THE STARKS ALLEY

20

KRISTIE'S POV

"Hey there!" I shouted so that I could be heard over the loud music, "Yeah! You!"

"I can hear you clearly!" Izzy shouted back.

"Let's step outside!" I shouted, pointing at the door. Izzy had been guarded by Monic all night and now that she was nowhere to be seen, I took that opportunity to talk to him.

"So you're really leaving?"

"Yeah. Monic wants us out of here tonight," he said, scratching his head as he usually did when he was nervous.

"And do you want that?" I asked him, looking in his eyes. He wouldn't look at me back.

"I have no choice."

"Yes, you do. You could stay here and we could work at The Starks Alley. Kent mentioned that earlier."

"I know that, but I have to leave with her!"

"Why Izzy?"

"Because I lost you!" I took a deep breath and closed my eyes, trying to process what Izzy had just said, "Before you left Poland, you made me promise to never stop loving you, and I did keep that promise. But did you??"

I remained silent, trying to choose my words carefully.

"Did you Kristie?"

"No. I admit I didn't. But we were just kids when we made that promise Izzy."

"I fell in love with you, Kristie. I tried to close the distance that you kept on enlarging and you forgot all about me. I did my best Kristie! You didn't even recognize me when you first saw me at The Starks Alley."

I remembered how he had been knocking on the ladies washroom when he heard me screaming inside after Jerry told me that I was in charge of writing the script. He was right. I didn't recognize him and I wouldn't have if he hadn't told me who he was.

"Izzy..." I lacked words. What could I possibly say to defend myself?

"I even came all the way to Australia, hoping you would remember what we shared and how we used to be. Hell I even dragged my girlfriend into my mess even though she didn't want to come. So yes Kristie, I mean it when I say I have no choice."

I stood there, looking at Izzy whose eyes were watery. I was also close to tears. Izzy scoffed then he walked away to the party.

I quickly held him back and blocked his way. Letting him leave would be a huge mistake. I got closer to him, and wiped away my tears. He held me by my cheeks and wiped them for me. It wasn't right, but I let it happen anyway. I reached out to him and our lips locked in a passionate kiss as we embraced each other as if we had waited for this moment for so long.

He held me tightly in his arms, with the intention of never letting go. It was like he had a fire burning within him and the only way he could  extinguish it was through that kiss. I stopped kissing him for a moment, and looked into his eyes. They looked back at me fiercely yelling the words 'I WANT YOU SO BAD.'

"We can't do this here, at least not now," I said, still looking at his lips.

We both remained silent, aware of the consequences of our actions and ready to face them.

"I need to find Monic," Izzy told me as he let go of me.

Of course he did.

He then left me outside.

I decided to go back to the party and find a soda or something non alcoholic. I wasn't planning to get drunk that night.

I saw Kent raising his wine glass and he tapped it gently with a spoon.

"To The Starks Alley!!!" He shouted excitedly. Everybody in the room cheered and the music continued playing.

"Hey have you seen Kelly?" Kent asked me after he spotted me getting a drink.

"No I haven't seen him since we... Actually I was just with him outside. He needed some air." Shit. For a moment I forgot I was dating the Kelly Starks.

"Great. I'm glad you two are hitting it off quite well." He then left to dance with his sister, Khloé.

I hadn't seen Kelly since we got here. Where could he be? If Kent didn't see us together, he would get suspicious. I just wondered why he was so concerned about Kelly's dating life.

I decided to check in the other rooms for him. The hotel was packed with people I had never even seen before. I was basically squeezing myself between sweaty backs and cold drinks everywhere. There was a grip on my hand in the crowd and in the next second, my bag was gone!

I quickly turned to see who it was and I saw someone in a green cloak walking away very fast. I followed the cloaked stranger quickly and they were running to the floor beneath the one we were on. They don't call us Kenyans runners for no reason; I was pretty fast and I almost caught the guy when he dropped the bag in front of room number twenty and ran even faster.

"You little shit!" That person was lucky I didn't catch whoever it was because I would rip them apart if I did. I noticed my bag was opened, and there were pictures inside. I took a look at one of them, and it was a picture of Dale and Paige... kissing.

"No. That's not an option!" I heard Kelsie shouting in the room; room number twenty.

"You invited us here to have a good time. I'm definitely not having a good time." If my sober self heard correctly, that must have been Dale's voice.

He didn't tell me he was coming. I didn't invite him.

"I specifically told you not to bring Paige!"

"Too late for that. She's waiting upstairs," I heard footsteps coming towards the door.

I was hesitant to go inside. I was scared, trembling.

"Kristie will know what happened between you and Paige!"

"None of you will tell Kristie about anything!!" Dale shouted.

I had heard enough. I stormed in the room only to find Kelsie, Dale and Kelly. They were all startled to see me.

"Kristie... I'm so happy to see you!" Dale said, clearly taking me for a fool.

"This is how you do me?" I said, showing him one of the pictures and throwing at him, crumbled up.

"And you knew about this?" I turned to Kelsie, "I can't even start to imagine how you got involved, Kelly." I was running out of breath as my heart beat faster and harder by the second.

I quickly got out and I locked them inside of the room and threw away the keys. I was walking quickly, confused and aimlessly. I didn't know what to feel, or what to do.

I met Paige on my way out and I knocked her over as I walked by. I didn't give a fuck about whatever happened next.

I was walking out in the cold to my apartment; which was crazy because I lived so far away. I just wished nature would end me there and then.

Room 20 represents what a bad year 2020 has been and also chapter 20!! :) I'm so happy to have reached this far!!!