AllFreeNovel
Share Us
CHAPTER ONE
Sawyer
Shit. I really fucked up...
I should’ve spoken to Harlow about what happened, but I never thought she’d have known. To be truthful, if it had happened one week earlier, I’d have probably fucked that woman from the gym, and Harlow clearly knows me well enough to know that. The difference is now I find the whole thing sickening, and the last thing I want is for Harlow to think I wanted some random woman’s hands on me. The fact she doesn’t know she’s all I want—all I’ve ever really wanted—is my fault, and I’m determined to make up for it, starting as soon as she’s back. I don’t want her to go another minute thinking she’s not everything I need and more.
I move away from the group of Liv’s friends—I’ve zoned out of the conversation anyway—and am heading toward the bar when I spot Ezra. He takes in my glum expression and steps away from the group he was in.
“What’s up with you?”
“Harlow’s pissed at me.” I know I sound like a sulky child, but I hate it. We’ve never really argued. Nothing more than housemate bickering, and even that only ever lasted minutes.You’ve left your damp towel on the sofa, you left the milk out of the fridge. I don’t think we’ve ever had actual bad blood between us in all the years we’ve known each other, not until we let our feelings get in the way.
Ezra frowns and looks around for Harlow, but he can’t see much past the people moving around us, with it being so busy in here.
“Where is she?”
“She’s taking a call,” I tell him, gesturing toward the side she wandered off to as he nods.
“What did you do?” he asks, tilting his head at my grimace, but he soon rolls his eyes as I recount how the client grabbed me and Harlow caught the show, though she must have missed the part where I told the woman to keep her hands to herself. My own annoyance grows at the situation. If only I’d made it clear to everyone I was spoken for. If only she’d have watched for a second longer. Not that it makes me somehow right in this situation, and Ezra seems to agree. “No wonder she’s pissed. You didn’t tell her?” he asks when I’m done, and I shrug.
“I didn’t think to, honestly. I never thought she’d have seen.”
He sighs at my feeble excuse. “What if she got hit on tonight? Or while she was out alone with Fleur? Would you expect her to keep that quiet?”
My jaw tightens at his words. Of course I’d want to know. I can’t explain why, because there’s not a lot I could do about it after the fact, but I’d want to hear anyway. I can’t stand other guys looking at her, let alone trying for a shot with her. Ezra knows my answer already, a brow raised in atold you somanner as I sigh.
“I’ll go find her,” he says with a clap to my shoulder, and I nod as he turns to thread his way through the crowd.
I divert to the bar to order some more drinks, not in the mood to make idle chit chat with anyone else, and I must give off that message loud and clear because everyone leaves me alone. I get a couple of confused looks from people who know me, knowing I’m usually a total social butterfly, but I don’t care. I’m just waiting for my girl. I order beers for me and Ezra and a glass of wine for Harlow, but when he comes back around ten minutes later—alone—I grow antsy with the need to have Harlow in my arms.
“I can’t find her,” he says with a frown. “I’ll ask Liv to check the restrooms.”
I nod and spin away from the bar, scanning the crowd myself as he disappears again but not glimpsing her bright blond hair anywhere. When he comes back shaking his head, I start to worry. Has she left? Would she have gone home alone because of my bullshit? God, I’m a fucking idiot. Grabbing my phone, I check my notifications to make sure she hasn’t messaged, but there’s nothing. She wouldn’t walk off on her own, putting herself at risk, even if she is pissed at me... right? At least, I don’t think she would. I pull her number up and dial, pressing the phone to my ear and blocking the other to try and hear above the noise, but it rings and rings until her soft recorded voice comes down the line telling me to leave a message after the beep. With a grumble of frustration, I end the call, typing out a text instead.
Sawyer:I’m sorry. Let me apologize properly. Where are you?
“She’s not answering,” I tell Ezra, even though it’s quite obvious. “Let’s see if anyone else has seen her.”
I try to keep calm—she’s probably caught up in conversation with someone—but I know I won’t chill out until I can see her myself. We ask Eli and Liv and her friends again, as well as the bartenders. Everyone has seen her at some point tonight, but no one can pinpoint exactly when or if it was recently. Either way, she’s not with any of them now, nor anywhere we can find. The girls check the restrooms periodically, hoping she’s slipped past us, but she’s gone.
“Where else could she be?” Ezra asks, running his hand down his face. I’m not the only one getting increasingly stressed. “Would she have left?”
He’s asking the question I’ve been asking myself, but I really don’t think so, especially not without even sending a message, but it’s becoming quite apparent that she’s not in the bar.
“Let’s check.” We both head to the doors, where there is a security guard on either side. “Hey, did she come out here?” I ask them both, showing them a photo of Harlow on my phone. “She’s wearing a pink dress tonight.”
They both nod, and one answers. “Yeah. Went back in not long after, though.” I should feel relief that she hasn’t wandered off, but she’s not in the fucking bar.
“You’re sure she went back in?”
“Yeah, I’m sure. She’s pretty hard to miss.” The shorter guy guffaws with a smirk, and rage envelops me in a hot flush. Only Ezra’s hand on my shoulder pulling me back inside stops me from smacking him straight in the mouth.
“You’re not gonna help if you get kicked out,” he reminds me. “You go clockwise, I’ll go anti. And keep calling her. She’s bound to check her phone soon.”
I nod, my jaw still tense, and continue our search. I have my phone to my ear constantly, only pulling it away to redial when the ringing clicks over to her voicemail. I scan the crowd over and over, needing to see the flash of her hair, her dress, wishing for anything, but it doesn’t come. Instead, I meet Ezra on the opposite side of the room, and he’s alone, holding something that makes my heart drop. Harlow’s phone, with my name flashing across the screen, now with a crack straight through the center. I pull mine away from my ear and numbly end the call.
“Where did you get that?” My worry is quickly turning into full panic.
