𝓐 𝓱𝓪𝓷𝓰𝓸𝓿𝓮𝓻 𝓲𝓼 𝓳𝓾𝓼𝓽 𝔂𝓸𝓾𝓻 𝓫𝓸𝓭𝔂 𝓻𝓮𝓶𝓲𝓷𝓭𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝔂𝓸𝓾 𝓽𝓱𝓪𝓽 𝔂𝓸𝓾'𝓻𝓮 𝓪𝓷 𝓲𝓭𝓲𝓸𝓽

"Fuck," I groan, dropping my head down on the table and closing my eyes. Never thought vodka would break my trust like this. I keep swallowing, as if it's going to rid me of the dryness I feel in my mouth and throat. The constant buzz of the cafe does not help at all with my headache. The owner keeps shouting at children to take their order. The cafe is so busy, but after all the drinking I've done today, I think I'm hungover. I absolutely love that for me.

"Calm down on the swearing," Ri chuckles. She's looking just as beautiful as ever with her hair all shiny and set, her eyes lively as always and her outfit to the point. And here I am with a mismatched outfit and a coat that I paired with jeans. My light brown hair is in a messy bun and my skin needs moisturizing, my eyes look empty and I've got two-mile long dark circles. In short, I look like death itself.

"Don't talk! This is all your fault," I grumble. "How am I the only one who is hungover. You drank a lot more than me. Why the hell are you not hungover?"

"I have a high alcohol toleration," she replies, flipping her hair. I roll my eyes at her.

"Hello everyone!" Jade's overenthusiastic voice fills my ears. Oh no. I can't deal with him right now. I don't know what he takes throughout his day so that he's so energetic, but he manages somehow. I hear the scraping of a chair against the floor, and then him plopping down on it to shuffle through his bag.

"Aw... Is Ari having her first hangover ever?" I look up at him and see amusement and mischief in his eyes. I start weeping internally. Why do I have such friends? With his elbow propped up on the table and his chin resting on his hand, he looks at me. "Why do you have to drink so much?"

I just give him a death glare and place my forehead back on the cold table before I sigh. Today is going to be a long day.

"Fuck off. I don't have time for your bullshit," I grumble.

"Don't forget to be polite," Ri says, amusement in her voice.

"I'm sorry, I'm busy right now. I can't talk to you." I close my eyes, still not looking up.

"Much better," Ri chirps. They both have too much energy this early in the morning.

"Riona." A low, husky voice fills my ears, and it shocks me. This is a new voice. Hm, probably one of the guys trying to get her number.

"Albert!" Riona squeals. Is this- oh my God. I totally forgot. I do my best to keep my head down, my cheeks burning as I try to stay still. I've never felt this embarrassed.

"This is Jade, and that is Ari." She introduces us but I only grunt in acknowledgement. I'm not gonna face him looking like the grim reaper.

"Pst, Ari, don't be rude," Jade says. He jabs me in the stomach with his elbow. I look up and glare at him.

"Why are you glaring at me like that?" he asks as if he didn't just assault me.

"I'm hoping you will spontaneously combust and leave me alone." He just snickers at my response.

Dick. Why am I the only one who got a hangover?

"Be polite and introduce yourself," He says as he nudges me again.

Bruh! Poke me with your elbow one more time and I'll pull that arm out of its socket.

I finally turn in Albert's direction with a smile on my face, despite the dying feeling I have inside because of the alcohol. I glance up at him, and, wow... he's much more good-looking than the news and magazines portray him. He has high cheekbones and lively blue eyes, which are just a lighter shade than Ri's. His pitch-black hair is carefully styled to go along with his muscular build and the tattoos all over his hands. He's... very handsome.

Did he get those during an art competition?

Nevermind that, he's nearly six feet tall, or maybe even taller. I'm five foot seven and I never thought that my height was short. Now I feel like I need to wear heels.

