Chapter 2
LOLA
“How did he find this place? This would’ve been perfect for us,” Willa said as she looked around Benson’s apartment, looking stunned.
I was annoyed by the fact that we hadn’t found this place before he did too. How dare he live here alone when Willa and I could’ve turned this place into an amazing, shared living space?
“Lucky bastard,” I murmured, taking in the retro furniture and insanely tall ceilings. “I can only imagine how perfectly lit this place is during the day. And imagine watching the rain from here…it’s perfect.”
“I hate him. I’m officially not a fan of Benson anymore,” Willa stated with furrowed brows.
I laughed and grabbed her hand. “Come on. Let’s go find him and say hello.”
We headed through the crowd, and after a quick search, we found Benson sitting on a couch on the other end of the apartment. He was smoking a cigarette while holding a beer in his other hand, and when he noticed us, he grinned and got up to hug us both at the same time.
“My favorite girls! Glad you could make it. How do you like my new place?” He stepped back and did a quick turn with his arms open wide. “It’s incredible, huh?”
I pursed my lips and tried not to grimace. His strong cologne was mixed with the bad scent of cigarette smoke and his breath was so thick with the smell of beer that I had to turn my head. I had an extremely sensitive nose, and I hated smelly people. Sure, this was a party, and everyone smelled. Still, I was going to open a few windows later.
“We love it. Actually, we wish we could live in here ourselves. How did you get this apartment?” Willa asked.
“I got lucky, I guess. And you know what? I can now throw parties every damn week, and no one will be bothered by it. My old neighbors were fucking annoying.”
“How do you know your new neighbors are okay with you throwing parties every weekend?” I asked, raising a brow at his cockiness.
He looked at me and shrugged. “I’ve been here about a week and the only people I’ve seen walking in and out of this building are men who work upstairs.”
“Work? What’s upstairs?”
“You’re asking too many questions, babe. I have no idea. Honestly, they could be drug dealers or just bankers. They had black suits and sunglasses on when I saw them.”
“Uh-huh.” I pursed my lips to hide a grin. “Well, congrats on the new apartment. It looks great. Where’s the food?”
“Over there. I put up a table with snacks and finger-food. The drinks are right next to it. Take whatever you want.”
We thanked him, then turned around and went to grab something to eat and drink. Before getting drunk, Willa and I liked to hang out with each other, without being bothered by anyone. We took in our surrounding, and pointed out the people we thought looked interesting enough to talk to.
We got comfortable on one of the beanbags, and while we enjoyed our time together, we started to acknowledge the guys who kept looking at us, occasionally giving them a small wave or smile.
I liked to think that the men looked at us because of Willa first. She was like a ray of sunshine, with her beautiful, natural blonde hair, and her intense, baby blue eyes. And it wasn’t just her looks that attracted men. She gave off the most comforting and kind vibes, and you just wanted to be around her.
In my case, men were attracted to the unknown. I was often told I looked annoyed or bored, and sometimes, guys told me that I looked mysterious. I wasn’t, really. I talked about everything whenever someone was brave enough to ask and listen. Most times, though, I only got to share my name and age before they took their shot and got rejected.
Maybe it was my fault that I didn’t get to know many people because I pushed them away whenever I felt like they weren’t worthy enough, then again, I didn’t need more people in my life.
Men often asked us how we were best friends if we were polar opposites, but they wouldn’t understand. They were men. They made friends based on the video games they liked.
“Do you think I should dye my hair?” I asked, twisting a strand of my dark hair around my finger.
“Why would you want that? Your hair is beautiful.”
I shrugged and looked at her. “Do I not look scary with dark hair?”
Willa chuckled. “It’s your natural color, and it fits you. And I don’t think it’s your hair that scares men.”
“Then, what is it?”
“Your eyes.”
“My eyes?”
