”Can I sit down here?” Violet asked as she came to the dreaded table. It wasn’t cursed or anything, though she would have preferred if it had been. However, it wasn’t so and instead there sat a handsome young man with night sky blue hair that hid the right half of his face.
He raised his head to face her and she was met by a pair of the coldest blue eyes she’d ever seen. If it was possible to freeze people just by looking at them, she was sure she’d be an icicle by now.
Her knees wobbled under her and she wondered what he would think of her. Dressed in more than moderately revealing clothes, all sweaty and barely able to stand on her own feet.
That wasn’t a nice thought so she pushed it away while tugging her denim mini-skirt a bit more downwards. She was so preoccupied with it that she almost missed a barely perceptible nod her way.
She smiled widely at that and plopped down into the chair with a loud sigh. She rested like that for a moment before deciding to take her high heels off. Just for this date she had bought a new six inch pair that would make her look tall and graceful.
Or that’s what she thought at first. Her father had driven her to this club so at first she hadn’t noticed what killer heels these were. She could barely stand on them and to top it off they chafed her feet.
There was signs of blood when she took them off and she brushed it off with an annoyed look. This was not going to prevent her to have her perfect day. Her boyfriend, it still sounded strange to call Michael that, had asked her out just a week ago and this was their first real date.
It had to be perfect.
But he was late and she wondered what he would think seeing her sitting with another guy. She wasn’t sure Michael wasn’t the jealous type but it couldn’t be helped since her feet hurt so much and there was not a single space left to sit.
The club he’d chosen was called Cupid’s Heart and on Valentine’s eve it was packed with people. Music was blasting people’s eardrums as couple’s tried to dance or hid in dark booths. She had a feeling they were doing more than whispering sweet nothings but pretended to ignore it.
Red heart shaped confetti was released from the sky at random intervals and loud cheers of laugher or annoyance rang though the club at that. But no one could stay angry for long on this magical candle look-alike light with their loved ones next to them.
This brought her attention back to her companion. He was sitting relaxed in his chair but there was a dark look in his eyes as he sipped his beer. It intrigued her. What was he doing here all alone?
She thought about asking about it but discarded that thought. To be heard over the music she would have had to shout and he probably wouldn’t answer anyway. It was clearly a private matter.
That decided, she turned away from him and took out her phone to check the time. Michael should have been here by now, she didn’t think she’d come here that early. 8.47 said the clock and she sighed heavily.
It was most likely just a traffic jam, nothing to be worried about. But why didn’t he call to explain it to her? He was more than forty-five minutes late now. Should she call him and ask? Or would that make her seem too clingy?
She locked her phone and put it back in her new shiny purse. She had bought everything new for this very evening which had cost her more than half of her life savings. It looked like a great investment at the time.
She turned to watch the crowd again. Most of the girls were dressed-up like her - short skirts or dresses, bright colours and heavy make-up. However, a lot of them looked to be already slightly intoxicated.
A waiter in red jacket passed close by and she waved to get his attention. “Could I get a drink, please?” she asked loudly. The guy nodded, wrote something on his notepad and left. She smiled at that before her expression turned sour.
She was sitting with a random guy on Valentine’s day and ordering herself a drink. That reminded her how she had laughed at her best friend when she said this might happen. Mary hadn’t trusted Michael and said he was a shady character.
Violet hadn’t believed her but her trust was wavering. Where was he?
She checked her phone again. 9.05. It was an hour past.
Carefully she stood up from her seat. The blue haired guy glanced her way but didn’t say anything. After a moment’s thought she left her heels next to the chair in a hope that they would protect it from being taken.
Then she slowly made her way to the restroom. It took close to ten minutes to do as the place was filled with people. They milled around, blocking her path and making her walk around them.
However, after a long while she finally managed to reach her destination and was thoroughly disappointed. The place was packed with girls reapplying their make-up, correcting their appearances and making sure they looked their best.
And they were chattering. Loudly.
There was no way she could call anyone in this place and hear a word. Disappointed she left and went for the exit when she remembered the line to enter back. If she left, she’d have to stay outside on bare feet for an hour or two to be allowed back in.
Frustrated she stomped back to her seat next to the brooding guy and fell down with a loud huff. That rewarded her with an icy glare but she didn’t really care. She was past that point.
