‘It’s just easy to see in others what we can see in ourselves,’ he mumbled.
I smiled, staring back at him, impressed by the smart comment that came out of the blue-eyed DJ’s lips.
‘So, tell me, Miss Emma…’
‘So, you listened into my name?’ I interrupted him.
He laughed. ‘You caught me. I did. Maybe I can be pretty observant when I want to be.’
I caught his blue eyes on mine. They were nervous, darting straight onto the drink I was holding but not sipping.
‘Are you in for a big night?’ he asked, nodding towards my drink.
‘Honestly, I don’t think so. I came out tonight thinking that I needed to let loose and have a bit of fun. But the idea of getting super drunk isn’t really my thing. I do this all the time; I always cop out on myself,’ I said. My eyes left his as I gazed around the rest of the room. There were two groups of guys at the end of the room, standing around the drinks table. Jack must have stayed behind the stage with the girls.
‘Let me show you a trick,’ he said, leaning in closer, handing me his cup. ‘Take a sip.’ I took his cup hesitantly.
‘I was always told never to sip from a strangers cup, especially if it’s not a bottle or a can,’ I said matter-of-factly.
‘You’re right. You shouldn’t that’s good advice. Sorry, that was bit forward,’ he said, he looked away and blushed, holding out his hand for me to pass back his drink. I saw his shoulders sink, was he embarrassed? Maybe he wasn’t going to drug me?
I held the cup for a little longer, looking down at it, and sniffing it before sipping it on the opposite side of where his lips had been. It was water. I passed back his cup and he smiled. ‘I just showed you the biggest undiscovered secret. You can still have a fun time sober,’ He said.
‘Sorry, but I already did know that secret. And I probably already did discover it a long time before you.’ I bantered back to him, in my know-it-all tone, the one that Jack had told me I should probably dial down outside and inside the boardroom.
Before he could say anything, Torey walked up behind him pressing his hand firmly on his shoulder. ‘How are you doing, mate? Still another two hours until you’re on. Can I get you anything?’ said Torey.
The blue-eyed DJ turned to look at him and then back to me. ‘Actually, Emma was just going to show me a great place to get something quick to eat. I’m just going to pop out quickly and I’ll be straight back.’ He stared back at me with wide eyes, I could tell he wanted me to go along with his lies.
I didn’t know how I felt about this, who was this stranger? I was here to see Jack. I don’t think he realised the shitty town that he was in, nowhere was going to be open to get any type of food after ten p.m. I didn’t drive here; I had no car. I was not in the mood to get seduced by a blue-eyed boy at the back of a club, it wasn’t really my vibe.Why did I come here?I glanced around the room at the nearest exit doors.
But his blue eyes didn’t leave me, I matched the DJ’s gaze. Something in his eyes spoke to me. If I was an expert at reading body language, I would have guessed they were saying, help.
I looked up at Torey.
‘Yeah, fresh air and a full belly is what we need,’ I said. I have no idea what I was doing or why that lie came out of my mouth so easily, but I went with it.
Torey glared at me. It was a look of —‘don’t you dare take him, I need him for tonight and if he isn’t back here at the exact time you said, you do not want to be in your position!’But all that spoke from his lips was, ‘Okay, I’ll see you both very soon.’
‘Okay, see you soon,’ I said. I stood up out of my seat at the same time as the unknown man who stood next to me.
‘Shall we?’ he said, trying my hand but I was stiff, I didn’t clasp back onto his so he let go. We walked out a door on the opposite end of the back room. Walking out of backstage clubs into alleyways with mysterious DJs was everything that I should have been told not to do as a young girl. But my curious mind overtook my rational. Being at the club had been the most spontaneous moment I had taken in a while, what’s another one going to do?
Chapter 2 — Him
‘Welcome Back, Mr Jones.’ The air hostess said, flashing me a smile as I entered the plane.
‘It’s Saturday, here I am again,’ I said, throwing out my hands to the side, joking about gracing her with my lame presence. I took a seat down in the front row, she stood beside me. I felt so bad, couldn’t remember her name, she had been my air hostess many times. She was lovely and went above and beyond feeding me more snacks than I’m sure she was meant to give out on domestic plane rides.
‘Are you ready for a fun night?’ she said.
‘I’m pretty sleepy, to be honest. But I might have a nap on the plane and then I’ll be ready to party,’ I said. I wasn’t in the mood for small talk today, I pulled my headphones off my neck and over my ears.
I had almost forgotten where I was going, it was all starting to become a bit of a blur. Flight, car, hotel, club, sleep, eat, flight, work… some… more… and then get up and do it all again. I wasn’t complaining, just bored. I needed a spark, a fire starter, a random adventure that was out of my comfort zone. I needed something that gave all the nonsense of this crazy life some meaning. I wanted to be thrown around, woken up, shaken out of my internal mental rut. Have something to fight for again, whatever that was, I had no idea. Maybe I just needed a complete work break. These constant thoughts that filled my head. They were exhausting and becoming too familiar.
I lived a life that most had dreamed of, why couldn’t this be enough for me? Was I a selfish prick? I took a deep breath and placed my hand on my chest, I could feel the beat of my heart start to race as fast as my thoughts.
Anxiety wasn’t new to me. It had become my favourite uninvited friend. The one that keeps showing up. You never invite him, but you expect him. And when he comes sometimes, he likes to take over, be the life of the party and take up all my attention.
