Chapter Two
Nixie
Stella and Briar arrived just shy of an hour ago. They have been in Darcy’s room getting ready whilst I’ve sat out here on the sofa, waiting ever so patiently for them to hurry up. Letting out a frustrated huff, I throw back the rest of my wine and place the glass on the coffee table. Getting up, I make my way to my room to give myself a once over again.
Seeing my reflection in the mirror, I can see Darcy has seriously worked some kind of magic tonight. My long black hair is perfectly straight, all the way down to the bottom of my back. My makeup is literally perfection; smoky eyes and red lips bringing it all together.
We ended up picking a black dress with mesh paneling on the body which has floral details across, pairing it with some black heels. I’ve gotta hand it to her, it”s the only dress I felt comfortable in. It hugs my curves in just the right places.
I hear the rest of the girls finally coming out of the room, so I take a deep breath and make my way back to the living room to see they are standing in the kitchen taking shots when I get there. Darcy offers one to me but I shake my head. I can’t help but be a bit on edge around Stella, knowing she’s friends with that fucking asshole, but I’m not going to let that ruin my night. I made a pinky promise to Darcy and I never ever break them.
Stella and Briar turn to face me. “Oh my god, Nixie, I didn’t even recognise you. You look gorgeous! Doesn’t she look good, Stella?” Briar turns to Stella, waiting for her to answer back.
She looks me up and down. I can feel the judgment coming off her. Like, Jesus, girl, I barely know you. Don’t judge me like that. “Yeah, she scrubs up well for a librarian.” Her voice is laced with sarcasm.
Bitch.
Stella is just staring at me. Darcy must feel the tension. “Okay, now that we have established how freaking hot we all look, how about we get going? Our ride has just arrived.”
We grab our bags and make our way out the door and down the lobby. This night is going great so far. We walk out of the main doors, piling into our Uber.
Whilst they are talking away in the back of the car, I zone out and stare out of the window. I can feel my anxiety creeping through my mind. I take a couple of deep breaths to try and get rid of it. It kind of works. I think.
The car comes to a stop at a long queue outside the newly opened club. I step out of the car, adjusting my dress and looking up at the club in front of me. It looks so elegant for our small town of Westhall NC. After what feels like a lifetime standing outside in the queue, we are finally able to walk into the club, and it is honestly nothing what I expected it to be. The main room has a long, rectangular bar with black seats that have gold trim around the edges in the middle of the room. There’s also some booths and tables that are off to the side. I’m taking it all in when I feel Darcy’s hand in mine, and suddenly she’s dragging me to the other side of the bar, where there’s a huge dance floor and another bar at the back of the room. Ahh, that makes more sense for a nightclub
We walk over to the bar and order a round of tequila. As the liquid burns down my throat, I am dragged onto the dance floor by Darcy. I’m definitely not the best dancer here, but with some help from her, we look somewhat acceptable. After a few minutes, I pull her towards me and tell her that I’m just going to find the toilet, that I”ll be right back, she nods at me and spins around to some guys who are behind us.
Following the signs to the toilets, I walk into the womens and smile at some girls who are touching up their makeup. Finding an empty toilet, I go about my business. After a quick touch up in front of the mirror, I open the door, walk out and back down the corridor. The hairs on the back of my neck stand and I turn my head slightly as I get a shiver down my spine. I quickly turn around to find no one there. How strange.
Shaking it off, I make my way back to the girls, who have now found a booth and have got a round of drinks in.
Just as I get to the table, I feel an arm around my waist. And judging by the look that is on Stella’s face, I already know who it is.
I turn to face the person. “I’m only gonna ask nicely once. Please remove your hand, Malcolm.”
He actually chuckles at me. “Oh, come on, Nix. I just had to make sure it was actually you, because you don’t look like you,” he says as he stands back, his eyes traveling all over my body. Suddenly, I feel very uncomfortable. What did I ever see in him?
Removing his hand, I look at him.
“Well, now that you know it”s me, go away and leave me alone,” I say through gritted teeth.
I sit down next to Darcy and she gives my hand a reassuring squeeze. She always told me not to get involved with him because of the weird vibes she got from him, and I will forever wish I listened to her.
I thought I made it clear to him from the start that we would just be co-workers, occasionally hooking up, which he agreed to. All was going well for the first couple months, until he started demanding to know where I was all the time and who I was with. When I ended it, he didn’t take it very well, and has since turned even more obsessive over me.
Stella is sat across from me. I can feel the hate radiating off her. Malcolm takes a seat next to her, putting his arm around her but on the back of the booth seat. Stella smirks at him and moves closer. Malcolm glances at her for a moment, and then looks back at me with a smirk on his face
“I’m not going anywhere Nix. I told you, I’m very good friends with Stella here, so she told me about the night out and I just had to come out for a few drinks with friends.”
Asshole.
He puts his hand on Stella’s shoulder and begins to talk to her and rub her arm. She is saying something in his ear whilst he stares at me, smiling like he thinks it”s going to make me jealous. The thought alone makes me actually laugh. He narrows his eyes at me and looks annoyed.
Clearing my throat, I stand up and grab my bag. “I’m going to go get another drink, you coming?” I say towards Darcy.
“Yes please, bitch.” She jumps from the table and links arms with me as we leave the three at the table. I kind of feel for Briar as she’s just sitting by herself, but when I look at her, she just shakes her head at me.