It was an hour and a half past the meeting time and Michael was not here. She wrote him a short message asking about his whereabouts but didn’t really expect a reply. If he hadn’t deemed it worthy to explain himself till now, it doubtfully was happening any time soon.
The waiter came with a glass of pinkish liquid and she donned it down in a single gulp. The guy looked slightly surprised by that but didn’t say anything, simply picked her glass and left.
She waited a moment, expecting something to happen but nothing did. Wasn’t she supposed to get drunk or something? She had just donned a whole glass of alcohol!
Where was the numbness that everyone so talked about? Dizziness? Loss of control? It was her first time drinking! Wasn’t she supposed to get drunk from the smallest amount?
In less than five minutes the waiter returned and she quickly rose to take up the glass. And wavered. What was happening to her?
She took the glass but instead of drinking put in on the table and when the waiter went away tried to stand up again. The slow approach to it helped and she didn’t come close to falling but her body seemed slightly less inclined to follow her orders than she would have liked.
And now that she was looking into it her mind wasn’t in perfect condition either. There was a strange stuffiness to it as if it was filled with wool. Was this what everyone was so addicted to?
She shook her head in wonder and tried a sip of her drink. It tasted sweet like strawberries but she had a feeling it was more than that. Something she was no longer sure she wanted to know about.
Something vibrated in her purse and it took her a full minute to understand where it had come from. A phone. Someone had written her. Did she dare to open it?
She was about to ignore it when her position donned on her. She was alone, without money and in a city eighty miles away from her home town. Michael was supposed to bring her back and without him she knew no one here.
That was a scary thought and she rushed to open her phone. There was a simple message inside. “Cone outslde.”
She stared at it for a long while before checking the time. 10.00. Exactly two hours past the time. And he was even clearly wasted, unable to write two words without a mistake.
Her friend had warned this might not go as well as she had expected but in no way had either of them seen something like this happening. There was no evening together. She had wasted all her money and expectations on him and he came to her late and drunk.
If he agreed to bring her home, she would have to count herself lucky.
Angrily, tears welling up in her eyes, she put her heels back on and walked out without really looking where she was moving to. People got in her way but she pushed them away, receiving loud curses and a few shoves back.
Somehow she managed to stay on her feet and reach the exit. She was about to rush out when she took a last look back. She wanted to remember this place, one where she had been humiliated so thoroughly. There was no way she was ever getting a boyfriend again.
Her feet took her out and she found herself in a downpour. The sky seemed to be mad at her weakness, laughing at all the work she had done to prepare herself for this. Her hair fell lifeless to her body under the heavy rain, the dress got soaked in moments and her heels slid on the ground.
She fell with a loud humph, her right foot bursting into flames. Or so it felt as she tried to raise herself from the ground. She let herself stay on the damp payment and took off her heel to see her ankle. It didn’t look any different in the darkness but every touch hurt. Even rain drops were painful, though the coldness they left was comforting.
“Are you okay?” asked a warm voice from nearby. She raised her head to meet the steely gaze of the guy she’d been sitting all evening with. “What are yo-? she started to ask when her own mind supplied the answer. She had left without paying for her drinks!
“I’m so sorry!” she shouted out trying to stand up and almost falling again with a grimace. Her right foot hurt but if she didn’t put any pressure on it, she could stay up. Or try to at least. “I didn’t mean to leave like that! I’m so sorry!”
The guy’s lip lifted up at that but he shook his head. “It’s fine. How is your leg?” She looked down at it and could have sworn it was larger than moments ago, swelling. “It’s okay. My friend will soon come to pick me up.”
“The one you’ve been waiting for all evening?” he asked in a voice she wasn’t sure she liked. “Yes, sorry for troubling you. He had some problems but now it’s okay. He’ll drive me home.”
The blue haired guy nodded at that and turned to leave when a group surrounded them both. Michael was at their front, dressed in black trousers, polo shirt and with his brownish hair in disarray as was his usual style.
Next to him stood a scantily clothed brunette that seemed to be annoyed at losing Michael’s attention when he turned to glare at Violet, his face contorting into a mask of fury. “What da ya think you’re dooing?” he screamed at her, pushing her back.
She took a step back and hissed as sharp pain shot up her leg.
Violet took a glance around and noticing she was a step away from a wall moved to it with a pained expression on her face. She wasn’t sure if it was because of the leg or seeing Michael with another on their special evening.
