Heels, she was wearing heels. The only pair she owned and she almost never put them on. Tonight she was reminded why she didn't wear them as much. They were not that comfortable, to say the least.

The sound of them reflected on the building as she passed through some smaller alleyways. Trying to ignore her already aching feet, Azura focused on the stars shining above instead. The closer she got, the more people were out on the streets. The nightlife was actually quite rich, with a few good pubs, bars, and some clubs here and there for those who preferred dancing. It was all clustered together in three streets but the crowd moved around the whole city center. Especially on nights like these with no rain or snow in the air.

Azura kept her head down while she moved as quickly as possible on those shoes. She did not want anyone to bother her right now as her nerves were through the roof. The whole way she just kept chanting to herself on why she was doing this. It didn't take her long to reach the bar Lucas had told her to come to.

’Pop’s home.’ A cheesy and rather dull name for a place as versatile as it was. Bar and dancing during the night but during the day it was a bar and cafe, serving small bites of food as well. Open from noon till whatever time it closed. Somewhere deep in the night, she believed, judging by the times Lucas came home at times.

Looking around, her gaze fell on the tall, lean man as he was casually leaning against the wall close to the entrance. It wasn’t just her who had dressed up. Wearing a pair of washed-out dark gray jeans she didn’t recognize with a black long-sleeved button-down shirt tucked in the jeans. A brown leather belt finished the look making him look classy yet with a casual style. She could not deny he looked good with the slim-fitted clothes. Also, she wondered why he was outside in the cold without his coat. Some women openly checked him out but he didn’t seem to see it as his eyes focused only on her. She couldn’t help but flash a small smile as he gave her a wave and a big grin.

She could do this. It was just one night.

"Looking good." He let his gaze shift from top to bottom making her feel a little uncomfortable. "You're even wearing lipstick. It suits you."

"Yeah, well, stop gawking, and please elaborate to me about this plan." She had sounded a bit more snappy than she intended to but he didn't seem to take notice.

"Alright, we go in and we both just look around a bit - get yourself acquainted here. As soon as you feel comfortable, you take a seat at the bar and if you see someone you like, just make eye contact with the man and he'll most likely come and talk to you. Easy as that. I'll be around making sure you'll be fine. If, for some reason, you want out, just try to find me and give me a sign. If I'm not around, just go to the bathroom and message me. Last but not least, there is a limit of two alcoholic drinks to make sure we're both sober."

Azura gulped as he made the plan clear and took in a deep breath to calm herself. Why this was so difficult she still had no idea. It wasn’t her first time in a bar, even though it had been a long time. Yet the prospect of going into a crowded place, talk to a stranger, kissing, or becoming intimate with someone...just made her feel uneasy. The last time she had fun in the bedroom had been with Charlie and that was over four years ago. For some reason, she felt that if she were to do this, she would erase him from her past completely. Was she really ready for that?

"Do you trust me, Azu?" Again that damned question. Lucas's voice snapped her out of her thoughts, making her meet his green eyes. Even though she was wearing heels, she still had to look up at him slightly. He gently cupped her face, examining her with a slightly worried look in his vibrant gaze. "You can always say no if you don't want to do this."

"I trust you and I do want to do this. Like you said, it's about time I opened myself up." She gave him a small smile to show him she was ok.

He turned around and gestured for her to follow him inside. It wasn't a very big place. There were some booths where people could sit, a long bar along the side with a couple of seats, and in one corner there was a small stage where either a band or a DJ could play with the dance floor in front of it. It was just a DJ playing now and the music was loud, but not too loud you couldn't speak to each other. It was quite dark, except for some dim lighting along the walls and the colorful lights moving over the dancefloor. Above the bar and the boots were some small, bare LED light bulbs installed which emitted a faint but intimate light.

The faint smell of old beer mixed with sweat and old vomit reached her and Azura scrunched her nose. If she could smell it now, imagine if she wasn't wearing the ring. How Lucas was able to withstand it was one big question mark to her. He had to have enhanced senses of smell and hearing, probably even sight as she would normally have too. He never made it obvious he had them though, and as he had refused to ever shift in front of her, she had started doubting him having extra senses at all. Things never did add up though, so she still wasn’t sure.

