Last Night

Part 8

I blinked as I stared at the ceiling from my bed. I'd kicked off all of the blankets again and still barely slept. There was no point lying to myself about why. It had been four days and every morning I woke with a start if I even managed to fall asleep at all. My lips tingled as I tried settling my breathing.

I hadn't continued my routine workout since Ian's visit, but today was the day to jumpstart it again. I wasn't sure if I'd pushed him away with my new-found strength or if he'd let me do it, but I would only get stronger if I didn't give up.

My cheeks burned as I remembered his departing gesture. Then, I sat up immediately and slapped my cheeks. "If you're going to be red, at least be that way for a good reason."

Rubbing the now tender flesh, I wondered how he could manage such a feathery touch.

"What's wrong with me? I've kissed guys before. Stop obsessing over it. I'm not in high school anymore, settle down hormones."I muttered to myself and slid out of bed to get ready to work.

Locking my door, I turned to walk down the stairs when the living embodiment of my nightmare reached the landing. He had a massive, hard instrument case swung onto his back. It was too big for a guitar, was it a cello? I cringed as I realized I was staring, which drew his attention and produced his iconic smirk. Couldn't he make any other faces?

"Glad to see you're keeping up good habits, but you look a little red. Are you not sleeping well? Something on your mind?"

I didn't say anything. I couldn't risk saying something stupid. My chest was pounding so hard I'd practically given him my answer already. Instead I just readjusted my headphones and pretended that the music was on. While I focused on each step down the stairs, I could hear him laughing at me. I'd forgotten about his sensitive hearing.

Why was he so cheery at six forty-five in the morning? Had he just eaten? I risked a quick peek back at him, but he'd disappeared up the stairs. Whatever, so long as he left me alone it didn't matter what he did. No one actually cared about that jerk anyway. He just manipulated them into caring and that doesn't count. I hope he choked on his next blood-drink-meal.

By the time I left the office, I was exhausted. Restless nights and early mornings were a combo meal nobody liked to order. All I wanted to do was go home, curl up in my chair with a sandwich and some wine, and game. Unfortunately, my coworkers had a different idea of what a celebratory Friday night should be. We managed to lock down a big contract for a series of new manuals and several revised editions. It guaranteed work for the shop for at least another year and a half, which was reason to celebrate after the recent cutbacks in the company. Technical writing was a tough gig, but it paid the bills even if the hours sucked often.

With this new contract, we'd be pulling longer days so Tiffany, my cubicle neighbor, suggested we all go out and get a last, big hurray in. That meant going out to a dance club... There were three of us women under the age of 34 in the office and then Tiffany, the eldest of our she-folk clan pushing 48 and convinced she's only 19. She basically guilt tripped anybody aka me into going on these little office trips. Usually it was just to a bar or dinner, sometimes a show, and very rarely a dance club. This occasion had warranted her new favorite dance club. She didn't even give me a chance to duck out before cornering me with lines like "you don't have to take care of children in the morning" and "it's more fun when everyone's there."

So much for not letting bullies push you around, Nic. I was pathetic.

I didn't really want to go, I had been dragged along to the group's last club event and before that it had been since college. It just didn't seem like the thing to do anymore, but I figured this way I could get Ian out of my head. When I got home, I began fishing through my closet for an appropriate outfit. Several outfits and a large mound of clean clothes later, I settled on a black halter top and an A-line maroon skirt from college that actually fit nicely now. The material flowed up just a little as I twirled in the bathroom. I giggled while I started working on my makeup and hair. Just because I didn't want to go clubbing didn't mean I couldn't enjoy dressing up.