“Who is he?” Michael screamed again, moving so he was right before her. “Can’t leeve ya alone for a moment, can? What a w-”
His words were cut short as a punch came his way. It hit him on the left cheek, the force from it falling him to the ground. Water splashed on her legs but Violet barely felt it . What was going on here?
The blue haired guy was standing next to her with a somewhat satisfied look on his face. When Michael tried to stand up and glare his way, the guy just looked at him as if he was an insignificant fly. “That’s not the way to act towards your Valentine’s date.”
“It’s not your bushiness, get out and leave us alone or elshe...” Michael threatened and Violet wondered when had she thought he was a good guy. It felt like a life time ago. He was nothing more than a poor excuse for a human being.
“Or else?” the guy asked with a laugh in his voice. Violet glanced around, noticing the seven or so people around and not finding this situation funny in the least. “You don’t have to...” she whispered to him. “I can deal with him.”
He gave her a look that said she was being stupid but took a step back. She thanked him in her mind for that. “Michael, he’s a nobody. Leave him be. Let’s just go home peacefully.”
“Home?” the guy asked in surprise, his eyes clearing up from the drunkenness for a moment. “But the evening’s just beginning! There’s tons of bars to enter! This is our night!”
Her eyes widened at that knowledge. He couldn’t be thinking she would still go with him, could he? Apparently he did if his next words were something to come by.
“You’re all dresshed up, I can’t let it go to waste, now can I? What kind of boyfriend would I be then?” he answered, only barely slurring. The wind, clear air and rain gushing down was quickly sobering him up.
“I’m tired, just bring me home” she said in the most pathetic voice she could manage. “My parents will also be worried. You promised to bring me back before twelve.”
“Oh, who cares about that. They’ll deal with it. You’re a grown woman now, can choose such things for yourself!” he said, moving closer to her. She wanted to scream at him that she was choosing going home, but stayed quiet to not antagonise him more than necessary.
However, he seemed to have taken her silence as agreeing as he explained even more of supposedly their perfect evening together.“There will be a party after at my house. My parents are away and I know where their vodka stash is. Everyone that matters will be there - John, Lianna, Robin and a few others. You can’t miss that!”
“Sorry, Michael. I’m just really tired. Please, bring me home. You can do that, right?” she asked softly, touching his hand in a belief that it would signify her trust of him.
Like everything else today, it didn’t go as planned. Michael took it as affection and brought her closer to himself, dragging her on her swelling foot. She grimaced in pain but he didn’t notice it. “I knew you would come around” he whispered in her ear proudly, apparently haven’t heard a word she’d said. “Let’s go now.”
He snaked his arm around her against her protests and tried to bring her closer to the road where a car stood next to a sign saying “NO PARKING”. “Michael, let me go. I’m not going with you.”
“Yes, you are. It’s time you stopped being a good girl and learnt about real life. You’ll thank me for that later on” he whispered to her in a lewd manner.
That was too much. There was no way she was getting in a car with him. Not now, not ever. She pushed against him and not expecting it, he stumbled a few steps back. “Get away from me” she hissed in a shaky voice, her voice trembling in anger.
He smiled cruelly. “And how my dear Violet are you coming back home then? Is your knight in shining armour going to come to save you in this too?”
She didn’t turn back, there was no point to see the pitying glance in the guy’s eyes. And without that humiliation and embarrassment washed over her whole body, turning her crimson.
She had trusted Michael and allowed him to draw her out of her safe small town to this unknown city where she knew no one. And he had decided to do it on the weekend that her parents had went on vacation, driving her here and then going forward to their destination. Had Michael known?
Anyway, even if she could reach them it would be like stealing a candy form a baby. Her parents weren’t the richest of people and they had saved up for long to go on this two day journey. She couldn’t interrupt it but from the way this was going it wasn’t going to be a choice.
Tears ran down her cheeks, hidden under the heavy rain.
“And what if I will?” came a voice from beside her. She whirled around, hissing as pain shot up her leg again, to see the blue haired guy had once again come up behind her and was looking at Michael with his lips turned up in disgust. “What if I’ll take her home?”
“She won’t go” Michael laughed taking a step towards them. “She’ll think you’re a deranged human that only wants to use her. It took her years to agree to become even a friend.”
