Chapter Two
Willow
All I can hear is what sounds like our cat drowning, I feel sick to my stomach, like a lead weight is holding me down making me unable to move and I can’t open my eyes. I can feel the sun on my face though, giving me a sense of inner peace, so I don’t really care if this is how I die.
I can hear birds chirping a pretty song somewhere too, and at least I have my furry companion somewhere close by my side as we both slip into the light.
Just as I am about to make my peace with dying so young, I hear the cat again. It’s closer this time, and I realise I’m not actually dying, it’s worse. I’m hungover.
Reality hits me and I realise my eyes are sticking together because I fell asleep with fake lashes on and that we don’t even have a freaking cat, it’s actually my best friend singing I can hear.
I know she’s been cooking breakfast and she’ll be making her way to my room with it because I can smell the delicious coffee mixed with the scent of bacon and eggs.
I prepare myself mentally to open my eyes for her bursting into my room like she always does the next morning to talk about how good the previous night was, only she doesn’t grace me with her presence and instead I hear her pass by my door continuing to sing as the smell of coffee and breakfast drifts away with her.
There’s no way she hasn’t made me breakfast. She’s the cook in our relationship, especially the morning after a night out clubbing because she is somehow blessed to never get hangovers no matter how much we drink.
I on the other hand am not so lucky, and I swear this morning I have a hangover bad enough for the both of us but I don’t remember drinking that much to warrant how I feel right now.
I should stay in bed considering how bad I feel, but as I start to pick off my fake lashes and unleash my eyes to the glaring morning sun, my stomach growls and I really need some of Alina’s cooking to help start my day.
The thought of her making breakfast brings me back to why the hell she isn’t in my room yet and has clearly went back to her own room. Maybe she didn’t want…
“Oh my god. NO.” I say with a scratchy throat as I force myself to roll over and bury my head into my pillow
“She’s brought that guy home.” I grumble. Stretching out in my queen size bed I decide I’ll lay here for a few minutes star fishing on my stomach under the soft thick covers before I decide to get up.
I roll onto my side and reach to my bedside cabinet to grab my phone and check the time.
“Shiiiiiittt how hungover am I?” It’s eleven thirty and no matter how hungover I am I never sleep in this late.
I grab the corner of the duvet and fling it back while groaning as I swing my legs over the side of the bed trying to steady my upper body from falling back down. I feel so dizzy as I take a deep breath and push up to stand on shaky legs.
“I’m not going out for at least a month.
” I mumble to myself as I finally make my way to my dresser and run my hands over my face.
Looking in the mirror in horror at how I look, I decide today is a day for lounging on the sofa with Alina.
A day with our duvets, snacks and endless coffee while watching movies.
Alina has been my best friend my entire life. My parents and her mum and step-dad are best friends, so we have grown up like sisters for the last twenty two years, which is why last night, as always for my birthday, she made sure we celebrated like we always do, with lots of alcohol and dancing.
At least my hangover should be gone by tomorrow so we can go out in the city and do our favourite things together.
Breakfast at Sunny Side which is our favourite little cafe, book shopping, a trip to Coney Island and then she said she would treat us to dinner at a new restaurant that’s just opened up in town.
I love Alina so much, she’s my other half and I would be lost without her.
We have other friends in our group such as Gigi, who we both met later in school when we were sixteen, then Ella and Mia who we met when we were eighteen, but Alina and I are inseparable, hence why we live together and also work together.
Deciding I can’t look in the mirror at the mess I am any longer, I make my way to my bedroom door as quietly as I can so I don’t disturb Alina and the male friend she decided to come home with.
Just as I place my hand on the door handle, I hear the guy walking past talking in…
Russian? He sounds serious but I don’t speak Russian or any other languages to be able to tell properly.
Come to think of it, neither does Alina, so who the hell is this guy talking to?
I open my door and creep into the hallway hoping he doesn’t hear or see me and when I do, I am met with a tall, tattooed, bulky looking guy who looks like he is seconds away from bursting out of his shirt.
Just as he’s about to round the corner into the open plan living room and kitchen area, he hears my footsteps and turns around. He’s still holding his phone to his ear and speaking in Russian to whoever is on the other end of the call.
He is definitely Alina’s type. The pretty fuck boy with tattoos, muscles that don’t end and who looks like he will ruin your life and you would thank him afterwards.
He looks me up and down and winks at me with a boyish grin on his face, then casually as ever as if he owns the place, he turns back around and makes his way to the front door.
I only know he’s left when I decide to shake myself out of my utter disbelief at his arrogance and walk to the bay window in the living room to spy where he has gone. I look out and see him waiting at the edge of the walkway just as a blacked out BMW pulls up.
Just out of curiosity, I wait and see for anything else to happen because I don’t remember this guy being the one Alina was dancing with last night, which is who I thought she brought home.
That’s when my brain stops working completely. If I thought this random Russian speaking fuck boy was pretty, I have no words for the behemoth who steps out from the back of the BMW.
Where fuck boy is just that, a boy, this guy is all man. He’s taller than fuck boy by a few inches.
He has to be at least six foot five maybe even six foot six. His suits must have to be tailor made to fit him too from all the muscle he has, and his face…
I usually describe men as hot, handsome, or in fuck boys case, pretty. But this man is something else and did I mention he is huge?
As he stands there, he leans against the car, arms folded with his shirt sleeves rolled up looking just as dangerous as he is beautiful.
His dark hair is short at the sides, slightly longer on top and tousled at the front…
and what the hell is wrong with me? I don’t get like this over guys.
But he’s not a guy, not any I’ve ever seen before anyway.
He is carved perfectly like some kind of Greek God statue.
“Is there a fire or something?” I jump back from the window startled at Alina’s voice as she comes up behind me and glances out the window to see for herself what I was looking at.
