concern and the pressure she placed on my hand was surprisingly strong. I knew she wouldn’t settle for anything less than the whole truth. I let go of the pair of socks I’d been trying to stuff into my bag and sat back on the bed, wiping the moisture from my eyes.
“I shouldn’t have come. I don’t know what I was thinking, Lily. There’s no hope for Ryan and me,” I said sadly.
“What do you mean? Did something happen?” she asked.
I let out a bitter laugh. “Yeah, you could say that. We had a little conversation on the beach,” I said, as I sat up and turned to face her. “I told him everything about what my mother had done and that I’d broken up with Chad.”
“And what’d he say?” Lily asked eagerly.
“Nothing. He sat there and didn’t say anything. Then Emilia called him over and he just got up and walked away.”
“Oh, I’m so sorry,” Lily said. She sounded truly disappointed but still hopeful. “Are you sure you read that situation right? Maybe if you just give him some time—”
I pinned her with a scowl. “How else should I have read the situation?” I asked. “I’d rather not stay here and feel even more humiliated than I already do and have to witness Ryan flirt with his new girlfriend in front of my face. Besides, I’m sure he’ll be relived once I’ve gone. You didn’t see how badly he wanted to leave after I had poured my heart out. It was like he couldn’t get away fast enough.”
The fight died in Lily’s eyes and she slumped her shoulders. “I’ll go back with you,” Lily said as she got up off the bed and went to the closet to grab her suitcase.
I waved her off. “No, don’t. You should stay and have fun.”
“I won’t have fun here by myself. The only reason I came was for you. I hate half the guests here,” she said.
I wasn’t in any mood to argue so I shrugged my shoulders and continued packing. Lily called the driver to meet us out in front of the house. On our way down the stairs, we ran into Helen, who looked much too pleased when we told her we were leaving. She didn’t try to make us stay or ask for any explanations, which was a relief. It’d save us from having to tell Ryan of our plans. I didn’t want to face him again.
Once we got in the car, Lily closed her eyes and pretended to fall asleep. I was grateful for her thoughtfulness since I was in no mood to talk. I stared out the window at the passing scenery and tried to blot out the past few hours from my mind. I just wished I could blot out the last few months as well.
Chapter 26: Mel
“You need to wipe that sad pathetic look off your face.”
I looked up to see Candace scowling at me from across the table. We were at Pearl Bar waiting for Lily to arrive to celebrate her final night out as a single woman.
This girl’s night out was a lot tamer and more low key than her bachelorette party in Vegas. Only Lily, Candace and I would be participating and we’d only be out for a little while. Since it was her wedding tomorrow, there was no way Lily was staying out past midnight and I couldn’t blame her. She couldn’t look haggard and hung over on her wedding day.
I was always a little surprised at how quickly the time flew by while at the same time, my life remained at a standstill. Every time I thought about her wedding, I couldn’t help but picture Ryan there as well. I knew he’d absolutely be in attendance since he was Roman’s best man. It’d be the first time I’d see him since that weekend in the Hamptons. The jitters in my stomach told me that I wasn’t ready to face him yet.
Since the disastrous conversation with Ryan, I had tried to fill my time with other activities just to keep the memories of that day at bay. But it was no use. Whenever I had an idle moment, I’d jump right back to that day on the beach and remember the look on his face as I’d poured out my heart to him. He’d just stared at me blankly before his face filled with anger.
I shook my head and mentally cursed myself as I’d done hundreds of times before. Why couldn’t I just let it go? It was over. If I had any doubt about that after I’d left the Hamptons, it was hammered home to me when day after day, Ryan still hadn’t contacted me. If he had cared, and just needed time to process everything, then he would have tried to see me by now. But he hadn’t.
Even my mother had tried to call me once, but I’d ignored her call. There was a part of me that was desperately curious and wanted to know what she wanted. But the newer and wiser Mel slammed the door on that line of thinking. I knew I’d only be disappointed and left feeling hollow once again when she proved herself to be the selfish and shallow woman she’d always been.
The only bright spot in my life was Lily’s wedding. It had been a godsend and had helped take my mind off of my own depressing life. There were fittings to attend and the final girl’s night out to help plan. Lily had been surprisingly cooperative about having another celebration in her honor. After the fuss she’d put up about her bachelorette party, I thought she’d refuse outright, but she had agreed almost immediately.
“I don’t have a look on my face,” I said automatically.
“You do and you’ve been wearing it for the past twenty minutes,” Candace shot back. She’d been in a grumpy mood since she arrived from work. I knew it was probably stressful and crazy at Chère ever since news of my mother’s exit made the headlines so I couldn’t be mad at Candace for her short temper. I was just glad I didn’t have to deal with all that mess.
“So, have you decided what you’re going to do now?” she asked.
I blew out a weary breath and shook my head. After quitting at Chère, I’d been lax about finding a new job. It wasn’t as if I were in dire straits yet. Thankfully, I still had all the money in my trust fund that my father had set up for me, so I didn’t have to settle for any job. I could take my time and find something that I really wanted to do, which was a blessing. After the tortuous few months working for my mother, I finally realized how important it was to find a new position that I was happy with and wouldn’t dread going to every day.
