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I managed to hide any damage I had created in the house from Rose. She wasn’t even aware that when she’d walked out that day that I’d had the breakdown of the century.
Ham had talked me down. He was a sweet guy, I even began to wonder why he’d joined the club since he seemed so strait-laced and from such a proper family.
Since that day, my emotions had calmed. Only a little, but they had calmed. I had even made it to class two days this week. Rose practically forced me out the door. But that was what I needed, someone telling me to wake the fuck up and move on with my life.
I sat at the kitchen table, scrolling through an article on the nutritional benefits of certain plants and vegetables. It wasn’t really my thing, more Rose’s, but it was compulsory to learn about during my degree.
I heard the click clack of heels on the wooden floor and looked up just as Rose came to the end of the hall. She looked stunning. Her hair was pulled back in a tight pony, and she had light makeup on, just enough to accentuate her already stunning features. Her dress was simple, black with a shimmer of glitter that hit right at mid-thigh and had thick straps that went over her shoulders.
“Wow, you look fabulous!” I told her, my jaw hanging open. Rose grinned and did a little twirl. I could appreciate the female body just as well as any male, and this girl had it going on. I closed the lid of my computer – it had managed to survive my temper tantrum and started gathering the mess of books and papers I had left strewn across the table. “I’m going to climb into my PJ’s and finish this in bed.”
She held up another dress on a coat hanger. It was a deep purple color with blue accents. “I don’t think they let people into nightclubs wearing pajamas,” she said with a soft, almost unsure smile. I stared at her confused. “I figure our night, the other night, got cut short. We really didn’t get to have much fun. Keen to have another try?” She shifted from leg to leg, I could tell she was nervous and unsure of what my answer would be.
I smirked. “Are you sure that’s a good idea?”
“Oh, I’m sorry, I thought you were a girl who liked to have fun. Must have been another Chelsea that I had here last Friday.” She turned to walk away and I couldn’t help but laugh.
“Well…” She stopped but didn’t turn around. “I could go for a drink or ten right about now.”
She turned and tossed the dress at me. “I’ll call us a cab, you’ve got fifteen minutes.”
The base of the music racked my body, thumping through my chest and head. My brain protested, the amount of crying and moping I’d done in the last couple days had left it foggy and full. But I powered through. Rose was right, I needed to do something to take my mind off Optimus or I would still be sitting in her apartment, wondering what he was doing and whether I should go back.
Rose pulled at my hand, dragging me toward the bar and pushing me into a free stool. Her eyes were scanning the club, even as she ordered us drinks from the preppy looking blonde girl who was tending the bar.
“Who are you looking for?” I asked, moving my mouth close to her ear so she could hear me over the music.
She laughed. “No one. Just checking to make sure there are no big scary bikers following us, about to drag you away again.”
I didn’t mention that I’d already tagged Ham as soon as he walked through the doors before he disappeared into the crowd. Ham had become a permanent fixture. I knew Op had someone on me constantly, more often than not it was Ham. I felt bad for him, having to watch me night and day. But he didn’t seem to mind. We’d fallen into a comfortable routine.
I shook my head. “Nah, I left remember?”
Rose was nervous around the brothers, Blizzard in particular. I wasn’t sure why. I know sometimes they caught a bad rep, but they would never hurt her. We sat and drank our drinks for a while, the alcohol soothing my body but only a little. My mind was still running wild. Rose seemed to be enjoying herself, I wasn’t sure how much she’d had to drink as she seemed to be talking a lot more than normal, and really about nothing. I smiled and nodded, wondering whether this night out was really for me or if she had just needed an excuse to get out. Either way, I wasn’t bothered. Rose had been a great friend to me since Harmony had left for Troy, and I was willing to do whatever I could to take some of the stress that I knew she held on her shoulders.
“Can I buy you a drink?”
I turned my head to see a good looking guy standing beside me. He was dressed well, dress shirt, expensive looking jeans, and his smile was wide, but it was the predatory look in his eyes that I didn’t like.
I lifted my still half full glass. “I’m okay for now, thanks,” I told him politely.
I heard Rose giggle and turned to see another man who looked much the same standing next to her, licking his lips like he’d found his next meal. It didn’t take much to guess that these guys were here together and had picked us out of the crowd.
“Come on babe, just a drink? We could go find a seat and have a chat if you’d like?” I turned my attention back to the man at my side who was still smiling at me despite the fact his body was tight and rigid.
“I’m fine. But thanks,” I said my voice a little sterner this time. One thing I wasn’t was a pushover. I hadn’t got to where I was today by letting anyone, especially men, force me to do things that I didn’t want to.
I reached over and touched Rose’s hand, pulling her attention away from the creep that was basically on top of her, he was standing so close.
“Do you wanna go somewhere else?” I asked, fully aware that the man at my side had not moved an inch, even at my decline to want his company.
Her eyes flicked to him before they came back to me. “Grant invited us to go to a party with them,” she said gesturing over her shoulder, “we should go!”
The creep eyed me with an intensity that made my stomach sink.
“I really don’t think that’s a good idea,” I said, trying to use my eyes to portray to her that we needed to get away from these guys and fast.
“Come on, Chel. Please?” she said gripping my hand in hers.
