Chapter 4
Violet
I was late, which meant I was about to be lectured.
Bug was one of my closest friends, but she took punctuality seriously.
Maybe it was because she was the eldest of six and raised in a military household.
Even her artwork was meticulously planned, while I was more of a ‘wing it and hope for the best’ kind of girl.
Seriously, that woman could be terrifying, all five foot two of her.
Mum:
Where have you gone?
Hello?
*Missed call from Mum*
Shit.
Mum:
Violet, answer your phone!
This is serious!
They’re watching.
You need to come home.
Music vibrated through the floor, moving up my legs and settling in my chest as I pushed deeper into the club.
The heavy bass eased some of my anxiety, muffling the sharp edges of my thoughts and letting me ignore my responsibilities.
For the moment, at least. But then guilt gripped me with its vicious claws, dragging me to a halt in the middle of the crowd.
Mum would be livid if she knew where I was, that I was putting myself in imaginary danger while she fought her non-existent demons.
What she didn’t know couldn’t hurt her.
Right?
*Missed call from Mum*
Me:
I’m safe at the studio. I’ll be home soon, okay?
Love you.
“Vi! Vi!” Bug called, waving like a madwoman from across the dancefloor. “Over here!”
Putting my phone away in my bag, I waved back, only for a group of three girls to shove against my shoulder.
“Excuse you,” I muttered, the movement swinging the necklace around my neck so harshly the pendant clashed against my skin. Reaching up, I gripped the golden disk, my thumb brushing against the engraving of a single flower. A violet. A gift from mum.
“You made it!” Bug appeared, grabbing my wrist so she could pull me into a hug. “And just twenty minutes late. Honestly, I was betting on thirty.”
I tried to reassure her with my smile, but from her pursed lips I’d say it wasn’t going well. “I’m sorry, I got caught up with mum.”
Bug swayed a little, any frustration immediately disappearing. “Is she okay?”
I nodded, my smile forced. Bug was one of the few people aware of mum’s condition, but until recently it had been all under control.
“So, where’s this booth then?” I asked, using her own excitement to distract her from the original question. Anxiety continued to scratch beneath my skin, my mind already racing ahead at mum’s disappointment if she ever found out that I wasn’t at the studio. That I’d lied and snuck out.
Maybe I needed to be distracted too. Luckily, Bug tugged me towards the corner, surprising me with a couple familiar faces from the warehouse.
“Happy birthday!” my friends shouted in unison.
Green blew on a paper horn, while Lily and Penelope smiled with their silly party hats. The same hat that was quickly placed on my head, with the elastic snapping against my chin.
“Ow!” I laughed, accepting a group hug.
The booth was tucked away in the corner, giving the perfect view of the dance floor and bar. The table itself was decorated with a golden cloth, as well as glitter and sequins shaped like little flowers.
I reached out instinctively to run my fingers over them, stepping aside just in time as a man dressed in all black appeared and set down a tray of shots.
“To my favourite artist,” Bug declared, prompting a round of dramatic, ‘Hey, what about me?’ from the others. “Happy birthday.”
I reached for a drink, lifting it in the air before tipping it to my lips. The alcohol burned, easing some of the pressure that cinched around my chest.
“Come on, Vi, live a little,” Green encouraged, handing me another with a wink.
The second went down easier, the beat of the music causing me to sway a little from side to side.
Bug slammed her glass down on the table. “Let’s dance!”
The lights overhead pulsed, casting the room in flashes of electric blue and white.
A sea of dancers surrounded me, sweat a glossy sheen across their bodies as they thrust to the rhythm.
Arms were raised, heads thrown back and feet stomping as I let myself drift forward, deeper onto the dance floor, where the music was loud enough to drown everything else out.
My hips found the beat, and for a moment, I wasn’t thinking about mum, or the lie I’d told. I was just here, moving, breathing, existing. So when Bug caught my eye and grinned, delicately twirling while the others jumped to the music, I smiled back.
The beat changed, and I altered my moves to match, embracing the rhythm and just enjoying the moment. I couldn’t tell how long I was there. Long enough to have several more drinks, and for my friends to disappear one by one into the crowd, apparently.
