Arec's POV:
The mont she walked in, the air in the club seed to change. The dim lights that normally flickered lazily on the walls seed to sharpen in focus, drawn to the woman who had just entered. My eyes were imdiately glued to her, as if there was so magnetic force pulling in. I couldn't help but stare.
She was stunning, no doubt about that. Her long, copper blonde hair, just like mine cascaded over her shoulders in soft waves, framing a face that looked like it belonged on the cover of a magazine.
She wore a deep crimson gown, the kind that clung to her curves in all the right places, leaving just enough to the imagination while still making a statent.
The fabric shimred subtly under the club lights, with a slit up the side that revealed long, toned legs. Her heels, strappy, black, and impossibly high, clicked softly on the floor as she made her way to the bar, each step asured and deliberate.
She didn't even glance my way as she sat down, two stools over. But I watched her, completely captivated.
I didn't know what it was about her , her beauty, her presence, or maybe the way she seed to carry so invisible weight on her shoulders. But I couldn't look away.
She ordered a whiskey, straight up, and Sam hesitated for a mont, before he poured her drink. I raised an eyebrow, surprised.
It wasn't every day you saw soone, especially a woman, walk into a high-end nightclub and order whiskey like she was ordering water. Sam glanced at , raising an eyebrow in return, but he didn't say anything as he slid the glass over to her.
She grabbed the drink with a steady hand, brought it to her lips, and downed it in one go. Then she slamd the glass down on the bar and ordered another.
"Soone's having a bad day," I thought to myself, watching as she reached for the second glass as soon as Sam placed it in front of her.
She didn't savor it, didn't even pause to let the burn settle. She just threw it back, her expression unreadable but for the flicker of sothing in her eyes, pain, maybe? Misery?
There was sothing about the sight of her, so beautiful and yet so clearly in pain, that tugged at sothing deep inside .
Normally, seeing soone so lost in their own misery would turn off. I hated the look of helplessness, of soone wallowing in their own pity.
But this...this was different. There was a fleeting feeling inside , sothing quick and sharp, like a shooting star that blazes across the sky before vanishing. I couldn't place it, but it was there, gnawing at the edges of my thoughts.
I watched her keep ordering drinks, drowning herself in the alcohol like it was the only thing keeping her from falling aapart
She was trying so hard to keep it together, but the more she drank, the more her composure seed to slip. I didn't even notice Sam watching with that amused look on his face until he leaned in, his voice low.
"Go talk to her," he teased, a grin tugging at the corners of his mouth. "Stop staring like a lovesick puppy."
I shot him a look, rolling my eyes internally. "I'm not staring," I muttered, but even as I said it, I knew it was a lie. Sam just snickered and shook his head, going back to his other custors with that damn knowing smile on his face.
I took another sip of my drink, debating whether or not to take Sam's advice. Part of wanted to ignore it, to stay in my own bubble and let the night wash away the tension that was still lingering from the argunt with my grandmother.
But another part of , a louder, more insistent part, was drawn to this woman, to the sadness that clung to her like a second skin.
I glanced over at her again, watching as she ordered yet another drink. Now looking so miserable, so helpless, that it almost made uncomfortable.
And yet, instead of being repulsed like I normally would be, I found myself feeling sothing else, sothing like empathy, or maybe curiosity. Whatever it was, it made stand up and move to the stool right next to her before I could talk myself out of it.
"Rough night?" I asked, my voice coming out softer than I intended. I didn't want to startle her, but I couldn't help the concern that bled into my tone.
She let out a bitter laugh, the sound harsh and grating against the quiet hum of the bar. "You could say that." She lifted her glass in a mock toast before taking another sip, her gaze eting mine with a look that seed to see right through .
I smiled, trying to show her that I understood. Hell, I'd had my share of rough nights, nights where nothing made sense, where the world felt like it was closing in on . I knew what that kind of pain looked like. "You want to talk about it?" I offered, unsure if she would actually take up on it.
She stared at for a long mont, her eyes narrowing slightly as if she was trying to decide whether or not I was worth talking to. But then, as if so dam had broken inside her, she started talking, her words slurring slightly from the alcohol.
"Three years," she began, her voice thick with emotion. "Three years I spent loving soone, building a life with them, only to find out tonight that it was all a lie. He...he cheated on . And then he threw out like I was nothing."
I felt a flash of anger, my chest tightening at the thought of soone treating her like that. I didn't know her, didn't even know her na, but the idea of anyone making her feel worthless made my blood boil. It shocked , how strong my reaction was, how deeply her pain seed to resonate with .
"He sounds like an idiot," I said, my voice a little sharper than I intended.
She smiled at that, a small, sad smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. "Yeah, he is."
"You deserve better," I said sincerely, the words coming out before I could stop them. I ant it, though, no one deserved to be treated like that, to have their heart crushed and then discarded like it didn't matter.
"Maybe," she replied, her voice soft, almost as if she didn't quite believe it herself.
Our gazes held for a long mont, sothing unspoken passing between us. I couldn't look away, couldn't shake the feeling that this was more than just a chance encounter in a bar. There was sothing about her, sothing that pulled in and made want to know more.
"Co with ," I said suddenly, the words more of an invitation than a command. I didn't know where they ca from, didn't even know what I was suggesting, but it felt right.
For a mont, she looked surprised, her eyes widening slightly as she processed what I'd said. I could see the hesitation, the uncertainty in her expression, and for a second, I wondered if I'd pushed too far.
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