Chapter 12
Daphne
I follow Aaron through winding corridors, skirting past students rushing to their classes. His grip on my wrist grows tighter by the second, fingers digging into my skin. I try to pull away but he only releases me once we are behind the library with nothing but the open field in front of us.
His eyes dart behind me and he looks over his shoulder a few times. My fingers caress my wrist and I see the indentation of his fingers on my skin. I had imagined many scenarios of us holding hands, walking leisurely as we enjoyed each other's company.
This felt like a cruel distortion of it.
"Daphne." Aaron sighs and paces along the narrow concrete floor. "I don't even know where to begin. Something happened that night, my friend needed some help so I went out back to help and when I got back to the bar you were gone."
I stand up straighter, watching his face intently. "You went out back?" I know I followed him through that same door, but I never saw him. Not in that corridor or in the back alley with those other men.
Aaron nods and his eyes dart around us cautiously. "I'm sorry I could not keep in touch after. Something happened and I wasn't allowed to."
I frown at him. "Not allowed?"
"Daphne..." Aaron trails off hesitantly, looking around us once again. His paranoia is infectious and I find myself turning around as well, wondering why he's acting like this.
Did he witness the murder too?
"Daphne," Aaron steps closer and takes my hands in his, caressing them. He smiles at me—that signature dimpled smile—reminding me of the first time he ever acknowledged me in class almost two years ago.
I was lonely and nervous and he was the first friend I ever made in class. The only one who helped make my first year in graphic design enjoyable.
"I take it, you kept my bag? The one I handed over to you that night? I'm going to need that back."
I stiffen under his hold and he feels it because my hands are in his. I slip away from his touch, taking a step back.
"I...I lost it. Someone cornered me, took it away and there was nothing I could do about it," I whisper, watching the colour drain from his face.
"What do you mean someone took it? Who did?" Aaron steps closer, making me take another step back. He chuckles and grabs my wrist pulling me towards him. "There's no need to be scared. It's only me."
"I'm not scared," I blurt out quickly, ignoring the way my heart spikes. "I don't know who took it. They were wearing a hoodie, I couldn't see them."
"But the bar had all those strobe lights. You would have seen their face eventually...." Aaron pauses for a second and scratches his forehead, something he does whenever he's stressed. "Unless you weren't at the bar. Did you follow me out back?"
His eyes search mine and I try not to let the panic show on my face. I should be pouring my heart out to him and telling him everything but the way he's been acting is nothing like what I expected.
"What was in that bag, Aaron? Drugs?"
"Shhh," he hushes and glares at me. "It doesn't matter what it was. Only that it was worth a lot."
I gasp and yank my wrist out of his hold. "You're dealing drugs? Why? And why would you give it to me? You put me in danger!"
Aaron laughs. "Oh, don't be so dramatic. Those was not drugs and you were hardly in any danger. Did you see how many girls were there? It's not like anyone would have noticed you."
His words sting, like salt rubbed into an already open wound. I never expected him, of all people, to say that to me. Fuck you. Is what I wanted to say, instead I settle for a lame "Screw you, Aaron."
"You know that's not what I mean't. It's just...." he pauses and taps his foot on the floor. "That bag was worth a lot of money."
"Well it's gone, alright? You shouldn't have given me something so valuable and then disappeared into thin air. I went looking for you and then I saw them—." I stop myself, realising what I was going to say.
"You went out back?" Aaron asks in disbelief. "To where exactly? Who did you see?"
Now I'm the one studying our surroundings. If I made a run for it now, Aaron would catch me in seconds. There's no outrunning this.
"Just the corridor. Then I saw a couple making out and decided to leave." Phew, good save, Daphne!
"And when did your bag get stolen?" He frowns, eyes narrowed with disbelief.
"When I was leaving said corridor. This is crazy Aaron, are you seriously blaming me for losing something you dumped on me before disappearing? I came there for you, you put me in danger and then you never called me back. If anything, you are the one at fault here," I argue angrily,
crossing my arms over my chest.