If you come across this story on Amazon, it's taken without permission from the author. Report it.
Violet expected a look or something from the guy but he didn’t glance her way. “For good reason she hesitated apparently” he said sarcastically.
Michael’s eyes almost popped open at that, a vein on his neck bulging up. “You t-” he started when his brunette friend came closer. She wrapped her hands around his torso and loudly whispered in his ear. “Why are you trying so hard? Just leave her. She’s not worth it and the sale in Rick’s should have started by now. We should hurry or there will be no beer left for us.”
Michael scrunched his eyebrows at that before snaking his hand around her waist and turning away from Violet. “You’re not worth it” he whispered as a parting gift and filed in with his friends into the large car.
In moments she was left alone with the blue-haired guy at her side.
“Thank you for standing up to me, I appreciate it” she said, turning to face him. He was drenched but somehow he managed to make it look nice on him. He was one special individual.
“It’s no problem. Can you walk on that leg or should I bring the car around here?” he asked taking a step closer to her. It was too close for her comfort and she took a step back. Again.
It hurt. A lot. “I dare say you should stay here while I get it” he said, eyeing her in an indiscernible way.
“Oh, it’s no problem!” she said, smiling at him with pink cheeks. “You shouldn’t worry about me! I can take care of myself!”
There it was, the same look he’d given her when she said she’ll take care of Michael alone. The guy seemed to be very fond of it but this time he wasn’t backing down. “I would gladly agree to it but I find it to be bad manners to leave a girl alone on a cold night.”
“I’m perfectly fine on my own!” she said moving away from him with wary eyes. He might have acted nicely but he was still an unknown person. For all she knew he could only be acting nicely.
He took a step back, understanding dawning on his face. It soon turned into a smile as he raised his hands in mock surrender. “It’s fine by me if I don’t have to do anything. But at least let me stick around while your ride comes. A dark street at night is not a place for a lone girl.”
“Ride...” she repeated, all her fear and energy leaving her, making place for weariness. She took her phone out, leaning over the screen to hide it a bit from the rain and opened her contacts.
There was an unsurprisingly small amount of them. Five in total - mother, father, two friends and Michael. All of which were unavailable. For the first time in her life she regretted being so reserved around other people. She could talk normally, like them even but in the end she was always too afraid to trust them.
And because of that she was now alone in an unknown city, unable to walk, soaked to the bone and freezing in the cold wind without anyone to call upon. It was one fantastic evening if there ever was one.
“You don’t look too happy” the guy noted with a slight smile, throwing his head back to get hair out of his right eye.
She waited for more but there was nothing. He simply looked and waited for her to make the next move. If she wanted to use his offer, she would have to a- But did she want to?
He was an absolute mystery to her. All she knew was that he had a handsome face and was alone on Valentine’s. Facts that helped her nothing in trying to believe in him. More than not, they signified him as someone dangerous.
Yet the way he had acted had been nice. He protected her when Michael was trying to sully her name and took a step back when she asked him to. On top of that, he had had no obligation to help her. Even now he was standing here, getting soaked and most likely catching a cold simply because she wasn’t safe alone.
“What is your name?” she asked finally, raising her eyes to meet his through the curtain of rain. He looked a bit taken aback by the question but answered none the less. “Kai. You?” “Violet.”
“So Violet, what is going to happen now?” She looked to the side as a certain knowledge what she was going to do came upon her. It scared her but at the same time she felt invigorated, alive for once. “Does your offer still stand?”
He nodded at that. “Will you be okay while I bring the car around?” “I should be” she answered, sitting down on the ground. It wasn’t like she could get more soaked or cold and her feet needed rest. Now that her mind came to a decision, her body relaxed and the pain in her leg doubled.
He looked doubtfully at her but didn’t say anything and left. She watched his disappearing back and had a strange though of whether he was going to come back. She tried to believe him, that he wouldn’t reconsider it when he was no longer seeing her pitiful state but it was hard.
She took a better look at her leg, trying to get her mind away from any worries. It was swollen but not as badly as she would have expected. Was the cold helping or had the strain been less than she had first thought?
As she wondered that, a car stopped near the pavement. It wasn’t shiny new but nothing beaten down either, a simple, compact dark coloured one. The blue haired guy Kai walked out of it and came to help her stand up. “Thanks” she murmured taking his hand and leaning on his shoulder as not to put any weight on her injured leg.
