“Fucker. Your girl isn’t looking so thrilled herself.” Kal glanced around the room, tilting his head towards a pair of women that were giving me particularly nasty looks. He leaned in. “Ignore them, love. They’re just jealous. Like me.”
“Enough.” Alfie tried to step in front of me.
“Enough both of you.” I pulled out of Alfie’s grip. “I don’t want to be in the middle of your pissing contest. Speaking of which, I’m going to use the restroom. You two get it together.”
I left the two men standing there staring after me with smiles spreading across their faces.
The bathroom was of course full of beautiful women that looked at me like I didn’t belong. They sneered at my dress like they knew I couldn’t afford it and smirked at my hair. I knew I should have fixed it before I came here.
I stepped into a cubicle, put the toilet lid down and sat. Why had I agreed to come? Being in this place was like staying on a rollercoaster for too long. Fun at first but it made you sick eventually.
I waited until the bathroom sounded like it had emptied a little before I worked up enough courage to step back out again. I washed my hands and checked my face. I was flushed with nerves. I pushed my hair back over my shoulders, trying to make it look a bit less wild. I tucked it behind one ear, then both. Nope. It wasn’t getting better.
“Hi!” A high-pitched voice snapped me out of my insecurity spiral. I turned to see a small woman, no more than five feet tall, smiling at me. “I’m Muffin.”
“Muffin? Cute. I’m Lola. Nice to meet you.”
“Yeah,” was her only response, she was too busy dipping into the cocaine dispenser. It was shaped like a woman's vulva. “So, how do you know Mr Tell? I saw you arrive with him.”
“We met through work.”
“You work? That’s adorable.” She giggled, the light catching on the single diamond hanging from the leather collar fastened around her neck. Was it a fashion choice or a kink thing?
“I’ve met Mr Tell enough times over the last few years but I don’t remember ever meeting you. Where do you summer?”
“What? Summer?” I had no idea what she was talking about and when had she met Alfie? Was she another one of his…companions?
“That wasn’t supposed to be a difficult question, sweetie. How about…where did you go to school? Swanshurst? Le Rosey? Aiglon, maybe?”
“Are those all private schools?” I asked and this time she covered her mouth with three delicate fingers and laughed again. I’d had enough. “I’m going to find Alfie. Enjoy the septum erosion.”
I stormed out. Why did these people have to be such bastards? And what did it say about Alfie that he was the king of them?
I found Alfie sitting on a couch next to Kal, apparently best friends again. They were gesturing at the girl hanging from the ceiling, discussing her like a pair of mechanics discussing a car.
“I want to leave.”
Alfie studied me but didn’t move. Kal looked between us, amused, but wisely kept his mouth shut. I felt eyes on me, snickers behind me. Before I burst into tears I walked away, leaving Alfie to follow if he wanted. Of course he did.
Fresh air hit me in the face, drying my tears immediately. I finally stopped walking once I was far enough away from the house that I couldn’t hear it anymore.
“What’s upset you?” Alfie asked, hands in his pockets. “Is it Kal? He’s a smug fuck but don’t let him get to you. He’s always been that way.”
“Everyone here is a smug fuck, Alfie. Including you, king of the smug fucks.”
He didn’t respond but his expression told me he wasn’t happy.
“Sorry,” I muttered.
“It’s not acceptable for you to talk to me like that.”
“I know. I’m sorry.” I let out a frustrated sigh. “I just had a mean girl moment in the bathroom and everyone’s looking at me like I don’t belong.”
“You don’t. You don’t belong here.”
I knew he meant that as a compliment but it still didn’t feel good. “They look at me like I don’t deserve you.”
“Why does it matter how anyone else is looking at you? The only gaze you should care about is mine.” He gave my hand a tug, pulling me towards him.