"You were never in danger, Daphne," He laughs at my expense but then he notices how serious I am. "Why do you say that?"
Now is the time for me to tell him about the murder. I've been wanting to tell him since that night, needing to let it all out before it imploded inside of me.
"Aaron," I shift on my feet, shifting my gaze from him. "That place, that T bar...it's not a nice place. I saw some shifty people there."
"What do you mean?" he asks, staring at me with concern.
I look up at him, reassuring myself that I can trust him. He's my Aaron, the nice guy who's helped me out since first year. The only guy I've ever trusted.
"What did you see down that corridor?" There's a gleam in his eyes and the sight of it rings warning bells in my head.
"I saw them do drugs," I quickly change the topic because my gut instinct is screaming at me to stop. "Like lines on the table. The girls and guys were sniffing them up their noses."
Aaron remains silent and my heart is beating so fast, I pray he doesn't hear it. He smiles suddenly and taps my nose. "Oh, Daphne. I forget how innocent you are. That's completely normal behaviour at these kinds of bars."
I exhale in relief, grateful that he believes me. But the breath barely leaves my lungs before he steps closer. And closer. Until my back meets the wall.
"Is that all you saw?" he asks, looking down at me and I wonder if he swapped places with a different Aaron in the time that he was missing, because the Aaron I know has never behaved like this.
He's so close that he can see the pupils dilate in my eyes.
"I'm sure," I mumble, shifting away from him. Thankfully, my phone rings and I answer immediately.
"Daphne! Where are you?" Yonah asks in a cheery high pitched voice.
I steal a glance at Aaron. "I'm behind the library."
"Oh, what a coincidence. Alex and I are at the library as well."
I roll my eyes. Of course they are.
"I have some work to do," I tell Yonah and Aaron, hurrying off to put some distance between myself and my crush who turned out to be a drug dealer.
He stands in place, watching me as I speed walk to the end of the building and turn a corner.
My mind is spinning. I really don't know who to trust because everyone is so suspicious, even Yonah who just so happens to be everywhere. It's only when I get back to my dorm room, do I take a moment to breathe.
Then it slowly sinks in. Aaron doesn't care. He never did.
My vision blurs as I pace the room, thinking back to all the times he made me laugh and smile. We would always pair up as study partners and lab partners. We made the best team, the perfect pair.
He finally asked me out that night and everything's gone downhill since. It's all unraveling like the seams of a poorly made dress.
It's not like anyone would have noticed you.
The choice of words. The tone in which they were said. It only reinforced how much of a wallflower I've always been. No one notices, Daphne.
Not even Aaron.
I crawl into a ball of self pity on the bed and eventually fall asleep, but Stacey slamming the door behind her jolts me awake.
"Daphne!" she exclaims in surprise. "Sorry, didn't see you there."
I groan. The universe is taunting me at this point.
"Listen, it's freshers night at Phi Nu house. Pretty laid back but Yonah said Alex and him are going." She has a dreamy look on her face whenever she mentions Alex. "I need to bring my A game because that guy is seriously hard to impress."
That's just like Stacey, always up for a challenge. Her ego can never take it when a guy doesn't like her back. And the moment he does, she loses interest.
"You're coming, right?"
I stare at her blankly, wondering if I'm up for yet another night of standing around and watching people enjoy themselves. "No, thanks. Have plans with the Phantoms later."
Stacey sighs loudly. "Can't you game after? Please, I really need the moral support. Alex is one tough nut to crack."
I snort and a text comes in from Aaron, making me sit up in bed.
"I really hate the way our conversation ended today. I'm so sorry, Daphne. I was stressed and I lashed out. You're my favourite person and I can't stand losing you over this. Can we please meet at Phi Nu later? I need to confess something. I can't keep this to myself anymore."