"Hello, I-" Before I can even get my name in he reaches out a hand, yanking me towards him and pulling me to himself as he growls. Like, literally growls. Does he need to go to a doctor? Seriously, humans shouldn't growl. I don't think it is possible for us to growl.

My eyes widen when I notice his eyes getting darker and darker. I feel myself shrinking back, the eyes of everyone present in the cafe landing on us. I blink as the normal chatter of the cafe dies, and the only sound heard becomes the soft whistling of the wind which causes the wisps of my stray hair to fly around.

Too much attention on the day I look like shit.

Abort mission! I repeat, MISSION ABORT!!!

I look at Riona with a horrified expression and a look that says 'what is happening?' She gives a little shrug before looking at Albert.

"Leave her, Albert," she says with a firm voice.

Yeah, Albert, keep your gigantic designer hands to yourself.

"U-um, Mr Stone, can you let go of me?" I ask cautiously as his eyes keep on getting darker and darker. If this continues he'll have pitch-black irises soon, which, honestly, would look really cool. Hearing my words he lets out another low sound and his chest rumbles. Another growl, are you kidding me?

Stop growling like a dog, you overgrown human.

He tears his eyes from me and looks out in the distance. We stand in this position for a few moments before he leaves me and steps back. He then looks me in the eye. His intense gaze makes me feel exposed to him. Like he's staring right into my soul.

"I'm sorry." Is the last thing I hear from him before he storms out.

"I'm so sorry about that," Ri says, "I'll be right back." After informing us she runs out after her brother.

"That was weird," Jade mutters, still looking at the door.

"Yeah, as weird as a duck twerking," I mutter back. I look at him with a blank expression as he gives me a weird look. I just shake my head and plop right back into my chair.

"So, when were you going to tell me?" I ask Jade. I look at him with narrowed eyes, trying to look intimidating, but let's be real with a chubby face like mine, I would barely look scary.

"Tell you what?" He asks with a confused expression. I narrow my eyes further.

"That you're going back to Clarrise. Back home." I lean back in my chair.

"Look, I'm sorry I didn't tell you earlier, but I have to go this time," he says as he rests his hands on the table.

"Is it that necessary?" I ask, "I thought you told me that you hated it there."

"I do hate it, but I have to go back. It's to end this once and for all," he says, "It's the last time I'm going there. To cut off all the ties and never go back." My mouth forms an 'o' in understanding. Sounds legit I guess. "And now that the topic is up, I need to give you this," he says, handing me a white envelope. I take the envelope from him, the smooth and cold paper rubbing against my warm skin. He tells me to open it so I follow his instructions, but as soon as I open the envelope and look at what's inside, I shove it right back into his hands.

"No, I'm not taking that," I say as I stand up.

"You need this Ari." I quickly walk over to the door but he follows, holding the door open for me. I wrap my coat tighter around myself as I step outside of the warmth of the cafe.

"No, I don't," I say as I start walking to my next class.

"How are you going to survive? Where are you going to live without this?"

"With Riona, she offered me a place. On rent, of course. It's her home so I'm not intruding. She agreed to let me pay the rent, half of it. Isn't that amazing?" I ask him, grinning from ear to ear.

"Hmm... it is, but don't forget me after that," he teases with a smirk on his face.

"Of course not-" I say but stop when I hear someone call me. I turn around to look at whoever is calling me and spot Albert. My eyebrows ride up on their own accord. He walks over to me like he's walking on a runway, but with looks like his, every footpath is a runway for him.

"Yeah?" I ask him when he finally reaches me.

"Can I talk to you?" He asks and I nod. He then eyes Jade as if asking him to go. Jade stands there as ignorant as a child. I softly nod at him and he nods back.

"I'm gonna go to my next class," he tells me and walks away.

"I'm sorry for what happened earlier, I, uh, I don't know what came over and it's embarrassing. I'm so sorry," he says, scratching his neck awkwardly.