“It’s a good thing you got out while you did. The whole atmosphere there now is so toxic. People are leaving left and right and it sounds like they’re doing some more shakeups at the top,” Candace confessed. “I’m about to follow in your footsteps, actually. It’s gotten too much for even me to bear.”
“Really? What will you do?” I asked. Working at Chère had been Candace’s dream, so I was surprised to hear she was thinking about leaving. Granted, she had that dream before she ever stepped foot inside Chère’s offices, so the reality may have left her disappointed.
“I’ve got some things lined up,” she said mysteriously.
“Why does that sound slightly worrying?” I asked.
“Because you don’t have an adventurous spirit like me,” she teased.
I frowned at her and bit my bottom lip. Even though she’d meant it as a joke, somehow her little throw away comment hit a nerve. Had I become a stick in the mud as she suggested? I’d always prided myself on being adventurous and not afraid to try new things. Hell, I’d gone with Chad to China for three weeks after only having known him for a few days. I’d backpacked around Europe and Asia after college and taught English in Mexico, but lately I realized I hadn’t done anything with my life. I’d just been waiting on other people to act while I merely reacted. As if sensing my plummeting mood, she pushed a shot of something towards me on the table and I looked at her doubtfully.
“Just forget about your problems for one evening and try to have fun,” she said.
I didn’t even realize she’d ordered shots and was hesitant to drink it. The last time I’d had a shot, I’d gotten blisteringly drunk and wound up in Ryan’s bed. I shook off that memory and reached over for the tiny glass. There was no way that’d be happening tonight, I thought morosely. I tipped my head back and downed the drink in one gulp. It left a burning tr
ail down my throat as it went down—tequila.
Candace followed suit and lifted her hand to order more. I didn’t even try to stop her. In fact, I found that I welcomed the idea of drowning out all my doubts and troubles in alcohol. I wondered why I hadn’t thought of it earlier. It would have made my lonely nights a little more bearable.
Lily arrived shortly after we’d finished our third shot. I was already tipsy by that point and I could see her giving Candace and me the side eye. She sat down cautiously and frowned at us like she was about to launch into a lecture about the dangers of drinking.
“Don’t start,” I said, holding up my hand and cutting off whatever she was about to say. “It’s your last night out and we’re just celebrating.”
Lily had been about to argue, but after a quick glance between Candace and me she just shrugged her shoulders. “Suit yourself,” she said. “I just hope you don’t regret it tomorrow. You know it is my wedding and you’ll have to get up at the crack of dawn, right?”
“Don’t worry,” I said, giving her a goofy grin. “We’ll be there with bells on, right?” I said, looking over at Candace as I hooked my arm around Lily’s neck.
“Right!” Candace agreed enthusiastically.
We ordered another round of shots and toasted to Lily’s happiness before leaving. Candace knew of an intimate little wine bar she wanted to try out. The wine bar was on Greenwich Ave. and as we made our way there on foot, we passed by the record shop where I’d waited for Ryan on our first date. I stopped in my tracks and jerked Lily and Candace to a sudden halt as well. They scowled at me as I pulled them into the record store, an excited look in my eyes.
“What the hell?” Candace said. “You almost took my arm off.”
“Why are you dragging us in here?” Lily asked, pulling on my arm to try to slow me down.
“Yeah, the wine bar’s up the street. What are we doing in a record store?”
“There’s this cool little club downstairs. I know you’ll love it!” I said excitedly. “I came here once with Ryan and it was amazing. Just wait until you see it.”
They followed me reluctantly as I led them towards the back of the shop to the small store room. I walked up to the door and cursed out loud. I’d completely forgotten about the key pad and combination. I could see them exchange worried looks at each other when they thought I wasn’t looking.
“Er—maybe we should just leave,” Candace said.
“No no, I know it’s down stairs. Someone here must know the combination. I swear this club will blow your minds. It’s like straight from the roaring 20s, with a live band and dancers and everything.” I knew I was babbling at this point, but for some reason I’d desperately wanted to show them this place. Almost to reassure myself that it was still there and it hadn’t all been my imagination. “I know! There’s an exit out back. I’m sure if we waited for someone to come out or just knocked—”
“It’s all right,” Lily said. “We believe you.” Her voice was low and soft—soothing, as if she were talking to an insane person. I realized then that I probably sounded pretty crazy, dragging them to the back of a record store and going off about some secret underground club straight from another era. I shook my head ruefully and gave a halfhearted smile.
“I’m sorry. I don’t know what got into me. We should go to the wine bar. Come on,” I said and began walking back out to the front of the store. I ignored the curious stares of the other customers as I held my head up high and focused straight ahead. They probably thought I was drunk or crazy the way I’d stormed into the shop and practically ran to the back. Once we were outside, I let Candace lead the way to the wine bar.
I felt a little guilty that I’d somehow ruined the night with my wild antics. Instead of celebrating Lily’s last night of freedom, they were now worried about my mental state. My mood fell even more at the thought, so that by the time we arrived at the wine bar, it was a struggle for me to pretend to be happy. I tried to put on a brave front, though.
