Chapter 4 #2
This bastard looked absolutely incensed. He stepped towards Mia, fist raised. I gripped Holly tighter, yanking her fully behind me. Mia dodged his swing, but his wild fist clipped the side of my face instead.
Security rushed over immediately, yanking him back and twisting his arm painfully behind his back as he screamed that it hurt. Mia spun to face me, horror in her eyes. “Fuck, Alex, I’m so sorry!”
I winced; the side of my head stung sharply. I was still holding Holly, who was giggling and clinging to my back, acting like a confused toddler playing hide-and-seek. Mia hesitantly checked the side of my face. “Shit. That’s definitely going to bruise.”
I groaned. “Perfect.”
It wasn’t the worst punch I’d ever taken, but fuck, I really could have done without it that night.
I watched the prick get dragged out of the club.
Good luck, knobhead, because Steve, our security guy, hated nothing more than lads who hurt women.
Once he was out of sight, I pulled Holly back around.
She looked completely disoriented, trying to get the room to stop spinning.
I wrapped my arm around her waist and looked to Mia as Ben rushed over.
“Are you okay?” Ben asked, panicked.
“I’m fine,” I groaned, gingerly poking my own cheek and wincing at the lump already forming.
“Lock up for us, Ben,” Mia said, digging into her pocket and tossing him her keys.
“What?” He looked at the keys like they were about to explode.
Mia clapped him on the shoulder dramatically. “We trust you, kid. Plus, I’ll seriously fuck you up if you forget to lock the doors.”
He visibly paled and nodded his head. Looking back to me, he asked, “Do you want some ice?”
I shook my head. “No thanks. I’ll sort out my face when I get home.”
He nodded and, after giving us both a hesitant glance, retreated back to the bar with the other newbies.
Mia put her arm around the other side of Holly. “Do you know where she lives?”
“Liberty,” I answered as we moved toward the stairs.
I patted Holly down quickly, making sure she had her phone and keys, which, thankfully, were secured in the little bag strapped across her chest. We moved slowly but surely up the stairs to leave.
Mia let go of Holly briefly—I kept her braced against the cold wall—as Mia raced back down to grab our bags.
“Alex,” Holly whispered.
I chuckled. “Yes, sweetheart?”
“I don’t know that guy,” she grimaced.
Oh, this sweet, sweet girl. I was going to have a heart attack every time she told me she was going out from then on. I combed my fingers through her soft blonde curls. “I know, sweetheart, but he's gone, and we’re going to take you home.”
She nodded and leaned forward, nuzzling into my neck. “You’re the best.”
I was starting to feel very guilty for giving her those doubles by then. Note to self: this girl was getting restricted when she came there, unless she was drinking with me.
Mia rushed back, both our bags slung over her shoulder. “Ready?”
“Absolutely,” I said, hooking my arm securely around Holly, who giggled.
“I can walk,” she rolled her eyes.
I hummed. “Of course you can walk,” I smirked. “I’m just helping you walk in a straight line.”
“That’s ironic,” she chuckled.
I rolled my eyes. “And what do you mean by that?”
She laughed. “Because you’re not straight.”
Mia laughed wholeheartedly. “I like you, Holly.”
“I like you too,” Holly chuckled.
“I hate you both,” I chimed in, earning me a sad pout from Holly and a knowing raise of the eyebrow from Mia. “Come on,” I said, trying to up the pace. It was fucking freezing, and I was knackered. I just wanted to make sure Holly was safe in her flat, so then I could go home and crash.
When we finally got to Liberty, I groaned. Could it get any worse?
The main entrance had one of those stupid turnstile systems where you had to use a fob to get in, which meant you couldn't bring random strangers back—or apparently, even friends.
As we attempted to awkwardly squeeze all three of us through the gate, a security guy walked over, shouting, “Oi, you can't do that!”
We stepped back, frustrated. Seriously, could it get any worse?
He talked to us through the gate. “No parties.”
I rolled my eyes. “We’re not here to party. We’re trying to get our friend to her room.” I gestured to Holly, who was practically sleeping on my shoulder.
He shrugged. “Do you live here?”
“She does,” Mia answered, her face stony.
He shrugged again, completely unhelpful. “You can't come in at this time of night unless you live here. She’ll have to sort herself out from here.”
“Are you fucking joking?” Mia blurted out, fury spiking in her voice.
“Seriously, mate, we just want to make sure she’s safe,” I shook my head. “We’ll be five minutes, tops.”
He shook his head firmly. “No. And if she can’t walk, I’ll help her.”
I instantly tightened my grip on Holly. “Abso-fucking-lutely not.” No way in hell was I leaving that girl with him. Even if he were as decent as Steve, I wasn't leaving her with some random security guy at 1:00 a.m.