"Oh, It's fine. You don't need to apologize. No harm was done!" I say and softly smile at him. It's okay but I still think he's weird. There is something odd about him. It's like a different, harmful aura around him. I think I'll have to keep my distance from this one, he could be dangerous.

"And I talked to Riona," he says, looking at me for a response. I stare at him with a confused expression on my face as my head tilts to the side.

"So?" I ask him.

"You're staying with her, right?" He elaborates.

I knew Riona's dumbness was affecting me!

"Yeah, right. I'm staying with her," I confirm.

"Okay then! Riona and I are going to a cafe in the evening to catch up and just hangout. You should come," he says with a small grin on his face, revealing a cute little dimple on his left cheek.

"Thanks for inviting me but I wouldn't want t-" I start with my all-time favourite and applicable excuse for every occasion, but he interrupts me.

"To intrude," he completes, "Yeah Riona warned me about that. You won't be intruding. Look at it as making new friends and catching up with old ones. It'll be fun, you should come."

"Is anyone else going to be there?" I ask slowly.

"Yeah a couple of our friends," He replies.

"Okay..." I say, dragging the 'o' out a bit. "I'll tell Riona if I'll come or not after I check my schedule."

"Cool," he says with a smile. "I'll talk to you later then. It was splendid meeting you."

"It was nice meeting you too," I say, grinning. "But now I really need to get to class." I bid him goodbye and walk over to my next class. I'm thankfully still early, and the professor hasn't arrived yet.

"So, how did the conversation go with the hotty?" Jade asks as soon as I sit down beside him.

"Shut up," I reply as the professor enters. The class goes on for maybe an hour before we can finally walk out of the room.

"Now, the class is over, can you tell me what actually happened?" The impatient ass named Jade asks.

"He asked me out," I say nonchalantly, walking to my room in the dorms.

"Like on a date?"

"No you idiot," I say, "It's like a friends' gathering or something like that,"

"So, are you going?" He asks.

"Of course not."

How could he not know my decision already? And he calls himself my best friend.

Slowpoke.

"I believe you have already thought of an excuse."

Finally, best friend knowledge comes into play.

"Today's Friday, which means I have work. So, I have an excuse for it already," I say as we enter Ri and I's room. I slide into my chair, letting out a sigh. I should start working on my pending assignments. It's not long before I'm typing away on my laptop, the satisfying sound of my fingers hitting the keys filling the air. Jade turns on the heater, and soon the steady drone of the heater fills the air along with the sound of the keys.

"Ari. Don't you think you should have friends other than Riona, Cassandra, Blakeley and me?"

"No, I don't." I glance at him but then go back to typing.

"Ha, this is funny," Jade says, scrolling through his phone. I know what he's looking at. It's some meme that Cass sent me yesterday.

"It honestly wasn't funny, and it was kind of cruel."

"Well, I thought it was!" He exclaims.

"Yeah, you don't count. You started laughing at your grandma's funeral just because you started thinking about a meme you saw on Facebook," I say.

"Well, in my defence, that meme was hilarious."

"It really wasn't," I say, slowly shaking my head.

"Hello." Riona's voice joins the mix as she enters our room. "Remove your shoes before you get on the bed Jade," she reminds him. He nods as she continues, hanging up her coat. "So, are you two coming to dinner tomorrow?"

"What?" I ask, "I thought we were going to a cafe today?" I finally look up from my laptop to stare at Ri.

"I remembered you had work today, so asked Albert to postpone it a little. He said it would be better if we went for dinner." After hearing this my alarmed gaze meets Jade, who is as carefree as ever. He gives me a half shrug and goes back to looking at his phone.

"Oh, okay! Also, Riona we're out of OJ and running low on instant coffee. So get those whenever you're out. It's your turn this time." I quickly mask my expression and look at Riona, who nods in agreement as I go back to doing my assignments.

After about an hour, I look up from the laptop and massage my neck a bit as I lean back into my chair. My headache is finally long gone. Someone shakes me and I open my eyes to see Jade looking down at me.

"Come on, we need to go," he says as I stand up.

