"Nah it's okay I'll be there," Alex ended the call and turned his head towards me.

We were in a restaurant, waiting for a friend and the owner of a well-known company in Germany to show up. He was the one who had set this meeting in this restaurant and now he was not showing up himself and let's just say that was starting to piss me off.

"Can I get you a refill?" the waitress stopped by and asked Alex.

"Sure," he replied as the waitress turned to me and I shook my head no.

"Guess who's flying to Tennessee tomorrow?" Alex said and rolled his eyes in annoyance and I smirked.

"Let me guess. Mama bear wants to throw another party," I laughed and Alex groaned and nodded.

"I swear this woman never rests," he said and shook his head but I didn't miss the slight glint of adoration in his eyes.

Alex loved his mom. No matter how much he denied it, everyone knew how close he was to his mother.

Unlike Noah and I, Alex luckily did not belong to a dysfunctional family. He loved his parents more than anything and his parents too, especially his mother would gladly lay down her life for him.

"Ah look who decided to show up," Alex stood up from his chair as I saw a certain blonde approaching us with an embarrassed expression all over his face.

"Sorry guys something came up," Caleb hugged Alex and said as I stood up from my chair and shook his hand.

"Come on, have a seat,"I said and the three of us sat down as the waitress came again and took our orders.

****************

"So you're still single?" Caleb asked me and I narrowed my eyes and shrugged.

Before I had a chance to reply, Alex beat me to it, "Unfortunately yes. But you know what, there's progress now."

I rolled my eyes and Caleb made a 'wooho' sound.

"Who's the lucky girl?" he wiggled his eyebrows and I shook my head in disappointment.

I didn't know he got high on two glasses of whiskey.

"There's no one. Alex is bluffing," I waved my hand to shrug it off and took a sip of my drink.

"Oh it's his secretary," Alex winked at me and I groaned and lifted my eyes heavenwards.

"He's lying, Caleb," I turned my head towards Caleb and he nodded although his expressions said that he clearly believed otherwise.

"Oh so you have no problem if I sleep with Isabelle? I mean the girl got som-"

"Watch your fucking mouth asshole," I spat at Alex and gave him a death glare, expecting him to apologise but instead he smirked and clinked his glass with Caleb.

"See? I fucking told you," Alex said to Caleb and he chuckled in response.

Alex was obviously doing this on purpose to earn a reaction from me and as bad as it sounded, he was succeeding so far.

I didn't want to give him the satisfaction of winning but I just couldn't control my anger when it came to something like this regarding Isabelle. And this asshole clearly enjoyed it.

**************

I picked up the pen from the floor that had fallen as I heard the clicking of my cabin's door and saw a figure walking in.

By the style of walking, I already knew who it was.

"Real classy Dan," I rolled my eyes and sat up straight as I saw him making himself comfortable on the chair.

"Thanks. Anyway, you free tonight?" he asked and chewed on his bubblegum as I rested my head in my hands and looked at him with narrowed eyes.

"Was that insult in the hallway not enough that now you're here asking me out on a date in an Enterprises where we can't practically have human interaction besides when for work?"

"Oh come on Belle, who takes that man seriously? Plus I'm not asking you out on a date. It's my fucking birthday and a couple of my friends including Sasha are going to the club tonight with me," Dan sighed and relaxed back on the chair with his hands tied at the back of his head.

"It's your birthday? Oh my God I'm so sorry! Why didn't you tell me sooner I could've brought you a gift or something," I whined and Dan chuckled.

"Nah it's okay with me. You just have to come to the party tonight."

"Sure thing," I smiled.

*****************

I put on my heels and stood up from the bed, grabbing a bag I threw important stuff in it like chewing gum, pads and an extra lipstick in case I would need it and of course, pepper spray. I had put on a white crop top with black jacket on it paired with a black denim jeans and knee high suede boots. I let my hair down in wavy curls.

While making my way downstairs, I picked up Daniel's gift from the nightstand that I had bought on my way back home and packed with my very hands.

Dan had asked to pick me up from my place and that we could go to the party together and I obviously told him that it was a great idea if it was convenient for him. I mean come on, who preferred Uber over a friend of yours picking you up.

We did have a car, but let's just say that I did not know how to drive good enough to be out on the roads, especially in a city like New York.

When my time of learning to drive came, papa was paralysed and there wasn't anyone around to teach me to drive. I also got too busy with studies to earn a scholarship for myself that I did not pay much heed to it. Zach, of course, still sometimes took me to deserted places to learn to drive but after the tragedy that changed our lives, driving was seriously the last thing I wanted to learn.

The doorbell rang and I smiled and stood up from the couch and made my way towards the door. Dan stood there with hands tucked in his pockets and a cheeky grin on his face.

"Hey birthday boy!" I exclaimed and hugged him.

"You're ready to go?" Dan asked as I pulled away from him and I nodded my head and closed the door before locking it.

"This is for you, Dan," I handed him the present as we seated in the car because I did not think that carrying it with me to the club was a great idea.

"Aww thanks Belle, I love a friend who buys me gifts," Dan chuckled and I rolled my eyes and laughed as I put my seatbelt on.

*****************

We entered the club and were instantly hit by loud music blaring and the a lot of human body dancing and grinding against each other.

Dan put his hand on the small of my back and guided me to a corner where all of his friends, I assumed, were seated on sofa seats and drinking whatever it was in those glasses.

"Hey guys, this is Isabelle," Dan introduced me as we seated ourselves with them. I took the empty place between Sasha and a green eyed boy I didn't know.

Everyone introduced themselves and I found myself getting pretty comfortable with them soon enough.

"Now let's have some real drinks!" the green eyed boy, whose name was Ashton, if I had heard it correctly, stood up and made his way over to the counter and everyone started following him including Sasha and I.

I wasn't sure if I was ready to drink because it was safe to say that I was a really bad drunk and when drunk, I did things I regretted for the rest of the eternity.

"Twelve tequila shots please," Ashton drummed his hands on the counter.

Twelve tequila shots, six people, that meant two for each.

I did the math in my head and thought that I could probably handle two shots. I mean I avoided getting drunk when Zach wasn't around but two shots wouldn't hurt. It had been more than a year since I got drunk.

We downed the shots together and I felt the burning sensation down my nose and eyes to my throat and I felt my head spin for a good five seconds.

I knew that in the morning my head was going to hurt like a bitch after this. Good thing it was Saturday and I didn't have work.

"Wooh," Sasha whistled from beside me and downed her second glass and I followed suit.

"C'mon let's party, people!" Daniel yelled and took my arm and dragged me to the dance floor as I saw Sasha following us with her arm around Ashton.

I started dancing, not giving a care in the world about how I looked or if my moves were old fashioned.

After dancing for a solid fifteen minutes I slowed down a little to catch my breath, I was happy that I wasn't that drunk, slightly tipsy of course, but still not drunk enough to lose my senses.

But soon my happiness died down as I realised that we were standing on the counter again and Dan was handing me another glass of alcohol.

"Nah I think I'll pass. I've had enough," I slurred and held onto the counter.

"Oh c'mon Belle, loosen up a bit," both Dan and Sasha insisted and hallelujah, ten minutes more with these arseholes and I was downing my fifth shot of tequila.

"Yooohooo," I yelled over the music and walked right in the center of the room, swaying my hips with the beat with my arms around Dan's shoulders.

And in that very moment, even though I no longer had the ability to think, I knew one thing for sure; I was so screwed.

***********

❤