“They’re intense. Sometimes, when I look at you, I get shivers down my spine. Like, they’re so…green. Dark green. No human should have that color eyes. Like, how dare you? And the shape of them…like a sirens’. Actually, you have the most intense fuck-me eyes I’ve ever seen, and I’ve often questioned my sexuality because of the way you look at me. So, stop that, maybe. It’s confusing me.” She grimaced and pushed her fingers against my cheek to make me turn my head.
I laughed and slapped away her hand. “Maybe I like looking at you. You’re the most beautiful woman on this planet,” I told her in a flirty tone.
“Stop!” she whined, slapping my knee. “There, look over there. That guy has been staring at you since we arrived, and I don’t think we know him yet.”
I turned my head to meet the gaze of a guy who was looking in our direction. He smiled when he got my attention, but I didn’t react. I kept looking, needing to check him out before deciding if I wanted to talk to him or not.
“He’s cute,” Willa said, nudging my side. “Go talk to him.”
“He looks young.”
“So?”
“So…I’m twenty-four, and I want a man, not a boy. He looks like he’s still in college.”
“Just go talk to him, Lola. What’s the worst thing that could happen?”
“He could fall head-over-heals in love with me, and I don’t need that.”
Willa laughed and pushed against my arm. “That probably already happened. Go, and don’t come back before you had an actual conversation.”
I rolled my eyes and sighed as I got up, and before walking over to him, I adjusted my skirt, shooting a quick glare back to Willa. “If he’s boring, I’ll be back.”
“Whatever. Go!”
I took a deep breath and walked across the room, smiling tightly at the guy who was patiently waiting for me to come talk to him. I stopped in front of him and offered another smile before saying hi.
“Good evening,” he greeted back, and I immediately cringed.
Good evening?
I raised a brow, unable to hold back a laugh. I had to be careful not to make fun of him, but it was hard. I cleared my throat and straightened up before holding out my hand to him. “I’m Lola.”
He smiled at me and slipped his hand in mine, gripping it way too gently. “That’s a very pretty name for an even prettier girl. My name is Robertus.”
“No, it’s not.” My words bubbled out of me uncontrollably. I couldn’t stand here, making fun of a guy I just met! Then again, this was exactly how things always went whenever I thought a guy looked decent enough.
“What do you mean?” he asked, looking confused with a frown between his brows.
I waved my hand, trying to keep myself together and not make this situation weirder for the both of us. “Nothing. So… Robertus , how did you end up at this party?”
“A friend of mine knows Benson, so we came to check out the gathering. Pretty cool, don’t you think?”
I nodded and watched as he pulled out a pack of cigarettes.
Just what I needed.
He lit one cigarette and blew the first blow of smoke right into my face. That was all it took for me to end the conversation.
I turned my head and looked at Willa with a raised brow, and when she realized what I was trying to hint at, she pouted and shrugged.
I turned back around and gave Robertus a tight smile. “I’m sorry, I need some fresh air.”
“Do you want me to come with you?”
“Oh, no. I don’t want that.” I knew that being straight forward wasn’t always the nicest thing, but that’s how I got rid of people I didn’t want around anymore. Robertus was probably a nice guy, but smokers were never on my pros-list. Not only did I have asthma, and cigarette smoke blown right into my face often caused an attack, but I hated the smell as well, and I hated how smokers’ breath always stank. Kissing a smoker was a turn-off, and being in a relationship with one would be even worse.
After looking at Willa and pointing to the exit to tell her that I was going outside for a moment, I headed to the front door which was wide open. Benson welcomed anyone to his parties, and now that his apartment was bigger, more people appeared the later it got.
My feet were hurting, and I couldn’t be bothered taking the stairs. Luckily, there was an elevator. One that was in use when we first came here. Now, though, it was right on its way to this floor when I pressed the button.
I sighed, tapping the tip of my heel on the floor as I impatiently waited for the doors to open.
For this being an old industrial building, the elevator sure looked small.
I tilted my head back, watching as the one turned into a two, then a three, and then the doors finally slid open.
I was right about the elevator being small, but what I never would’ve guessed was to see four cops standing inside, taking up the space in their very sexy uniforms.