She also wanted to thank him for agreeing to bring her home but the words just didn’t want to leave her mouth. Even though she had decided to trust him, somewhere deep within her a little voice was telling her it was a folly. However, she did her best to shut it up and sat down in the passenger’s seat.
“Take this” he said raising something from beneath her feet. “I got some ice to keep your leg cold. It’s not too bad or do you need to see a doctor?”
She looked at it for a moment before shaking her head. “I’ll be fine, just bring me home.” He nodded returning to his seat and started the car, turning it into a street opposite where she wanted to go. “Where are we going?”
“There’s a mall nearby” he said as if that was all the explanation required. Then he glanced her way and noticing confusion in her eyes added. “You can get some dry clothes there. You have some money, right?”
She nodded at that. She had taken the rest of her savings that had been left after shopping. It would have been enough to return home by bus if she only hadn’t waited for Michael for so long. Now, however, there were none around and the taxi would have cost her five times as much as she had.
A minute later they were there but she didn’t want to leave the car, return to the rain and then have to walk on her strained foot.
Yet Kai was right. Not taking in account how uncomfortable it was, if she stayed wet like this, she would catch a cold and that was something she really didn’t want.
With his help, she quickly left for the shop and located the cheapest pieces of clothing she needed. Then she went to the toilets and to her surprise found a shower there.
It was a public place but had warm water so she quickly washed herself and then put on her new clothes. They weren’t a perfect fit but dry and that was all that mattered.
“Let’s go there” he pointed at a few tables near a counter of some sort. There were no signs on it as to what was being sold there. “Why?” “The shopkeeper there sells the best hot chocolate ever and it wouldn’t hurt to get warm. What do you say?”
Violet glanced at her purse. There were still a few coins left. It was the last of her whole life savings but she nodded in agreement none the less. Warmth would be a welcome thing here and what was the point of saving those few little coins? She had lost everything tonight, there was no point to pretend otherwise.
They sat down opposite each other and soon the shopkeeper, a burly man in his thirties with a bright smile on his face, brought them two cups of steaming hot chocolate.
Violet tasted it and closed her eyes as the taste overwhelmed her. It was the most delicious thing she’d tasted in a long while. But the feeling didn’t last long and her eyes landed on her companion.
The blue haired guy, as she preferred to call him still, had his head lowered over his cup. She watched him take a sip and smile in appreciation. He then looked up and she quickly turned her gaze away, taking a large mouthful of her own drink.
It was hot. She had to give it that as it rushed down her throat leaving trail of flames behind. She choked then almost, her face turning red from embarrassment and lack of oxygen.
Kai raised his eyebrow and she smiled sheepishly at him, shaking her head. It was strange. She wanted to say something, make a joke of it but for some reason her mind was empty.
Well, empty was the wrong way to describe it. In truth, it was too full of everything. She thought up ten things to say but found twenty reasons why each and every one would make her look like a fool.
She glanced at him again, holding the cup in her hands to enjoy its warmth. Kai was looking at her so she instantly shifted her gaze away to the counter. The man was sitting there, almost hidden behind it and reading a novel. There were no signs about his reason for being there and she wondered how he managed to sell anything.
Yet soon her thoughts returned to the uncomfortable silence that had descended on their table. It wasn’t like they had talked a lot previously but somehow now it felt oppressive. Wrong. Or was it only her?
She couldn’t tell if he felt anything of the like. He simply sat there with half of his face hidden behind his hair and watching her with the other eye.
“Do you come here often?” she finally blurted out, unable to take the silence and what it could mean. He shrugged. “Not lately” he said with a soft smile. “I was pretending that I grew out of it.”
“Out of what?” she asked interested. He took a small sip of his liquid before answering. “This place since it is the favourite one among children. In high school everyone likes to pretend they no longer like it and stop going here.”
“We’re such fools” he added after a moment, taking a large gulp from this cup. “I have to agree to it” Violet said with a laugh, her nerves calming down now that the silence was gone. “This chocolate is amazing! I’d probably come every day if I lived here.”
“That’s a bit too much chocolate, wouldn’t you say so?” “Maybe” she said, making her eyes go sideways in an innocent expression. They both laughed at that. “But for real, why is it open now? It’s around eleven, isn’t it?”
