Page 5 of The Diávolos: Part One
“When is Danny getting here so I can ignore you both for the rest of the night?” I ask with a hand on my hip, showing them the finger with the other.
I try hard to maintain a humorless facial expression, but we can’t contain our giggles and burst out laughing. The doorman lets us in, and we walk to the bar arm in arm. I don’t know what the future has in store for us, but being here with two of my best friends makes the unknown seem a little less scary. As long as we have each other, everything will be okay. Since moving to Antium and meeting them, I’ve not been as stressed and I rarely get panic attacks anymore. I feel like I can finally let go and relax.
The Watertower Bar is at the top of a gigantic water tower and has the most beautiful views of the Antium City skyline from the Burg. It’s mid-June, so the weather is warm and breezy, which means we can enjoy the outdoor patio. The hostess brings us to our table, and we order drinks while waiting for Danny. When he arrives, we order another round and let the night begin.
Amanda and I grace the dance floor with our drinks in hand, our bodies twist and twirl as we feel the effects of the alcohol. The DJ is playing early 2000s songs tonight and we’re mouthing all the lyrics to ‘Baby Boy’ by Sean Paul and Beyoncé. Nikki and Danny are at the bar ordering more drinks. A cosmo for Amanda, a spicy margarita for me, a dirty vodka martini for Nikki, and a gin and tonic for Danny. It’s Saturday night, so the bar is packed, the music is loud, and I couldn’t be happier to be here with these people.
A few handsome men approach us, and we entertain them for a while. They buy us drinks and tell us about their “interesting” lives. Guys always do the most gloating when trying to impress women. I roll my eyes at one of them after he mentions his high-paying job and expensive sports car.
Rule number one: never gloat about how much money you make. Most women don’t get off on egotism.
Either way, I don’t do one-night stands and I don’t date. I always use the excuse of focusing on school and my career. But deep down, I put an X on love a long time ago because of my parents. It gets lonely sometimes, but you can still feel alone even if you have someone. It’s life’s cruelest irony.
After a break from the dance floor and some much needed fresh air, we walk back toward our table.Tonight has been perfect. I’m tipsy and in a good headspace. I’m with my favorite people, and I’m having a great time. Danny leaves us to go chat with the cute male bartender. I catch Nikki eyeing him at the bar a few times and I notice a glimpse of something in her eyes. I can’t figure out if it’s jealousy, possessiveness, or just plain judgment.
As we navigate through the throng of partiers, I take in my surroundings. I like to prowl ordinary places, people-watch, and observe them interact. I’d sometimes rather go unnoticed and fade into the crowd than be the center of attention.
As I scan the bar, my gaze lands on a tall and bulky man staring at me, studying me from the tip of my toes to the curls on my head. The hairs on the back of my neck stand up and I duck my head to dislodge his gaze, an attempt to hide from his stare. When his light green eyes reach mine, he looks away.Weird. I shift my weight from one heel to the other, trying to brush off the unease as I take a seat next to Nikki.
She yells over the music, “Have you seen that guy?” She gestures her head toward the man. “He’s been staring at you for a little while now. You should go talk to him,” she says with a wink while she pokes the side of my boob.
“No, thank you,” I quickly dismiss the idea and swat Nikki’s hand away. I don’t know who he is, but I wouldn’t touch him with a ten-foot pole. The intense way he was studying me made me feel nervous and uncomfortable.
Danny suddenly appears at my side and says, “You’re no fun. You need to loosen up, babe.” He sits across from Amanda and continues, “You’re beautiful and you deserve to get laid.” Nikki and Amanda animatedly bob their heads in agreement.
He might be right, but I don’t need sex badly enough to sleep with someone who gives me the creeps.
“I get enough love from you cuddling me at night,Danny boy,” I retort, mischievously.
Daniel flicks my arm. “Coquine,” he says, and I choke with laughter.Naughty.
Not to say I’ve been celibate, but I pick my conquests wisely and never get attached. The last person I had sex with was a guy I met at the campus library while studying for finals. We both happened to be there at the same time on numerous occasions. One day, he approached me and stuck a post-it note with his number right on top of my Globalization & Human Rights textbook. ‘Adrian 212-290-8583’ was written on the yellow piece of paper. I texted him later that evening and we had a short fling during the last month of school. Our time ran its course, and we both parted ways amicably after graduating.