I rub my eyes incessantly, wondering if I'm imagining this. Not only am I his favourite person, but he wants to confess?
This is the love story I've been waiting for.
"I'm coming," I tell Stacey immediately and type out a reply, telling him I'll see him there later.
Fast forward a few hours and my second cup is already empty. Aaron however, is no where to be seen.
Elizabeth and Danielle skipped tonight. Stacey is chatting animatedly with Alex, who is seated right across from me, his legs spread open, pants strained against his thick muscular thighs.
I'm trying not to look at him, but ever so often our eyes would meet and my insides would churn with desire. It doesn't help that my head has started to spin and I keep looking around for Aaron, but he's no where in sight.
"Truth or dare?" Someone seated on the floor asks, as the bottle swivels and settles in Alex's direction.
"Truth," he answers, sounding bored. He doesn't seem to be interested in Stacey at all, even though she looks like a goddess in her lace bralette and mini skirt. Instead, his eyes always find mine, like iron to a magnet.
"What kind of lover are you?" The girl holding the bottle asks him.
I feel his gaze on my face, scorching my skin. My breath hitches as I wait for his answer. Slowly, I lift my eyes to his, only to find his attention drifting lower—from my eyes to my lips.
"A possessive one. Borderline obsessive."
I bite down on my lip, swallowing hard as my thighs clench together. His eyes, his gaze, the way his ring laden fingers stroke his thigh as he looks at me. Why did that feel like an admission? The words were a warning, like he wants to throw people off but it did the opposite.
I feel hot all over and grab another drink, gulping it all down to quench my thirst.
By midnight, I'm a mess. Aaron isn't here and he hasn't texted. I have enough self respect not to ask him where he is. Instead I stay put, maybe something came up and he's delayed.
Despite the fleeting glances, there are girls fawning all over Alex. Why would he ever be interested in me, when even someone like Stacey can't seem to hold his attention?
After a while, I can't take it anymore. There's turmoil splintering my chest to pieces and my insecurities are making it hard to breathe in this crowded place.
I walk past the kitchen and head outside, stopping by the front porch to breathe in the cool night air. Also, shamefully, to keep a look out for Aaron who obviously doesn't give a shit about me.
"I'd forgotten how boring these parties were."
I whip around, my heart skipping at the sound of Alex's voice. "You," I breathe.
"Yes, it's me," he gives me a pointed look and then he sighs. "Are you tired? I could walk you back? It's been a nightmare, playing these vapid games with college students."
"You are a college student too." I smile, but then it clicks. "Wait? You're here because of me?"
"I suppose..."he trails off, eyes widening in alarm. "Isn't it obvious?"
When he says it like that it makes perfect sense. All those stolen glances, the way his gaze always seems to linger and he's always close by. Sober Daphne would question this, would dissect the shit out of it but I'm too buzzed to question it.
A rush of heat pools within me, the liquid courage making me do something I would normally never do.
I push him against porch column and grab his collar to yank him closer. He smells faintly of whiskey and his eyes widen in surprise but then they focus on my parted lips. He doesn't push me away or stop me, and my heart is racing in my chest when I kiss him.
I had always thought my first kiss would be with Aaron, but it was stolen that night at T Bar and now I couldn't care less because Alex's lips are perfect against mine. He grabs my hips and for a fleeting second I think he might push me away.
I gasp when he kisses me hard, lips moulding against mine aggressively.
He spins us around and slams me against the hard concrete, his hand braced behind my head to absorb the hit.
He turns his head, deepening the kiss and his tongue finds mine, the taste of him so delicious, I lose my train of thought.
His palm rests over my collarbone, fingers splayed across the base of my neck. Suddenly, I'm jolted back to the night at T bar and my encounter with the hooded stranger. I break away from the kiss, gasping and Alex is looks down at me.
He licks his lower lip, and the height difference, the feel of his lips... it's eerily familiar.
It can't be.