The bar was packed by the time we got there and we were seated at a large communal table next to two young women. They looked to be in their mid-20s and had friendly open faces. I could tell at once they weren’t from around here. As soon as we sat down they introduced themselves.
“Hello, I’m Marlene and this is Hanna,” the bolder of the two girls said. She had a slight southern twang in her voice that confirmed my assumptions.
“Hi, I’m Mel and this is Candace and Lily,” I said returning their greeting.
I could tell that Lily and Candace were a little weary about chatting with strangers, especially tonight, but I overlooked their reluctance. These two girls looked friendly and most importantly like they were fun. That was exactly what we needed tonight. After that little set back at the record store, I knew Lily and Candace were being extra cautious around me, like I was some wounded tiger that they were trying to keep calm and happy in case I lashed out. I didn’t want to be that friend anymore—the one everyone had to walk on eggshells around. I just wanted to let loose.
Hanna and Marlene were from Texas it turned out. They were also funny and entertaining. I could tell Lily and Candace’s initial wariness soon went away as we sat and chatted with them. They told hilarious antics about their time in New York and all the sights and people they’d seen. I couldn’t remember the last time we all laughed that hard. Before I knew it, we’d already gone through three bottles of wine and it was almost midnight. Lily looked at her watch and stood up reluctantly.
“Well, ladies, it’s time for me to go,” she said.
“Oh no,” we all groaned at the same time.
“You sure you can’t stay for a little while longer? It’s not even midnight yet,” Hanna said.
“Sorry, but I’ve got a big day tomorrow,” she said. She shot Candace and me a meaningful look before continuing. “You two should head home soon.”
“Yes mother,” I said sulkily. The last thing I wanted to do was go home. I was having too much fun and going home would just be depressing. “In a little bit.”
I looked to Candace to see if she was staying as well, but she just let out a loud yawn and stretched her arms over her head. “I’m about ready to go too,” she said. “I’ve had a long day and I’m beat. Besides, you know wine always makes me sleepy.”
I was a little disappointed that they were leaving so soon, but I knew Hanna and Marlene were still up for anything. We left the wine bar and Candace and Lily caught a cab back home. Once the cabs dove off, I turned to my two new friends for the night and smiled. I was feeling drunk, restless and like the night was full of possibilities.
“What should we do now?” Hanna asked.
“You’re the expert,” Marlene said looking at me. “What do you recommend?”
“I know just the place.”
***
Whoever said you couldn’t get drunk off of wine was lying. I was more than a little buzzed after we’d left the wine bar and my steps were wobbly as I led my new friends back to the record store. It was like an itch I had to scratch. I don’t know what made me come back but I just had to see for myself that it was still there. My excitement soon turned to disappointment when we arrived and the store was closed. Of course it would be. It was after midnight after all.
“Are you sure this is the right place?” Hanna asked as I cursed and kicked the metal sliding door in front of the shop.
“Yeah there was a club here, or there is one. It’s down under the record store, but there’s no way to get in now,” I said dejectedly.
“How do they get out if it’s closed? Assuming they’re still down there?” Marlene asked. She looked at the store with renewed interest and I could tell the prospect of going to some secret underground club intrigued her. Her words brought a spark of hope to me as I remembered the fire exit Ryan and I had left from that night we came.
I led Hanna and Marlene towards a side street where the fire exit was. It was dark and looked sketchy, but I was determined to try to get i
n. I found the door easily and started banging on it. There was no answer and I was just about to give up hope and turn back to the main street when the doors burst open and a group of elegantly dressed people spilled out. They didn’t even notice the three of us standing there, staring at them in wonder, so caught up were they in their own little world. There were two gentlemen dressed in tuxes and three women in stylish gowns, their arms and necks studded with diamonds and pearls.
They staggered towards the main road and before the door could close behind them, I held it open and motioned Hanna and Marlene to follow me. We walked down the steps towards the sound of music coming from the club.
“Holy cow! This place is amazing!” Hanna and Marlene both whispered in awe once we got to the main room. I smiled at them, pleased that they appreciated this place as much as I did. It was truly stunning. I was just glad there was a party tonight as I remembered Ryan mentioning that the owner only threw it every once in a while.
I noticed we got a few curious looks as we strolled over to the bar, but I ignored it. There was no question that the three of us stood out like sore thumbs in our more casual and modern clothes, while all the other women looked impeccable in their feathered and beaded finery. I was riding a wave of happiness, partly from the alcohol and partly from the fact that I’d finally gotten into the exclusive club. It wasn’t all just my imagination.
Marlene and Hanna ordered Mint Juleps and we casually sipped our drinks while watching the band onstage playing an upbeat swinging number. Once we finished, we ordered another round. Marlene and Hanna looked happy to just sit at the bar and take it all in, but I was starting to feel restless.
There were couples on the dance floor doing the Charleston and I couldn’t help tapping my toes in time to the music. I had the sudden urge to get up and dance and followed my impulses even though I didn’t know the steps.
