Stone Cold

Chapter 3

Rushing back as fast as I can without slipping, I check the message. Eloise has found Lena, and is heading to our meeting spot. I thank whichever gods made this happen, anxious to put this night behind me. My elation dies when I reach the door and tug on the door handle.

The door stays closed.

"Shit! No, no, no, open, c'mon, open," I plead, trying again. And again. And again. Nothing. The door is locked.

Rain is now falling in waves. My coat is entirely drenched, the cold wetness chilling my bones. Damp, cold strands of hair are stuck to my face like vines. Slight panic starts to rise in me, making it hard to work a plan out. Eventually, I give up and lift my phone. My fingers slip over the screen as I type, but I manage to let Eloise know I'm stuck here, to come to find me and open this bloody door from inside.

Eager to at least somewhat shield myself from this blasted rain, I run under the nearest tree offering a clear view of the door. This evening really escalated quickly into a full-blown nightmare, I moan to myself while shivering. I'm positive I'll get sick. My head pounds like a drum. I'm locked out, alone in this godforsaken yard in the middle of the night. Well, if I don't count those two lovebirds, which I am not. I'm only hoping they will stay in their spot until Eloise finds me.

There's a rustling noise behind me. My nerves are so shot by this point I squeak and jump away, expecting a rabid animal to come and finish me. Instead, a tall, shadowy figure emerges from the dark.

I scream.

"Hey, hey," he shushes, holding his palms up. "Calm down, I'm not going to hurt you."

It's him. The guy I just witnessed fucking in the dark. Great.

"Jesus, you scared me," I pant, clutching at my chest.

"Sorry," he says, then adds with a hint of a smile, "I didn't know you were still here."

I shoot him a look. Maybe he thinks this is funny, but I'm in no mood to laugh. I point to the door, "I can't open the door. Could you give it a try?"

He cocks his head and narrows his eyes, like he's trying to see me better. I stare back in response. He's in his mid-twenties, I reckon. A slightly bumpy nose with a sharp tip. Strong eyebrows, and a faint wrinkle between them. A scar on his bottom lip. Nice, defined jaw. Deeply set eyes. He's kind of attractive, but I can't pinpoint why. It's just a mix of features that somehow work together, I conclude. Or, maybe it's the fact that I've already seen him half naked, and liked what I saw. Maybe it's the fact I know how he fucks.

I shake my head after that thought.

"So?" I repeat, chiding myself for giving him an 'attractive' grade while looking like a wet kitten.

"They open from inside," he calmly says, leaning onto the trunk of the tree.

"Okay. Well, my friends should come soon," I say more as a warning to him, then remember, "Wait, where's the girl?"

He smirks. I swallow loudly. He didn't kill her, did he?

"She left. There's another door at the back, leading to the street. Want me to show you?"

So you can kill me too, I think.

"No, thank you. Anyway, you can go."

He laughs, but doesn't move.

"I'm heading back inside as well."

"How?"

"You're not the only one with friends," he mocks playfully.

I roll my eyes and turn toward the door, willing Eloise to hurry the hell up. The guy stays at the same spot. My neck itches. I feel him watching me. After a minute of trying to play it cool, I move to the side, trying to get out of his line of sight. The rain still falls like there's no tomorrow.

"Do you like to watch?"

My head snaps back.

"Excuse me?" I shriek.

He laughs again; it's a deep, rumbly, carefree laugh. When he doesn't reply, I turn back to the door again. Unbelievable, I fume. If someone had told me this is the conversation I'd be having ever in my life, I'd slap the shit out of them.

"Nothing wrong with it," he eventually continues, amused. I just shake my head, deciding to ignore him. He waits. "It was... interesting, to be seen."

Okay, that's it. I must nip this in the bud.

"Listen, perv," I hiss, turning toward him and taking a step closer. "Trust me when I tell you it was an unfortunate accident to stumble upon you two. It was, shall I say, a shit cherry on top of a shit cake I had served to me today. I don't need to sneak up on couples to get myself off. I'd rather have bugs eating my eyes out than watch you have sex."

"Whoa," he says, that stupid smirk again on his face, "I hit a nerve, huh?"

"Shut. Up." I mutter, taking another step, pointing my index finger at him. He looks at it daringly, straightening up to his full height.

"You're kind of hot when you're angry," he drawls, his breath warming my nose. I can smell his light perfume, mixed with a musk of a man that just had sex. It's intoxicating.

"I'm not hot," I shiver, watching the drop of rain roll off of his lips, "I'm cold."

"You're not making any sense," he happily whispers, closing his hand over my finger that still lingers between us. "What's your name?"

"Nathalie," I say, feeling a light buzz spreading through me, onset by his touch. His eyes sweep over my face, the lashes long and thick, the kind I wish I had.

"Max. Very nice to meet you," he says close to my cheek, and shakes my finger as in a handshake. Somehow, I don't have the urge to yell at him anymore. As through a fog, I hear the creak of the door opening.

"Nat! Nathalie!" Eloise shouts, followed by 'Max' by someone else. Max lifts his head, letting go of me.

"The rescue party is here," he says, and when I don't move, gently turns me around. I bow my head to hide my embarrassment, and try to walk in a straight line.

In front of the door, Eloise greets me with raised eyebrows. I give her a stern look, warning her to keep her mouth shut. Lena is chattering away with the young man next to her, presumably Max's friend.

"What happened?" Eloise takes me under the arm and pulls me to her, "Are you okay?"

"Yes, fine," I say, glancing at Max, who's, for some reason, getting acquainted with Lena.

"You know this guy?" She asks.

"No. Do you know this guy?" I nod at the other man.

"Lena knows him. Let's get the hell out of here."

We all stumble down the stairs, Max and his friend leading the way. After another fifteen minutes of shoving through the crowd that did not disperse at all, we're back at the steel door. Surprisingly, Max and the other guy are also leaving, even though I'm pretty sure Max said he's heading back in.

"Where are they going?" I ask Eloise, who shrugs and stops Lena to ask her the same thing.

"Victor will drive us all home. It'll be faster, and I'm already late."

"It won't matter. Mum will ban you from going out for at least a month."

"I know," Lena says, and lovingly looks ahead, at Victor. "It was worth it."

"Oooh," Eloise and I say in unison, understanding everything.