TRIGGER WARNING: SCENES CONTAINS MENTION OF SEXUAL ABUSE WITH FAIRLY DESCRIPTIVE LANGUAGE.

Soon enough our fingers are entangled an his hand roams somewhere it had never been before.

Fortunately at that moment I cant take it anymore and I pull away for air.

His lips were a bright pink but his eyes looked far from finished.

"We can take this elsewhere..." he says.

My brow rises in a fraction of a second. "Elsewhere like?"

He stares at me for a moment before continuing. "Don't you like where this is going?"

I unintentionally bite my lip, but uncurl it when I see the agony it puts him under. "Yes-"

His eyes finalizes the matter.

"-but, isn't it a bit too fast?" I say.

Isren touches my the crook of arm confused, and I do my best to keep myself from going by my impulse.

"We've known eachother for months, and you know how I've felt from the beginning." he says staring into my eyes.

I take my gaze from his lips a mere inches from mine and look closer at him. "Never vocally. Do you...love me?"

He sighs and shakes his head.

"You have known me for months, so if you think it's not too fast, do you love me?" I repeat, my voice trembling lightly at the end.

"I adore you and you make me go crazy Mi." Isren says, the fire unmistakably in his brown embers.

"So that's a no." I say, facing forward in my seat.

"I thought you wanted to do whatever you wanted." Isren says, letting out a gust of air.

I did too.

"It's not about that." I say.

"Then what's the problem? If you're scared there's nothing to worry about." he whispers, his warm breath fanning my neck.

I close my eyes torn between my flesh and my heart.

The brief pause gives him encouragement to press light kisses down my neck, and when my breath quickens he smiles against me.

Slowly he nibbles at my resolve and lips come crashing back on his.

Even when his hand travels southern regions I block out what was left of my soul's silent cries so I could enjoy it, no matter the outcome.

He breaks away breathing heavy. "I know a place."

Immediately I nod but still.

My conscience wasn't so black that I was going to ditch my friend for the famouse five minutes in paradise.

"I have to tell Vic and know how she'll get home. Give me five minutes." I say and he nods.

.........................

"If only the girl was so easy to find." I mutter, pushing through the more crowded ground floor.

Only she knew what she saw in this petri dish of an activity she called fun.

I hobble past another inebriated man than narrowly misses my butt and I roll my eyes.

"Disgusting." I say under my breath as I make my way to the bathrooms.

Hopefully the stall would be quiet enough for me to call her while I took a break from the mad house.

The worry in me resurfaces as I turn the dimmer corner.

Victoria was wild, but never one to just dissappear even in the craziest of parties.

"Let her be okay." I say unsure if anyone would even be listening to halfbaked prayer.

A moan near the entrance makes my face squeeze up and I peek out of one eye just incase.

"You guys should get a room." I yell before hearing something that makes my blood run cold.

"I sw- just be fast." a woman says her words a mix of incoherence and resignation.

Immediately I charge forward hoping everything about what I had heard wulld be a big misunderstanding.

Instead I see Victoria with smeared eyeliner, pressed against the wall while a man had his hand up her skirt.

The fear in me gives way to so much rage, it made my whole body shake as I slam him to the floor.

"You bastard!" I yell struggling to keep a chokehold on him while he lunges for my face.

I dodge the first time but his dirty nails takes a lean slice of flesh right behind my exposed shoulder.

By now her sputtering has stopped and she assists me in landing a wobbly kick to his groin.

Either he was too drunk or our mediocre combat skills combined had been of good use because he passes out.

Half of my rage pours out of it's cost as the fear that I had killed a man seizes me and I quickly look for a pulse.

Luckily I get a strong response so I push him out the door with the little might I had in me and lock the door.

Victoria looks at me, her red eyes quickly filling with tears.

My damp one didn't help matters but I rush to her hoping I could offer some comfort, yet stop a few inches away.

She probably didn't understand I was uncertain and about to ask for permission to touch her, but in that moment her running into my arms gave me all the assurance I needed.

Her knees buckle under mine as sobs rack her body.

Unsure if I even had the stamina to hold us both, I guide her to the floor before letting her wet my shoulders once more.

"I am so sorry." I say, angry at the way my voice cracked at the end.

"I am so so-"

Her sobs pierce the atmosphere once more and I give up on my resolve, just swaying her gently instead.

