Chapter 10: Chapter: 10

ANDREA

The next day, I decided to visit some friends to clear my head of the chaotic thoughts. Last night had been crazy and the last thing I needed was to be alone.

Alice was my mother's best friend from Parkville. She had given me a place to stay when I first came to New York. She and her husband, Tom, were kind people.

They run a fast-food restaurant. Alice and her husband used to work for my mother at her restaurant in Parkville. Both women love cooking so much that they used to share recipes.

I also worked for Alice as a waitress before I got my first job, quit, and got my second. Then, six months ago, I got my dream job at Mont's and left my second job.

There's a small apartment upstairs; it was the place I'd lived before I got my current job.

I had bussed tables for them, working as their waitress while I was looking for work and going to interviews. We have become so close.

Now they are the closest thing I have to a family. Their daughter, Kathy, is my best friend; she's brilliant and gorgeous.

As always, the restaurant was packed with people. Parents with their children, teenagers who had come for the famous combo, and a few single men and women just looking for food.

I saw Kathy scurrying between tables, taking down orders. I smile with nostalgia. Kathy still hadn't noticed me. Without hesitation, I hurried inside the storage room and took an apron and tied it around my waist, then took out a rubber band and pulled my long strands into a ponytail.

“Andrea! You are here.” Kathy squealed excitedly and hugged me. When I came out of the storage room, I hugged her back, smiling.

“When did you get back? You said you would call me when you got back from Parkville, but I haven't heard from you since before you left.”

“I'm sorry, I got back two weeks ago. Things have been a little hectic for me at work,” I reply, giving her half the truth. She narrowed her eyes on me.

“Something is going on with you, I can see it in your eyes.” She waved her index finger in my face, but then she sighed, relenting.

“You and I have a lot of things to discuss later.” She winked and walked back to the restaurant to her customers, who had been trying to get her attention.

I took two menus, a notepad, and a pen to take down the orders. I went to the more populated section, took their orders, and finally got them to the chef.

Alice's husband, Tom, was busy making food in the kitchen, his brown hair hidden underneath the white hairnet. The other chef was equally busy.

“Hello, Tom.” I greeted, standing at the kitchen door with a smile in my voice.

“Andrea!” Tom exclaimed, smiling so broadly that he reminded me of my Dad. I went and gave him a side hug; he hugged me back.

“Did you just get here? Nobody told me you were coming. Have you had lunch yet? Go sit down, let me make you something. I would have made you your favorite dish if I knew you were coming.”

“Honey, let the poor girl rest from her journey before you start shoving food into her.”

Alice, who is the manager of their restaurant, says out of nowhere, I didn't even hear her walk in. She hugs me hard.

“We miss you, dear. Kathy said this morning that she's been trying to get through to you. But your phone isn't going through what happened? Are you okay?”

“I'm okay, it must be a network problem, I guess,” I reply, watching Tom flick a delicious steak over the pan. I remember to pass him the paper with the orders I'd taken down.

“When did you get here?” Alice, just like her husband, looks so happy to see me.

She's overly friendly, and she'd babysat me a lot when I was a kid. Seeing her always reminds me of my mother.

They were best of friends all their lives, and had visited each other frequently before Alice and Tom moved to New York.

They even led the same lives. It's also why I don't visit often: it hurts to see them sometimes and makes me miss my parents even more.

“Just now.”

“Good to see you, Andrea. Tonight's one of the busy nights, you know how it is. But you'll stay here tonight, won't you? I haven't seen you in such a long time. We need to do some catching up, look at you! You've lost weight.” I nod, smiling, not surprised she'd say that.

Alice had always considered me part of her family, constantly worrying about me, asking if I was eating all right, and telling me to come to her if I had any problems.

But I never wanted to burden them with my problems. The day passed quickly as Kathy and I bused the tables and chatted whenever we got the chance.

“Oh, come on! Look at yourself in the mirror, you look like a sexpot! But if you're not comfortable in the dress, well, you could change into this; it would look good on you, I guess, but this red dress looks really, really good on you. You look utterly fuckable in it.” Kathy said, pouting, trying to make me feel bad for not seeing what she saw in the red dress.

She shoved the knee-length black dress in my face half-heartedly, but when I tried to reach for it, she threw it on the bed far away.

Still pouting, unhappy with my lack of fashion sense. As she put it. I looked at the mirror again, not recognizing the woman staring back at me.

It is true: I look hot in the thigh-length, dark red, long-sleeve dress with a V-neck. I had on thigh-high black leather boots and an equally black leather jacket, both borrowed from Kathy's wardrobe.

I had makeup on my face, my eyes were smoky hot, and my strawberry blonde hair curled into waves. It has always been curly, but I like the way Kathy curled it, making it look like I'd gone to a celebrity hairdresser.

I looked like sex on legs.

It was 9 pm. Kathy had convinced me to go to the club together and have some fun. She thinks my life is boring, that I'm not having fun, as every young woman of my age should.

Which I reluctantly agreed is true. At least I was now. I'd become so dull, I'd give my old neighbor's dog a run for his money on boringness. The lazy old guy is constantly slumbering.

Of course, I'd agree in my mind, there's no need to add to her ego. Kathy also thinks I might regret it in my later years, which might result in me being a miserable middle-aged woman. I had finally relented.

I could never win with her; she could be tenacious like a dog with a bone. Right now, we are in the apartment above the restaurants, my previous apartment where she's now staying.