We walk out of our room and I lock it

 since Riona is already at her next class. We walk along the corridors together, keeping each other company as we head to my next class.

"All I want to do is go to sleep," I complain, handing my books to Jade. "Carry these for me,"

"You do realize that I'm not your servant right?" He asks with an amused expression on his face.

"I do," I say, stuffing my hands into my coat. "But you love me, so I guess you can carry my books for me. Or do any other thing for that matter,"

Jade rolls his eyes but walks me to my class, and then goes on to his. My class starts in about two minutes of me entering. The teacher goes on and on about how our scores will be evaluated and how we will have to write an article for the university annual magazine and for the uni website, which makes me want to sleep even more.

Journalism major is not as easy as they portray it to be. The countless sleepless nights and a thousand drafts on my laptop will prove that to you. The breaks are a saving grace but they're not as long as I would want them to be.

Somewhere in the middle of the lecture I zoned out and started looking out of the window. I look over the students on the campus gardens, some studying, some just goofing around. Although, there's one person who sticks out. I focus on him a little more. After squinting my eyes a little I can see his face. I freeze as all the horrible memories rush back to me. One face and I'm back in the basement. I'm back in my hell. I quickly look away from the window and focus on the professor.

"Fuck," I mutter.

They can never leave me alone.

The rest of the lecture, I try to keep my face out of clear view from the window. As soon as the professor dismisses us, I run out and text Jade as fast I can.

Me: Jade get to my dorm ASAP!

Jade: What now?

Me: They're here.

I unlock the door as soon as I reach the dorm and shut the blinds of the window, switching on the lights and the heater. I then change into something comfier, until finally I hear a knock on the door and hear Jade's voice from the other side. I open it and let him in.

"Did they see you?" He asks, frantic.

"No, I don't think so," I mutter, still dazed that they were so close to finding me. I sit on my bed and pull my knees to my chest.

"Did you tell Ri?"

"Message her," I plead, "I panicked, I didn't know what to do,"

"I messaged her," he says, looking up from his phone. "She'll be here in a few minutes."

"So, what are you going to do?" He asks as he sits down in front of my bed in my study chair.

"I can't leave New York. I worked too hard to get into this university to let this go," I say softly.

"Sorry!" Riona shouts, "I came as soon as I can." The door flies open and our attention is drawn to a panting Riona.

"It's fine," I whisper.

"Okay, what are we doing?" she asks as she sits down on her bed. We look at her with a blank expression. We don't know what we'll do.

"You two are clueless," she says, "I don't know how you two managed to stay hidden for so long without me. You don't want to leave the uni, right?" I nod in reply. "Then there's only one way to hide you then," she says. She fumbles through her bag and pulls out her phone. She shows me an image moments later.

"No way in hell am I doing that," I say.

"Do you want to save your ass or not?" She asks with an unimpressed expression on her face.

"Of course I do," I say.

"Then we are doing this," she says, "Get ready, we're going right now." 

So, here is the next chapter and they met, oh my god. I had so much fun writing this chapter and had even more fun writing the little awkward Albert moment. 

So, do we like Albert? Yay? Nay? And what do you think Riona is making Ari do? Also, who is your favourite character so far? Mine would definitely be Jade. What do we think of the suspicious texts to Jade?

I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments. Please do give your feedback on this chapter. I'm always open to constructive criticism. 

So, if you did enjoy the annoying Jade moments and Ari and Albert's meeting make sure vote and comment. And if you feel like it please do follow me. I'm like three followers away from 100 🤭🥳. Okay I just want to get over with this self promotion thingy, it's sounds very self conceited.

You can drop you books with a little description in the inline comments, I'll make sure to check them out as soon as I can and anyone looking for new books to read and fangirl over (like me) make sure you check out the books in the comments!

Ohkay! So, I'll make this the end of the extra long Author's Note!
Stay safe and see you with the next chapter!

Edited by the amazing @radiantbubble