Eventually I returned to the table to find Bug actively trying to get me to take yet another shot.
I laughed when she gave me an empty glass. “Let me get the next round.”
“No, it’s your biiiirrrtthhhhdaaayyyy!” she sang off tune, clearly drunk.
I managed to untangle myself from her outstretched arms. “Stay here.”
Sticking her tongue out, Bug began to dance by the table, shaking her hips to something that definitely wasn’t the song playing. Luckily Green returned, adding his own moves while Penelope and Lily danced a few feet behind.
The crowd heaved as I pushed myself towards the bar. Finding a free space, I leaned slightly over to try and gain the attention of the staff.
“Twice in one day,” a familiar voice said from beside me. “You’re not stalking me, are you, love?”
I turned, finding a man’s head dipped in my direction. “Ryder?”
“Ah, so you remember me.” He smirked, and I found myself trying to blink past the slight alcoholic buzz.
His tousled hair was tucked behind his right ear, revealing a set of two golden hoops as well as a helix piercing. They were the same colour as the ones in his nipples, and oh my god, now I was thinking about his nipples.
“I’m so sorry about earlier,” I began, the words rushing out like vomit. “I didn’t mean to paint your chest. I didn’t see you, and you shouldn’t have even been there honestly, and I was just—”
“It’s fine, seriously.” His eyes looked above my head, and only then did I remember I was still wearing the children’s party hat.
“It’s my birthday,” I offered by way of explanation, silently grateful for the alcohol warming my veins because without it, I’d have felt embarrassed.
“I can tell,” he said with a chuckle, tilting his head. “It suits you.”
“The hat?” I asked, resisting the urge to rip it off and crush it in my fist. Instead, I lifted my chin a little higher.
His eyes dropped, taking their time to sweep down my short dress before returning to my face. “Anything would suit you.”
My mouth dried, brows pulling together at the way he watched me.
His dark hair was just long enough to run your fingers through, and with light stubble he had that effortless kind of handsomeness.
Complete with a perfect nose, a razor-sharp jawline, and cheekbones that could make even supermodels weep with envy.
Stop it.
“What do you want?” the bartender barked, jolting me out of whatever the hell pull Ryder had.
Forcing myself away, I placed my order, all too conscious that he was so close.
He smelt like leather and woodsmoke, warm with just a hint of spice.
His black T-shirt was stretched across his chest, revealing strong arms with a dusting of dark hair.
His left arm was bare, while his right had a snake coiled all the way up to disappear beneath the sleeve.
The head started on the top of his hand, and the forked tongue stretched down his middle finger, which was an interesting choice.
“Your friend is staring,” he commented after a moment, clearly amused that I was not so subtly just checking him out. “She doesn’t blink. Should I be concerned?”
I looked back to find Bug was indeed staring in our direction. “Oh, that’s just Bug.”
“Your friend’s called Bug?” he chuckled. “Like the insect? But she gives me more reptilian vibes.”
I burst out laughing. “What?”
He shrugged. “Seriously, she still hasn’t blinked. If she’s one of those lizards wearing human skin, you can tell me. I promise not to tell.”
My lips parted to reply, but then my shots were placed in front of me.
“It’s on me.” Before I could respond, Ryder had already handed over the cash. “Happy birthday.”
I fumbled for words, my brain taking its sweet time to answer. “Thank you,” I managed to splutter.
“I think your friends are calling you,” he said, nodding behind me. “They seem to have a cake.”
“Of course they do,” I muttered, spotting them waving me over. They did indeed have cake, and I was also confident they’d somehow snuck a candle and a lighter in too.
“You should go before she bores a hole into my soul.”
I laughed again, grabbing the five shots tightly before weaving my way across the chaos that passed for a dancefloor. Halfway through, I paused and glanced over my shoulder, wondering whether I should invite Ryder to join us. Except he was already gone.
Ryder
I couldn’t tear my eyes off her, the cute blonde girl with the aura of sunshine.
She’d worn this obscenely short yellow dress that hugged her body and showcased her curvy legs and hips.
Not to mention the ridiculously high heels that had her head reaching my jawline rather than my shoulder.