We make our way over to the bar and order a couple of sex on the beach cocktails. Whilst we wait for our drinks to arrive, I can feel Darcy looking at me. I turn to her.
“Just say it, Darcy.”
“Seriously, Nixie, I told you to not get involved with him. He gives me a weird vibe, and my vibes have never let me down.” She stares at me.
“I know, I know, but I didn’t think. I just needed some male attention at the time,” I laugh.
“It’s not a laughing matter. He gives me the creeps, and now he’s involved with Stella. She just seems to have fucking blinkers on and can’t see the red flags,” she argues.
“ I know. I think he’s trying to make me jealous by being with her,” I tell her.
Darcy looks at me and laughs, setting me off too. The bartender places our drinks in front of us. We pick them up and take a sip together, the fruity flavors hitting just the right spots. I”m not a big drinker, but this has got to be one of my favorite cocktails.
We walk into the quiet bar at the front and take a seat. As we sit down, I get that feeling again, all the hairs on my neck and arms standing to attention as I let out a shiver. I rub my arms trying to get rid of the feeling.
“What’s up with you?” Darcy asks, a quizzical look in her eyes
“Oh, it’s nothing. Just, do you ever get the feeling that someone’s watching you sometimes? I had it earlier when I came out of the bathroom, and then I bumped into Malcolm.”
“Babes, I’d be more worried if I didn’t feel people watching me, I live for that kind of attention.” She winks at me. “But honestly? It probably is Malcolm, watching you from afar.” She laughs and finishes off her drink.
“Ha ha. Very funny, bitch.”
I can’t describe it, but I know it’s not Malcolm. I can always tell when it’s him. He doesn’t exactly stay hidden for very long.
Darcy gets up and tells me she’s going to go back to the table and make sure everyone else is okay. I nod and tell her I’ll finish my drink and then join.
She hugs me and leaves to go back to the others, taking another sip of my cocktail. I pull out my phone, grateful that I have five minutes to myself. I open it up to the Kindle app, telling myself I’ll just read a few pages before I go back. I need to just zone out, even if it”s just for a little while.
As I’m reading, the bartender slides another cocktail to me.
“Erm, I’m sorry, but I didn’t order this,” I say, confused.
“It’s on the house.” He winks and walks away.
Well, that’s nice, but what strange person buys a woman a drink and doesn’t let them know about it? But I would be rude to turn down a free drink.I smile to myself and carry on reading on my phone.
As I move onto my second drink, Malcolm slides into the seat next me and my back stiffens, my mood souring almost instantly.
“Of course you are sitting in a club, reading a book. I knew my Nix hadn’t really changed much.” He chuckles at me, and then I see him eye my second cocktail glass.
“You’ve had a few of them tonight. You will be rough in the morning if you don’t slow down, Nix.” His voice is stern.
“Well, this one was on the house, so I couldn’t turn it down. That would just be rude of me,” I say as I take a sip.
“What do you mean ‘on the house!?’ Who the hell have you been flirting with to get free drinks?! The Nixie I know would never do that!” he says very angrily.
Ohhh, this is pissing him off. And I love it.
“Well, you know, there’s been a few guys here and there coming up to me to offer to buy me a drink, and I can’t say no, can I?”
His shoulders lock up and I can see the tension in his jaw. His eyes turn cold.
“Always knew you were a secret slut, Nix. Have fun with whoever you go home with.” He stands and begins to walk away, but then stops and bends down to whisper in my ear. “But just remember, it will be me left to help you pick up the pieces when they all treat you like shit.” He tucks some of my hair behind my ear. “Because you see, my little Nix, you will always belong to me. Only me.”
He walks away, seething in anger. If I look closely, I can even see some steam coming from his head. I roll my eyes at his performance. I”m done. He has well and truly burst my bubble. I look up at the ceiling and take a breath, then finishing the rest of my drink and heading back to our table.
As I make my way over, I notice Darcy is gone, so I start to look for her on the dance floor. After a couple of minutes of searching, I find her in some guy”s arms looking very close. I walk up to her, and when she sees me, she pulls me to her.
As the music is blaring, I shout into her ear, “Bubble has burst, Darc. I’m going home. I’ll explain in the morning. Will you be alright getting home?”
She stands back and looks at me—she knows I’m not messing around. “Yeah, I’ll be good, babe. You get home and we will talk in the morning.” She gives me a hug and kisses me on the cheek.
I make my way through the club and order an Uber. I stand outside the club. Looking up at the sky, I take in the night air. I”m not waiting long, and I get into the back, and the driver takes off in the direction of my apartment. My eyes are starting to get heavy as the car stops outside my apartment. I thank him and get out.
Walking through the main door and over to the elevator, I press the call button and wait for it to arrive. All I can think about is getting this dress and makeup off and getting into bed.
When it arrives, I press the button for the third floor, and it’s only a few seconds before the doors open again. I step off and head to my apartment. Opening the door, I kick off my heels and close and lock it behind me. I walk towards my room and start to unzip my dress, letting it pool at my feet as I step into my room.
I don’t have the energy to do anything else, so I crawl into bed in just my knickers and bra. Everything else, I will deal with in the morning. My eyes are heavy from the alcohol intake tonight, so it really doesn’t take me long to drift off to sleep.