The restaurant closed down an hour ago. We had dinner with her parents, Alice and Tom, who, short of shoving food down my throat, have been trying to get me to eat more food.

Saying I had lost weight since they last saw me, I had eaten more than I had in a long time.

Alice and Kathy had asked me to stay over for the night, and I didn't put up much of a fight. Truth be told, I want a free night where I don't have to think about Jericho's threats or Jules' proposition. So even though I wasn't a party girl, I agreed to go clubbing.

We took an Uber to the club. After waiting in line outside for about thirty minutes, we finally found our way inside.

It was a trendy club in downtown Brooklyn, much like the one Jules and I went to in Manhattan.

Only this was more crowded; the loud bass of the music made it impossible to hear Kathy as we waded into the gyrating bodies of partygoers.

She dances as we try to make our way to the bar, swaying and throwing her body and hair to the beat—my hand clutching hers.

Kathy was a tall, slender, black-haired beauty with skin even paler than mine. She works at a bank and helps her parents run the restaurants on weekends.

We downed our first drinks, and in my case, the last one. The bartender refills Kathy's glass and pushes it onto the counter in front of her.

It didn't take long before I was beginning to feel the warm buzz of alcohol in my blood. My body was hot, and I felt free. I had even started shaking my head in tune with the music.

I had asked for a non-alcoholic drink for my second drink, a glass of cold soda. I drink slowly, sipping and hydrating my parched throat. I'm not ashamed of being a lightweight, but I'd die of humiliation if I dropped face down on the marble floor.

I mostly drink just one glass of alcohol. When I'm in a celebratory mood, I drink two glasses max, but today I didn't fucking care I was chugging down my third or was it fourth drink? I've honestly lost count.

“Come on, let's go dance on the dance floor,” Kathy shouted in my ear. I shook my head and mouthed no. I was a closet strip dancer.

I love dancing, and when I'm at my apartment and free of work, I used to dance to my heart's content. I used to think I was meant to be a dancer and designer.

I am happiest when I'm sketching in my sketchbook or dancing. But I've never had the confidence to dance in front of other people since my college years.

Kathy didn't even warn me; she unceremoniously dragged me along to the middle of the dance floor.

And begin to dance with me, gyrating and rubbing her body against mine to the music playing.

The drink I had must have been more potent than I thought, because I laughed and then began to dance with her.

With my inhibition gone, I close my eyes and let the music consume me, drowning out all the sounds of people around me.

I let go of all the stress and fear, I swayed, twisted, and moved my body in time with the music. I was no longer at the club, but at home alone, where no one could ever see me.

“Damn girl, you have been holding out on me!” Kathy's voice in my ear startled me and brought me back from the private place where I hid the dancer in me.

“Wha…what do you mean?” I stutter, still drunk. Staring at the three faces of Kathy, who was smiling so broadly at me, she looked so surprised.

“Some moves you got there, have you seen yourself dance, you're so sensual, you're like the fucking child of Shakira and a succubus.”

“That's nonsense,” I slurred, laughing at her exaggeration. I might be obsessed with dancing, and I think I'm not a terrible dancer. But I'm not conceited enough to believe I'm as good as Shakira.

“You don't believe me?” Kathy turns me around to see the dancing crowd, whispering in my ears.

“Look at all those men staring at you, I'm fucking sure you'd left them with a boner. If I weren't one hundred percent sure I'm straight, I would be nursing the equivalent of a male boner. I'd be fucking hard for you.”

It's true. Not about Kathy having a lady's boner, about the men staring at me, more than half a dozen men were eye fucking me.

I burped, the dozens of eyes were making me totally uncomfortable, instantly I wanted to go home and sleep, I was beginning to feel nauseous, which could end up badly for Kathy.

But before I could talk to Kathy, a tall man, whose face I'm having difficulty was suddenly in my path.

"Hey beautiful, do you mind sitting with me and my friend?” he was saying something else but I didn't hear a thing. His faces were staring at me expectantly.

"Uh—Katie?” I started, suddenly feeling sick.

"I think I'm ...” I didn't get a chance to complete my sentence before the world goes completely dark.

My head threatened to split in two when I woke up the next morning. Stretching, my hands up above I glanced at the time on the Katie's bedside watch.

“OMG! Kathy? Why didn't you wake me up? I'm going to be late for work,” I screech, as I rushed into her bathroom.

"Geez relax. It's not the end of the world if you miss one day of work. Besides, did you know how drunk you were?” she replied, leaning against the bathroom, I yanked the curtains close as I sat on the toilet.

"You threw up all over the guy asking for your number, poor guy even help me get you into an Uber in the hope he'll get your number.” I grimace. God, I can't believe I was such a mess.

"Please tell me you didn't give him my number,” I asked as I came out, throwing my hair up. I wash my hands in the basin, quickly brush my teeth and rinse my face.

"Of course not, I wouldn't do that to you.”

I was dress and out the door in no time. I rush back in when I realized I didn't say goodbye to Katie. I give a quick hug Katie."Gotta go, tell Alice and Tom's I'll see them on their anniversary party in four weeks,” I yelled, before running out the door.

Shit! I'm going to get fired, if I don't make it in time. But then Jules will probably fire me regardless.

What's worse is going to work with a freaking hangover. I wonder if Jules is going to send my ass back home for refusing her.