“Holy. Fucking. Shit.” She says slowly.
“Grab me a bag of popcorn please girl, there’s no fire but this is one hell of a fucking smoke show.” She all but shouts as she perches on the bay window, duvet wrapped around her that she’s dragged from her bedroom and watches the scene unfold below us.
I actually do as she asks and walk over to the kitchen counter and grab two bags of popcorn in the state of shock I’m in over seeing the absolute God who’s parked outside our apartment.
I walk back over to the window and Alina opens the duvet for me to cuddle in beside her.
“Who is that guy? Was I that drunk last night that I didn’t see him clear enough or is this a different guy from who you were dancing with all night?” I ask her as I open the bags of popcorn and hand one to her.
“Sweet little Willow, you were black out drunk last night. It took until the club was closing for us to finally get you to leave, and that’s only because you quite literally passed out.” She says giving me a pointed look and raising a perfectly plucked eyebrow at me.
“He first came over to us after I’d told that other guy he wasn’t getting an invite back home.
We danced for a little and then when we were chilling by the bar waiting for an Uber to come to get you home, he came back.
Gigi told him to fuck off and that we weren’t interested in any more male attention for the night.
” She laughs and continues to watch fuck boy and the God talk outside their car.
“How did the girls get back to Mia’s?” I ask also watching them both.
They look deep in thought and conversation, as if they’ve forgotten they are outside our apartment in the middle of the street and are probably being watched by both men and women from the neighbouring houses and apartments.
“Oh, Ella’s boyfriend picked the three of them up. I think they all went to one of his friends’ parties.” She replies shoving popcorn into her mouth.
“Okay so how did fuck boy end up back here then if Gigi told him to do one?” I ask continuing to watch the scene outside as if I’m watching one of those nature documentaries. You know where you’re waiting for the lion to attack the gazelle? You shouldn’t want to watch but you can’t look away.
“He told Gigi we were all too beautiful to ignore and that he owned the club and wanted to make sure we had a good night and were okay. When we said we were waiting on an Uber he insisted his driver would bring us home. And come on, look at him.” She exclaims, pointing to him out the window.
“I couldn’t just let him do that and then not invite him back with us!” Alina puts her arm around me and continues.
“And his name is Lev, not fuck boy. He carried you out to the car from the club, then up the stairs to your bed for me to get your drunk ass changed into your pjs. You were completely fucked last night Willow. I don’t think I’ve ever seen you that drunk, like ever.
It was actually a little worrying. I wouldn’t of been able to get you home by myself so Lev is practically a saint.
” She flutters her eyelashes at me and almost drools.
“Wonderful, so your one night stand saw me not only this morning looking like death, but also a drunk embarrassment last night.” I groan into my hands as I pull the duvet round me a little more. Alina laughs and smooths my dark brown hair down
“Ohhh you saw him as he left? Did he look like he’d had a good night?” She asks hopefully as she turns to look at me fully.
“Girl I don’t know. He was speaking on the phone in what I’m pretty sure was Russian, so forgive me that I was too confused and hungover to notice whether he had a good time in your bed.” I roll my eyes.
“Ughhh he was whispering Russian words in my ear all night, so fucking hot.” She all but moans.
“Alina, you don’t even know Russian, he could of been saying anything.” I roll my eyes at her.
“Whatever, anyway that man was only looking at me last night, even with you dead to the world in his arms. He asked for my number too, so who knows, maybe he won’t be just a one night stand.
He also owns the club, so don’t worry about him seeing you in a blacked out state.
I’m sure he’s seen people in worse conditions.
” She says as she looks back out the window.
“Quick question Alina. How can he own a club at his age? He has to only be our age or just older. Did you even ask him before you stuck my half dead body in his unknown car and then let him into our home?”
I keep watching the two men talking deeply outside. Looking more closely, the God looks like he’s a lot older than fuck boy. Definitely all man.
“All the staff were tipping their heads to him like he owned the place and when we were leaving security called him ‘Boss’, so I didn’t think I needed to ask any questions.
He’s hot as hell, was offering us a ride home and also helped me get your drunk ass to bed.
We’re both alive aren’t we? So give a girl a break.
” She says as she keeps her eyes on Lev out the window.
I laugh at her carefree attitude and the fact that she thinks with her hormones more than anyone else I know.
If this Lev guy is a fuck boy, Alina is his exact match. She’s a fuck girl. She has men wrapped around her finger within seconds and I love her for it. We enjoy free drinks anytime we go out because of her.
“Nooo they’re getting into the car.” She huffs
“I could watch them all day. What the fuck is in the water where they are from? And who do you think the hot piece of ass who picked him up is?” She asks as she starts to stand up, taking the duvet with her before throwing it on the sofa.
“I don’t know, but I do know that I thought your singing was a dying cat when I first woke up this morning. I also thought I was dying so can we just have a girl rot day because I have a hangover from hell.” I say as I begin to yawn.
“I’d also like some of your breakfast that you skimped out on giving me this morning because you were clearly feeding fuck boy instead of me, the person who actually needs it right now.”
I drag myself over to the sofa and grab the duvet Alina dropped on it for me. I flop down onto it and let out a loud dramatic sigh to guilt her into making me breakfast.
“Trust me Willow, after the night I had with him, we needed it more than you this morning.” She actually has the audacity to wink at me as she speaks and makes her way to the kitchen.
She throws her long blonde hair into a bun and starts singing as she gets the ingredients to cook more breakfast for me.
“I hate you.” I call to her.
“I love you too Wills.” She sings back.
I can feel myself slipping into my first nap of the day already as I snuggle deeper into the duvet.
My mind has pictures of the God who was just outside in his tailored suit trousers, fitted shirt and BMW. Who the hell has Alina brought into our lives?