Overall it was dark, hazy, and already quite crowded inside. Azura bumped into several people and excused herself every time without really looking at anyone. Some reacted and some didn't. When they stopped, Azura pressed herself against the wall so she was able to oversee most of the place, and had to push down the feeling of running away. Unknowingly, she had closed her eyes for a bit and focused on her heavy breathing.

The hand on her shoulder was reassuring and she was glad Lucas was still with her. She would not have kept it together if it weren't for him, that was for sure. After chanting ‘she would be fine’ in her head over a thousand times, she was able to calm herself and felt that she was slowly relaxing. Nothing was going to happen and she would be just fine. It was just a bar. Nothing more, nothing less. She opened her eyes again and with a newfound determination, shrugged Lucas off and headed to the bar to find herself a seat. It was game on.

She had been sitting there for thirty minutes, chatting with the bartender or other guests. At first, she had found it hard to make contact with other people. It was the bartender she had spoken to first besides ordering a drink. When he had walked off to help other customers another woman had addressed her first and after Azura found it easier to smile and actually make eye contact with people. It was getting easier to loosen up and she actually caught herself having fun. She had sometimes spotted Lucas walking by and flashed him a smile. It seemed like he was having a good time himself.

"Is this seat taken?" A confident man stood before her. With his hand, he combed through his short dark hair while giving her a polite smile. He was handsome alright. He had a charming smile on his clean-shaven face. Azura shook her head and managed to give him a smile in return.

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He sat down next to her and ordered a beer. Square face, blue eyes, almost as blue as hers, she carefully examined him. Overdressed for the place he was in, he looked more like he was going out for a fancy dinner than a bar. Despite that, he looked fit and way out of her league.

"Can I buy you a drink?" He looked at her glass of coke which was nearly empty.

"A beer is fine. Thank you." She was surprised he would give her a drink so quickly. He ordered another beer for her and paid as the beers arrived.

"So what brings a fine lady like yourself to this place?" He raised his glass in a toast and she did the same.

"A long story is what brought me here. But it ended in a challenge which I did not like, but alas, here I am." She chuckled as he gave her a puzzled look.

"So if I may, you probably came here with other people and they left you alone because of this 'challenge'?" He shifted a bit closer, never breaking eye contact.

"Something like that, yes. So now I just want to have a good time. What about you?" She hoped he would start to talk about himself. The fewer questions he asked her, the better.

"I'm here for the weekend. Just like you, I wanted to have a good time tonight and someone recommended this place. Looks like they were right about this bar."

He sized her up without shame and Azura felt a slight blush form on her cheeks. He was flirting and to her great surprise, she liked it. They commenced further with the small talk and she gladly accepted a second beer from him. He was a businessman, wealthy, influential, and maybe a bit too full of himself, but for one night, Azura could look past that. He wasn't her normal type and if she had been seriously dating, she probably would have turned him down already.

After some time, he got up and placed his hand on her shoulder. It was the first physical contact between them and Azura felt a shiver run down her spine as his hand grazed past the bare skin of her arm. For a short moment, she felt like retracting her arm away but she stayed in place. It was not the reaction she had expected and she softly cursed herself for being such a doofus. She never got such a reaction from herself when someone touched her before so why now?

"If you'll excuse me, I have to go to the bathroom. I do hope you'll still be here when I come back." He let her go and gave her a polite smile. As he walked away Lucas appeared out of nowhere.

"By the looks of it, I don't even have to do anything. You got things under control lady. I'm so proud of you!" He pretended to wipe a tear away. "My youngest prodigy is all grown up!" Azura sighed and punched him in the shoulder.

"Stop it, you moron. But yeah, I think I like him. He's nice and easy on the eyes." For some reason, she did not fully convince herself. If Lucas had noticed it, he didn’t show it.