He crossed his arms, signalling that he’d shut down the conversation. Mia started to truly lose her patience. “Stop being a fucking creep and let us in! She’s clearly drunk, and we’re not going to leave her with you!”
A sharp clack-clack-clack of heeled shoes suddenly cut through the night air, catching all of our attention. Familiar, somehow. I spun around, facing the last person I expected to see at that time of night.
Dr. Carter.
She didn’t say anything at first as she stopped beside me, effortlessly taking in the volatile situation.
Fuck me, she looked immaculate. Who looked that put together in the middle of the night?
She was wearing a dark trench coat that must have cost more than I made in a year, cinched tightly around her frame.
Her hair was up in a neat ponytail, her makeup flawless—not a brushstroke out of place.
“Alex.” She said my name in her crisp voice, and whoop, there went my stomach.
Her head tilted toward Holly, who was practically clinging to me like a koala. “Holly,” she identified the drunk girl, then looked to Mia. “And you are?”
Mia tilted her head right back, an obvious challenge. “Mia. And who are you?” Mia looked to me, and I shook my head violently. Nope. I had only known that woman for a few days, but I knew that was not the tone to use with her.
Dr. Carter pursed her lips, a flicker of annoyance crossing her features, and looked back at me. “Do you live here?” She hadn’t even glanced at the security guard, who had been standing a little straighter since she arrived.
I sighed. “No, I don’t. Holly has had too much to drink, and we were trying to take her home, but this guy,” I pointed at the security guard, “won’t let us in and said she either has to sort herself out or he will help her instead.
” I looked pointedly at Dr. Carter, hoping she read between the lines of why we were arguing.
Her eyes flickered to Mia again, and I explained quickly, before she could ask, "We work at the club. Mia doesn’t go to the uni. ”
Dr. Carter didn’t nod or give any indication she had heard the details. She turned her laser focus on the security guard. “Andy, open the gate.”
He hesitated for a fraction of a second, then quickly took out his keys and unlocked the disabled access gate, which swung open.
Mia scoffed. “Are you fucking with me?” she said incredulously. "You couldn’t have done that five minutes ago?”
“You should leave,” Dr. Carter said, looking directly at Mia, her voice brooking no argument.
“Hang on,” Mia said, ready to start a fresh argument, but I shot her the most pleading look I could muster. Don’t.
“You are not a student at this university, which makes you an unauthorised adult,” Dr. Carter stated, unmoving. “I am not permitting you to step onto the property.”
Mia chewed her cheek, clearly wanting to argue, but she stopped only because of the desperate look in my eyes. She huffed. “Text me.” She softened her face as she looked at Holly, who was still taking in the scene around her. “Get some sleep, Hol.”
Holly smiled dazedly. “Bye, Goddess.”
Mia snorted, and I bit back a laugh. She kissed the top of my head, hooked my bag over my shoulder, and walked down the street. I watched her for a moment; I didn't like anyone walking home alone, but thankfully, I knew she was only about five minutes away from her flat from here.
I looked back to Dr. Carter, who appeared to be wondering how we were going to physically manage Holly. I chuckled and tried to get Holly to stand straighter. When she did, she noticed Dr. Carter, and her eyes went wide.
“Um, Hi,” she said, a little dizzy.
Dr. Carter’s jaw twitched—like she wanted to smile but refused to let it. “Hello.”
I, however, smiled happily at the sheer insanity of the situation. “Holly, we’re going to get you to your room now. Which building is it?”
She looked around, stumbling slightly and pointed to the tallest building in Liberty. Of course.
“Right, let’s go.” I wrapped my arm around her again, walking in through the gate right past the security guy, throwing him an aggressive eye-roll for good measure. Dr. Carter followed, silent other than the sharp clack of her heels behind me.
“Holly.” I said her name sharply as she started to go limp, exhaustion and alcohol finally taking their toll. She stumbled enough for Dr. Carter to reach out and brace her on the other side.
“Thanks,” I said to her, and she just nodded, her arm wrapped firmly around Holly as we kept moving.
As we reached the building door, I tried to unzip Holly’s bag, which was secured across her chest, to get her keys out. She mumbled, loud enough for both of us to hear, "Just because you're gay doesn't mean you get to touch my boobs, Alex.”
Kill me then.
I grabbed her keys, purposefully avoiding looking at Dr. Carter, who kept Holly upright as I unlocked the door. Then, we both carefully manoeuvred Holly inside. Thank fuck there was a lift.
“Holly,” I lifted up her chin. “Sweetheart, which flat and room?”