I’m zapped back to reality by Nikki pinching the sensitive area behind my bicep. “Bitch!” I yell to her as I rub the spot with my hand. I look back at where the stranger was standing but he’s gone. My body slumps back on the chair and I let out a pent-up breath. He stayed in the same corner the whole night, sneaking looks at me various times, but never made a move. I tried to ignore him, though his body language seemed to scream stranger danger and I couldn’t shake off the unease I felt by his presence.
We stay at The Watertower until three a.m. and leave the bar drunk. Daniel informs us he’s staying longer to go home with the cute bartender. Amanda and I high-five him. Nikki’s face turns a bright shade of red and she simply turns around without even acknowledging him. We stumble down to the hotel lobby and hop into a taxi. We spend the whole ride taking drunk selfies and laughing in the back seat. Building memories to last forever.
The cab comes to a halt at the entrance of my building. I give my friends each a kiss on the cheek and throw a twenty-dollar bill at them despite their protests right before slamming the door behind me. I shoot an apologetic smile to the driver for the disruption and blow them more kisses over my shoulder as I walk away. I hurry inside and call the elevator to go up to the sixth floor. The lobby is empty at this time of the night. My building doesn’t have a doorman or concierge, so it’s chillingly quiet.
The elevator bell dings, and I step in, slumping against the mirrors. I’m so intoxicated and tired, and my feet hurt so badly.Stupid heels. I’m so tempted to take them off and walk to my apartment barefoot.
I stare at my reflection in the mirror. I look like a sweaty and drunken mess. My smokey makeup is now blurred all over my lids, my lip gloss smeared all around my mouth, and my hair is frizzy from the humidity. Despite the way I look and feel, I’m happy. It might be the liquor talking, but I’ll soak in every ounce of happiness I can get.
The elevator stops on my floor, and I dig into my purse to find my keys. Not paying attention to where I am, I trip on my own feet and let out a quiet giggle while leaning onto the wall in the hallway to steady myself. It feels like I’m on a tightrope with no experience or a balance stick. My fingers finally make contact with the cool metal when I approach my apartment and I fumble with the keys as I try to unlock the door. After what feels like five long minutes, the key enters the bolt and I realize the door is unlocked.Shit.
Frozen in place, I hear my heart pounding in my chest fast and hard.I must’ve just forgotten to lock it.I leave the keys in the door, not wanting the jingle to make any more noise, and I slowly inch the door open to poke my head inside.
“Every pawn is a potential queen.” - James Mason
“Hello?” I whisper out into the dark. I hear no response and no sound. I briefly sigh in relief. It’s not like an intruder would casually reply to my greeting, anyway.
The door creaks when I push it open. The darkness on the other side prevents me from seeing anything. I tiptoe into the apartment, leaving the door ajar in case I need to make a run for it.
It’s okay. You’re safe. You are home and no one is here. You’re just overly cautious because of who you are.I keep repeating to myself, even though the feeling of dread gets stronger and stronger.
I turn on my phone’s flashlight, tear off my heels, leaving them haphazardly on the mat by the front door, and set my things down on the kitchen counter. I point the light in every direction and turn in circles as I scan the room for possible threats. My drunkenness is doing the opposite of what it should as my stress levels increase. Sensing no immediate danger, my shoulders relax. I pull out the keys from the lock and click the door shut behind me.See, Ang? No danger. Just an oversight.I desperately want to get out of this jumpsuit, so I saunter down the hallway toward my bedroom. I reach for the zipper, when a sense of apprehensiveness invades my body and almost knocks me over. The hairs on the back of my neck prickle, and I stop dead in my tracks. It feels as if my feet are welded to the floor, but as adrenaline surges through my body, my fight or flight instincts kicks in.
Someone grabs me from behind, cupping my mouth with their hand to muffle any screams. I holler anyway, fear overtaking me, but the noise is drowned out by the assailant’s grip. I begin to hyperventilate, and my skin breaks out into a sweat. I can't breathe, everything is moving too quickly around me. I’m suddenly dragged back to the living room, but I thrash against my captor, my legs jerking from side to side, as I try to fight my way out of their hold. Frenzied, disjointed thoughts run through my mind as it zips from one idea to the next, my eyes flickering from side to side in search of an escape route.No. This can’t be happening.If I could just reach for the pocketknife in my purse.