"Good, then I'll take my leave before he comes back." Lucas gave her a wink before walking off.

"No, wait!" There was a hint of panic in her voice but he didn’t hear her as he left. "I don't know if I can do this." she softly added to herself. She frantically searched the place with her eyes but couldn’t see him anymore.

"Were you looking for me?" Azura turned around to see the man had returned from the bathroom. She didn't even know his name and neither did he know hers she realized. Before she could react he took her hand and gave it a small kiss on top. Another shiver ran down her spine as his lips touched the back of her hand.

"Would you like to dance?"

Azura stared at him like a deer caught in headlights. Her mind was racing now that she couldn't see Lucas anymore. Had he really left her to fend for herself? There was a small sense of panic deep inside her and it was growing by the minute. Her eyes darted around the room again until she felt a light tug at her arm bringing her back to this moment. She let herself be guided off the stool. Apparently, she had given him a nod of approval and he was completely unaware of her internal struggle.

Her skin was tingling where he touched hers as he guided her to the dancefloor. The feeling of wanting to retract her arm was growing. Even though he seemed like a nice guy, his touch sent shivers down her spine and it was not the good kind. She pushed the feeling down, it was probably just her paranoia and she needed to get herself back together. She looked at him and noticed his blue eyes looking at her with a questioning look. She flashed him a smile and despite her body resisting, she still grabbed his hand.

What are you doing? I don't like this.

"Sorry I thought I saw something." It was a shitty excuse and she knew it, but he seemed to buy it. The fact that the Phoenix’s voice had the same doubts as she did not make her feel any better. But she didn't know if she was feeding that doubt or if it was acting on its own. There was no reason to react the way she did to him. He was behaving like a gentleman, not giving any signals he wanted to do anything she wouldn't like. What if her gut was wrong for once?

The man started dancing and encouraged her to do the same. She pushed down the last feelings of doubt and closed her eyes to feel the rhythm of the music. Slowly her body started to follow and started to sway along with the beat. It calmed her down and now that he wasn't touching her she actually started to smile again, enjoying the dancing. Dancing with her eyes closed felt as if she was alone. Nobody watching her.

The song changed from a more upbeat tempo to a softer song. Azura opened her eyes to see he had moved in closer. Trying to maintain some distance, Azura took a step back but a push in her back brought her off balance and she fell forward right into his arms.

"Careful now." He whispered in her ear as his hands snaked around her waist. Her hands rested on his chest. The resistance in her body flared up like a flame. She wanted out, it was too much. It was impossible to ignore her gut, the hairs rising on her arms, and the shivers running down her back. Her throat felt parched and talking seemed impossible. She tried to protest but nothing came out. It was like she was shutting down, her body no longer responding to her mind.

You have to get away!

As if she came back to life after the voice spoke up, she softly pushed against his chest trying to regain her balance. He held on and even tightened his hold a little. She bit her lip as she tried to push herself away again but all the strength had left her arms. What was happening to her? She started breathing harder as she felt herself go into panic mode. In a desperate attempt to talk she managed to squeeze out something that sounded like her, but it was weak and soft.

"Could you...let me go?"

As Azura looked up at his face he looked back with a big grin. Before she knew it, he kissed her. His lips were rough on hers and she was too stunned to kiss him back. For a moment she even thought she felt his tongue glide past her lips.

Get away from him or I'll make sure he won't touch us ever again!

The panicky feeling was changing into pure rage; he had kissed her without her consent and she felt her common sense slowly shut down. She was losing control and she felt the heat rise up faster than she could control. It was taking over and she allowed it. With one big push, she managed to break free.

She was fuming, her eyes spewing fire. Her vision started to blur, except for him. He was a target now and she had locked on like she had done before with the three hostage-takers four years ago. For a single second, he seemed confused by her change, but that soon changed into an almost mocking smile. His mouth was moving but she didn’t hear a single word he said. She curled her fingers into a fist and lunged forward only to be caught off guard by someone grabbing her from behind and preventing her from attacking.