Playing Against Fate

Chapter 1: June POV

Many thing in life just take a moment.

A moment to know it's going to be a bad day.

A moment to inhale your favorite vanilla long john donut.

A moment to accidentally bump into someone.

A moment to fall in love. You know? One glance and you feel like you have just simply... fallen...

On the floor.

Oh yes, instant humiliation will flood in like a rusty dam that had been attacked my one rainfall too many. That familiar rush of heat rushed up and I felt my ears burning up. Good Lord. I almost was too afraid to look around but curiosity having gotten the best of me, I tentatively looked up from my not so attractive sprawl and saw no one was in sight.

Of course, in a random alley, who in their right mind would be your audience to your clumsiness, June? I thought to myself.

I blinked a few times and pulled myself up. Jeez my old bones might be settling in and creaking it was so darn hard to get up. I winced as a felt a pain shoot up from my knee cap maybe? I was never very good at anatomy -- the only science I never mastered.

A strong breeze rustled through my hair and shook me out of my drunken stupor. I realized I was alone. In an alley. Late at night. I shivered. Gosh. I should have worn a bigger coat before I left the house.

What was I doing here? It technically was not my fault that I ended up in this situation. If it weren't for my sister, Leah, I would have not ventured to the club to begin with, drunk one too many shot over my tolerance limit (in addition to the countless number of martinis I had before my inhibitions left me), and got lost somewhere on a random road after having gotten too claustrophobic in the crowded, humid club.

I was sure I had left the club and took a left... opposite the way I am sure we came in from... Hmmm. I don't know.

Brushing the gravel from my person, I decided that the best way to get home was to simply keep on keeping...because a dog always know its way home right? I just have to be a dog... well kind of.

Swinging my sparkly handbag back and forth (I had gotten it as a gift from my mother -- it probably was from Marshall or Macy's, knowing her), I walked on down the alley, intent on getting out of the dark place as soon as I could. I did not want to end up being famous for being murdered six different ways tonight by some sociopath. As pretty an accessory my bag was, it glittered too brilliantly in the moonlight and I knew I could be dead meat soon enough.

Moonlight?

I fancied myself a secondary character from La La Land and spying a light post, swung myself around. If only life was --

A low chuckle reached my ears. My body froze up and I held my breath. I slowly reached into my hand bag -- why did I leave my pepper spray on the counter this night of all nights? -- and grabbed something that had some semblance to a weapon. Turning around sharply, I pulled out my lipstick in my bag and wave it around.

"I swear to God if you don't show yourself, I first and foremost will hurt you and then give you a good ol' roundhouse," I stated boldly, all while knowing very well that my knees were knocking.

A tall, handsome man pulled out of the shadows with his hands up.

"Hey, don't hurt me. I was just taking a smoke," he saids in a Scottish accent.

"You almost made me shit my pants." I said bluntly, piercing him with my meanest glare. "You need to state your presence before you decide to laugh at me."

"Well then, nice to meet you. I am, Steph, Prince of Nothing and Everything."

Well then. This Steph was mocking me. Two could play a game.

"Steph of Holy Nothingness," I retorted, hands on my hips. "As recompense, do you happen to know the general direction of Furmer and First?"

"If that is where you are heading, you are going in quite the wrong way, miss," he answered readily.

The Scottish accent (I do believe it was Scottish) actually made him very attractive, drat the man, but I really could not understand him.

"Umm.. can you please say that again?," I said.

"Girly, you are going the wrong way," he enunciated patiently.

"Mmm... why don't you just whisper it in my ear," I thought.

He laughed and stepped closer. I inadvertently took a step back, but startled nonetheless when his lips brushed my ear, "You are quite the funny one."

I blinked.

"Did I..."

"Yeah."

"Oh."

"Yep."

"Well this is awkward... " I spluttered -- and to think, I was never one to splutter in my life! Alcohol does that to a person. Don't drink, kids.

"I think I should be on my way now," I continued, walking past him.

I felt hands at my shoulders turning me in the other direction. Steph then gave me a slight push in that direction.

"What was that for?" I exclaimed indignantly. Could this night not get any worse?

"You were still going in the wrong direction," he said chuckling.

"Oh. Okay." I said my mind still boggled. "Um thanks. I think."

I walk briskly away -- trying to get as much distance as I could when I heard someone say something behind me. In a Scottish accent: "I saw your fall by the way!"

I felt another rush of heat to my ears and quickened my pace -- my heels were NOT helping -- scurrying away and out of the alley. To my display, I did not notice a crack in the sidewalk and found myself sprawled on the ground for the second time that evening.

Warm hands helped guide me to my foot.

"You alright?"

There was no limit to my embarrassment, apparently.

"Yeah, yeah." I muttered, fighting a wave of dizziness.

"Let me hail you a cab --" Steph began.

"Nope nope. I am dandy. Fine and dandy." I said as brightly as I could, walking away from his grasp. I resisted the urge to look back and kept on walking until I reached very familiar bushes.

At that point I had sobered up significantly and had vowed to not repeat this mess again. When I reached my front porch, I dug into my sparkly clutch to retrieve my keys. I unlocked the door and kicked my heels off. All was quiet.

Heading into kitchen, I went straight to the fridge and made myself a non-alcoholic cocktail -- ginger ale and pomegranate juice. A gal gotta get liquid sustenance from a all that mishap.

Leaning against the counter I took a sip and looked out the window into the night.

Mmm this is amazing. The cocktail, mind you.

Honestly, I still do not know what came over me to even have been convinced to go to the club with Leah. I mentally hit my head against the wall and, having finished my drink, went into my bedroom and changed into my PJs for a good run of The Last Kingdom.

This was my favorite series. Ultred is sooooo hot.

I eventually drift to sleep with the sound of a battle.