I don’t think I’ve seen her in yellow before; she always wore pink or purple, rarely blue. But never yellow.
I wasn’t the only one who couldn’t seem to take my eyes off her, and for some reason that pissed me off. Her exceedingly long hair was down, long enough to almost reach her lower back in thick waves that I wanted to wrap in my fist.
She was drunk, her movements a little wobbly and her eyes slightly glazed. They’d widened when she’d recognised me, a flush turning her breasts a pretty pink colour.
She was like this living, breathing doll. Which was so not my type.
Okay, so female was my type. But I usually preferred my women to not look so… innocent. So breakable.
Leaving the bar, I positioned myself where I could watch her unnoticed. She looked back for me, and I could have sworn her face dropped with disappointment before returning to her friends. Which made me feel like this should be easier than expected, if that Bug wasn’t so hostile.
She was the same girl from the studio, and while she’d been somewhat encouraging earlier, her glare just then wasn’t overtly friendly. More a warning, as if she was some mama bear protecting her cubs.
She was even smaller than Violet, and built slim with dark skin that made the green of her jumpsuit stand out. Even now, as they were singing the happy birthday song, her eyes were scanning around, probably looking for me.
Luckily, she wasn’t the one I was after.
I patiently watched Violet dance and sip her drinks, blissfully unaware of the predatory eyes tracking her every move. A few men tried their luck, but each time she met them with a polite smile and a gentle shake of her head.
Now and then she’d stop to glance at her phone, her movements growing increasingly strained. It wasn’t even an hour later that she was saying her goodbyes, much to the protest of her friends. Friends who I knew shared the studio space she unceremoniously splattered me with paint in earlier.
Green, real name Niel Long, was a surrealism artist, whatever the fuck that means.
According to the lease agreement that I may or may not have stolen, he’d been at the studio the longest and went to university with Penelope Rose, who was a painter.
Lily O’Donnell made rugs, and Bridget—aka Bug—Jackson was a freakily accurate sculptor.
Four people I cared very little about, but knew their Instagram handle, their contact details, and fucking underwear size.
Waving, Violet left the club and I followed at a distance, careful to stay in the shadows where she wouldn’t see me.
The wind caught her long pale hair, whipping it around her shoulders like an angel’s halo as she stared at her phone rather than paying attention to the man who was currently approaching her back.
Ah, shit.
Violet carried an air of innocence, as if the world’s cruelty had yet to tarnish her, and it made something dark in me stir. It made me want to ruin it. To stain that purity until it matched mine, which was a completely unhinged thought that would likely worry my therapist.
If I still had a therapist.
Good thing I was a master at impulse control.
“Hey, baby,” the man slurred, reaching over as if to touch her. “You sure can dance. And those legs… Fuck. I want them wrapped around my waist.”
“No, thank you,” she replied, turning away with her phone clutched to her chest. She peeked down the road, seeming to be waiting for something.
“Hey, I’m not done talking.” He went to grab her, but I was already there, shoving myself between them.
“Ryder?” Violet gasped, taking an unsteady step back.
“Fuck off, man, I was just getting to know her,” he snarled, and I simply reached down to grab his balls, dipping my head closer to his ear.
“You wanna try this again?” I squeezed, purposely blocking the exchange with my body. I released the fucker when he whimpered like a bitch, worried he might piss his pants or something.
The man staggered away, hand clutched between his legs. Knowing he was no longer a threat, I turned to find Violet staring, her eyes wide.
“Are you okay?” I asked when she didn’t react.
“Ah… yeah. Thank you,” she whispered, blinking a few times. The adrenaline of the situation seemed to have sobered a little, at least enough to pay attention to her surroundings.
“You need any help getting home?”
“I… I have an Uber,” she said just as a car pulled up. “That’s me.”
I held the door open for her, intentionally positioning myself so her arm grazed my chest as she passed in a casual touch I could control.
She paused, eyes lifting to meet mine as she turned, and I tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear, letting my touch linger just a moment too long before tracing my fingers lightly down her jaw.
Her pupils dilated, and her breath hitched even as I stepped back.
My smile grew, slow and deliberate. “I’ll see you around, blondie.”