Kai shrugged at that. “I have no idea. The owner is a strange fellow. He owns this whole building and put this little place even though he gains little profit by hiring people to work night shifts when almost no one comes.”
“I wish him all the best for doing that” she said, taking another taste of her chocolate. It was heavenly. “So do I” Kai agreed wholeheartedly. “Are you done?”
Violet looked at her cup and felt her heart break. It was almost finished. “From your expression I’d guess the answer is yes.” She nodded dismally. He laughed at that.
“Let’s go. It’s late and I think you prefer to get back home and put this day behind you.” The nod this time was more energetic as she picked a spoon and finished the last drops.
She was going to miss it. It was the best thing that had happened all day long and the only reason she wasn’t going to simply delete this day from her memory. There was no way she was forgetting this little shop.
She stood up and tried to carry the cup to the thrash can but her right leg protested at that. The pain wasn’t as strong as back then, when she had just hurt it, but still there.
“Give me that” Kai said, stealing her empty paper cup and throwing it out before turning back to face her. “I’ll drive the car closer to the entrance.”
He left her alone then and slowly she made her way towards the exit. It was nice that he didn’t try to help her move. It might have been easier and hurt less but the level of embarrassment would have tripled.
It was much better to move in her slower pace and without anyone looking.
Well, to say no-one would have been a stretch. There were other customers around but only a few and they didn’t seem to be paying her much attention. One glance and back to whatever they were doing.
Like he said Kai had brought the car a few steps away from the doors and Violet skipped them in her hurry to escape the rain. It made her grimace in pain but she believed it was worth it. She didn’t want to get drenched again.
She put her seatbelt on and he moved them away from the shop. “So where is it you want to go?” She smiled at the way he phrased it. “Where the sun rises” she answered and he chuckled at it, turning the car in the right direction.
“You’re from Willowill, aren’t you?” he asked, making a turn right. He wasn’t going too slow but not speeding either. It was a fine pace for her tired mind.
So fine she was soon asleep.
~ Two hours later
“Wake up, we’re here” someone whispered, bringing her back from the world of dreams. It was a sad thing as she was met with a throb in her leg and another in her neck from an uncomfortable position.
However, the moment she opened her eyes, she was forced to reconsider her statement of it being a sad thing. A guy with dark blue hair and mesmerising morning sky blue eyes was looking at her in a friendly manner. “Sleeping beauty, are you here? I need a specific address.”
Violet yawned widely, looking through the front window. They were standing next to the entrance to her little town. It was so unexpected, she could do nothing but stare at it. Ten years of believing people were selfish, uncaring beings and then when she needed help someone gave it to her.
Wasn’t karma or something supposed to prevent her from meeting good people just because she didn’t believe in them?
“Hey, you okay? You look a bit feverish” he said and she turned back to him. He was sitting there casually, half-turned to her and unaware of the ground breaking, earth-shattering discovery she’d just made. “Go straight and turn left on the third turn.”
He nodded at that and revived the engine, driving them in the path she’d mentioned.
Large oak trees welcomed her home and a wide smile bloomed on her face. She was really here. Home. Safe and alive. It felt like a dream but she knew it wasn’t one.
Her driver chuckled and she turned to him. “What?” “You look pretty when you smile. You should do it more often” he said one of the most cliché lines without beating a bat. She could feel her face turning bright pink and turned away from him in a vain attempt to hide her embarrassment.
Luckily, they were almost on her doorstep and she could escape the car.
“Thank you for everything” she said putting as much feeling in her words as she could when she opened her door to leave. “I don’t know what I would have done without you.”
He nodded solemnly at that, all laughter gone from his face and she was about to close the door when her hand resisted. She didn’t want this encounter to end. She didn’t want to never see again the person that saved her on this fateful Valentine’s evening .
She could feel her cheeks reddening even more as she grasped her purse tighter in her hand and leaned back in for the last few words. The embarrassment of it was sure going to stay with her for years to come but not doing it would haunt her forever.
“Would you... Would you mind...” she cursed her shaking voice and blurted it all in one short gasp. “Would you mind giving me your telephone number?”
Kai looked stunned for a moment by her outburst but slowly, as if in slow motion, one of his lip corners turned upwards in an obvious grin.