I hear footsteps and remember Isren.

Going outside wasn't an option but staying here much longer wasn't much safer, I would have to call him to come get us.

The tears give way to sniffling and she pulls away, eyes still glazed over.

"I am so-sorry, for being a bad friend. I was just jealous you were going to lose your virginity to someone special." she slurs, a hiccup coming after.

I shake my head at her, my anger from a few minutes a sgo sounding like the craziest thing on earth.

"And I shouldn't have abandoned you on today of all days, no matter what." I say tears streaming down my face.

"Atleast you were there for me this time." she says, laughing in a hollow voice.

My heart shatters against my ribcage one again as I try to wrap my head around her words.

"Vic...what do you mean by this time. Do you know that man from somewhere." I say trying my best to be gentle.

Instead she laughs harders and drops her head to the marbled washroom counter.

"No. Uncle Tola is the one na." she says, struggling to keep her eyes open.

Panic and confusion courses through me as I watch her face become motionless.

Fingers trembling I reach for my phone, when a call comes in.

Without hesitating I press it against my ears.

"I'm on my way home, are you guys back from your outing?" he says, and it's almost like I can lean into his voice for comfort.

"D-emilade please get here." I say struggling to pull myself together.

"What's going on? Are you two okay? Where are you?" Demi says.

"I don't k- some club near Eko hotel. Just get to the nearest hospital please."

"It's going to be okay. I'm on my way." is all he says before the line goes dead.

I don't trust my hands to swipe without slipping my phone, so my fingers fumble againsta the key pad in a futile attempt to call Isren's number.

A loud knock on the door sends me to my feet and I hear a voice. "I'm sorry but I'm here with female staff to check for two missing ladies."

Before the spare keys can come to the rescue I unlock the door and relief flood's Isrens face.

"Have you arranged with your friend?" he says, and I do my best not to snap at him.

I step away from the door way that was empty save for a gawking cleaner and Isren standing in the middle of it.

The both enter swift alarm as they get a glimpse behind me.

"We need to get her to the hospital, fast!"

.............

The room is dead silent except for the sounds of nurses shuffling about the wards.

For some reason it added to the eeriness of the night's circumstances. Hospitals were one place I knew as perpetually rowdy -private or not.

Isren remains seated while I pace the room as I had been for half an hour.

I half expect the doctor to come bursting through the door but instead a whirlwing hurls in my direction first.

I feel his arms, and smell the cologne on his shirt before I hear him. "I came as fast as I could. It's going to be alright."

For a moment I stay like that, and only pull away when I'm sure I won't start tearing up in the hallways. "You don't even know what happened."

"All that matters is that God does, and he's in control." Demilade says, a new certainty I hadn't seen before cemented in his gaze

No words come as I struggle within myself to even consider God would care about two girls far from spotless.

Isren speaks on my behalf and I create more distance, embarassed that he had witnessed the long winded hug despite it not meaning anything.

"Nice to see you again, Damola right?"

Demilade who now sported a sour grin extended his hand.

"Nah, but I kind of like it man. I'll add it next to Demi from yours truly." he says throwing a glance my way.

The smirk on Isren's face drops as he gives Demilade a firm shake, and I change the subject to the pressing matter at hand.

"We're here because Vic got sexually assaulted."

Demilade's head snaps up and he forgets all about the guy feud between them. "Do we know who the person is." he asks, a thunderous glint in his eyes.

Just as I shake my head Isren butts in. "The dude had gotten away by the time I reached them, and Victoria's wellbeing was more important so here we are. Hopefully she'll recover and remember some features, my private investigator will hand the rest."

The droplet of gratefulness in me is quenched by his arrogance. My friend was fighting for her life and all he could use her for was an egowar against Demilade.

I narrow my eyes at the man and spin on my heels for the exit. "I need some air."

The temporary timeout is interrupted by Demilade catching one of my wrists.

"The doctor is out." he says.

Immediately a wrinkled woman in slightly baggy scrubs and a neat bun clears her throat. "Family of Miss Victoria Nwaike?"

The two of us step forward in sync while Isren awkwardly shifts to my side. "I brought her in."

A long pause follows as she takes in my dishevelled clubbing attire, then slowly nods her head. "Alright, I have news."