Whisper of Fate: A Quiet Love Story

Chapter 5: Familiar Faces and faded memories

Song : High for this by The Weeknd

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June's Pov

The lights in the club pulsed in rhythm with the music, dim and hazy, casting a soft glow over the crowd. The scent of alcohol and perfume filled the air, blending with the sound of laughter and conversation. Iris and I sat at a table near the bar, sipping on our drinks as I scanned the room, my eyes unfocused. I squinted slightly, trying to make out a familiar face at a table on the opposite side. Through the blur of the crowd, I could just about make out Chanel—a girl I recognized from my dad's tattoo shop.

"Hey, are you even listening to me? Earth to June!" Iris teased, snapping her fingers in front of my face, laughing.

"Huh?" I blinked, realizing I hadn't heard a word of what she was saying. "I'm sorry, I wasn't paying attention. What were you saying?"

She leaned in, narrowing her eyes playfully. "Don't worry about it. I'm more interested in what's got your attention. You've been staring off into space for the past five minutes."

I glanced back at the table where Chanel was sitting, trying to play it cool. "Oh, it's just a girl who works at my dad's shop. Her name is Chanel. She's over there, at that booth."

Iris followed my gaze and smiled mischievously. "Well then, let's go say hello!"

Panic rose in my chest. "I don't think that's a good idea... I've only seen her once, and we barely exchanged words. It'd be awkward."

But before I could finish protesting, a voice called out across the crowd.

"Yo, June!"

I turned my head and saw Chanel waving me over with a grin, clearly happy to see me. Damn. There went my plan to quietly disappear into the background. I glanced at Iris, who was already standing, her hand stretched out to pull me toward the table.

"C'mon, don't be weird. Let's go," Iris said, looping her arm through mine.

Reluctantly, I let her lead me through the crowd toward Chanel's table. When we arrived, Chanel stood up to give me a hug, which I awkwardly returned. She smiled warmly at Iris, giving her a polite nod.

"Oh, my bad," I said quickly. "Chanel, this is Iris, my best friend. Iris, this is Chanel—she works at my dad's tattoo shop."

Chanel smiled at Iris. "Nice to meet you, Iris." She then motioned to the booth. "Do you guys wanna sit with us? We've got plenty of space."

I hesitated, glancing around at the empty seats. "We don't want to intrude. Is it really okay with the others?"

"Nah, it's cool. Most of them are either dancing or outside. No one will mind," she assured me.

Before I could argue further, I noticed Iris had already sat down and was patting the spot next to her, clearly having no reservations about crashing the table. I sighed and took a seat beside her, still feeling a little out of place.

The awkward silence I feared never came, though, as Iris and Chanel quickly found common ground. As it turned out, Chanel played piano, which led them into a lively conversation about music. I chimed in here and there, but mostly stayed quiet, sipping my drink and watching the people around us.

The club was packed, and everyone seemed to be having a good time. Groups of friends were dancing, downing shots, and laughing together. The happy, carefree energy of the place made me smile, even if I wasn't fully in the mood to join in. A male voice snapped me out of my thoughts.

"Yo, what's going on here?"

I turned to see a tall, dark-skinned man standing at the table, holding a tray of tequila shots. He had an easy smile on his face, his presence immediately commanding attention.

Chanel spoke up. "This is June, Samuel's daughter, and her best friend, Iris."

He nodded at us. "I'm Rakim, but everyone just calls me Rocky." His eyes lingered on Iris a little longer than necessary, making me smirk. Iris raised an eyebrow, giving him a once-over, clearly impressed.

"Well, now that we all know each other, who's taking shots with me?" Rocky said, motioning to the tequila shots he was holding.

Without hesitation, Iris and I reached for the glasses, as did Chanel. We sprinkled salt on our hands and Rocky counted us down. We licked the salt, downed the shots, and bit into the lemon wedges, the sour taste making me scrunch up my face. Rocky chuckled at my reaction.

As the night wore on and the alcohol flowed, I started to feel more comfortable. The introvert in me faded as the drinks kept coming, and soon I found myself laughing and talking freely with everyone. Chanel's friends eventually returned, and we all started playing drinking games and telling stories, the atmosphere becoming lighter and more relaxed.

Rocky entertained the group with a wild story about how he and his best friend got arrested when they were sixteen, and even I found myself laughing along with everyone else. As I looked around the club, though, I couldn't shake the feeling that someone was watching me. I scanned the room again, but saw nothing out of the ordinary, so I pushed the thought aside.

"Has anyone seen Zayn?" Chanel asked, looking around the table. "He said he was going for a smoke, but that was like twenty minutes ago."

Rocky shrugged, his words slurring slightly from the drinks. "He probably went home. You know Zayn doesn't mess with crowds or people for too long."

Chanel nodded in understanding, but I could tell she was still a little concerned.

After about half an hour, I leaned over to Iris and tapped her shoulder. "Hey, I think we should head home. We've got an early morning tomorrow, remember?"

Iris groaned but nodded, clearly not ready to leave but understanding my point. We stood, said our goodbyes to everyone, and exchanged numbers with Chanel and Rocky before heading toward the front of the club. Iris had been flirting with some random guy earlier, so I took the opportunity to order us a cab while she said her final goodbyes.

As we waited outside, that unsettling feeling returned. I looked around the dimly lit street, my eyes scanning the crowd of people waiting for rides or smoking in small groups. That's when I saw him.

The man from the coffee shop.

He was leaning against a car, looking even better than I remembered. His eyes locked on mine, and for a moment, I couldn't move. My stomach did a weird flip, and my breath caught in my throat. Before I could fully process what was happening, I felt Iris tugging on my hand.

"Our cab is here," she said, guiding me toward the car.

I glanced back one last time as we slid into the cab, catching his gaze one more time before I turned away. My cheeks felt hot, my pulse racing for reasons I didn't understand. As the cab pulled away, Iris told the driver my address, and I rested my head on her shoulder, exhaustion finally catching up to me.

But as I drifted off to sleep, the image of him—standing there, staring back at me—lingered in my mind.

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Well, well, well... so much to updating regularly. But I graduated during my absence !!!  (nobody cared, but Imma act like y'all did) I remembered I had this. Now that I finished school, I have lots of time...so more chapters

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