They left cash for their drinks and left.
She fucking left me there—with him.
There was an awkward bout of silence before he pivoted farther in his chair to look at me. “Cindy said you do photography—”
“I don’t want to be rude because you did nothing wrong, but I’m just not into this.”
He shut up, and his eyes flicked away. “I’ll ask for the tab, then ...”
“I’m sorry. I just got out of a serious relationship.” I’d said that to Constantine a few times, but now Constantine was the serious relationship I referred to.
He waved for the waiter to come by as I took a few sips from my fresh glass of wine.
“I’m gonna pee.” I headed to the bathroom, did my business, and when I came back to the table, I was disappointed he was still there ... waiting for me.
“Let me walk you home.”
“I’m fine.” I moved to the table and grabbed my purse. My nearly full glass of wine was still there, so I took a few big gulps so it wouldn’t go to waste. “I have my motorbike.”
“You don’t look in any shape to drive.”
“Excuse me?” I said as I turned. “I’ve barely had two glasses of wine.”
“Well, you seem a little loopy to me. I don’t mean to offend you.” He got up and raised his hands like that would somehow soothe my ire.
I stood there in my heels and felt a slight wobble. I wasn’t sure if he’d put the thought in my head or if I actually was a little drunk, but now, I didn’t feel so sure of myself. I felt a hesitation and then a wave of heat from my stomach as if I’d just drunk a glass of acid.
He watched me for a second before he offered his arm. “Come on. I’ll walk you to the taxi stand.”
I ignored his offer and moved past him, my purse over my shoulder. Instead of wearing stiletto heels, I wore wedged heels, so when we hit the cobblestone street, I wouldn’t have to walk like I was in a field of land mines.
But the second I felt the fresh air outside, I felt worse. I would have taken a taxi if there had been any on that street.
“Come on, this way.” He guided me around the building and down a side street. There was a gelato place still open, and across from that were a couple of cafés that had been closed for hours.
I felt weak and nauseated ... and then downright confused. “I do not feel well.”
He continued to walk beside me. “Not much farther.”
I wasn’t even sure what taxi hub he was referring to. I came to a stop and pulled out my phone. “Just gonna order a ride.” It usually took longer than flagging down a cab and it was more expensive, but my body was not cooperating.
Maybe I did have too much to drink. Maybe in my anger and nervousness, I’d lost count of my drinks.
“I’ll wait with you.”
I leaned against the wall and continued to work the app, trying to order the ride, but the more I went through the steps, the more confused I became.
Something was not right.
My heart suddenly started to race in a way it never had before—like there was something in my system that was making my heart work to get it out.
Pierre pulled out his phone and made a call. His voice was hard to hear from where he stood. “That alley around the corner.”
It didn’t sound like he’d just ordered a ride. It didn’t sound like he’d talked to a friend either.
I was fucked, wasn’t I?
My mind started to slip further, my heart raced like it was about to explode, and I should have called the police, but I literally couldn’t think. So I did something that made no sense. I texted Constantine.112.
