Getting his way

Chapter T-10

Chris seldom dreams. When it happens, it's usually nightmares, fragments of earlier experiences that have decided to torment him, in waking hours suppressed too deep to surface when he was conscious. Today, however, was different.

He was at a club with some of his mates. The entire gang was there. Ash, the gentle giant with a face only a mother could love. Liam, tall, and who always seemed calm until he'd smash a bottle into someone's face. Melia, the only girl of the bunch, always ready for a bit of a scuffle. Some of the others were just Cubs still, but the best of their rank, and they had graciously been granted a day out. Looking them over, seeing all their familiar faces, he lifted his glass to a cheer. They were, after all, the most efficient squad in the entire Organization, and he was their leader. They deserved this, all of this; the lustful looks of the girls, the envious glances of the guys.

As he lifted the glass to his lips, something caught his eye. Or rather, someone, in a nice little something. A tall blonde woman, whose nice long legs were only accentuated further by the skin-coloured heels she was wearing. The skintight little black dress didn't leave much up to the imagination, though somehow she looked a little uncomfortable in the get-up. His interest was definitely piqued, along with some of the Cubs. He sent them a quick glance, and started to lean over, but Liam had already caught on. "If you guys so much as look at that girl again, I'll break your f*****g fingers." One of them had apparently not yet gotten the memo of how batshit crazy Liam was. Or he was just too full of liquid courage. As an act of defiance, the young member ogled the girl, and Liam very quickly grabbed his hand and squeezed it until it gave off a chilling pop. The Cub looked down at his hand with a shocked face, but Liam had already moved on with his life, talking nonchalantly with Ash about something-or-the-other. Chris leaned back, and just shrugged when the Cubs eyes turned to him. "Hey, you were warned." Finding absolutely no consolation in the eyes of the older crowd, he instead turned to his younger friends to sulk.

Chris just stared at her for a few minutes, planning his move. She didn't seem too sure on the heels to actually dance in them. Maybe she wasn't used to going to clubs? "hris... Chris!" "Hmm?" he said, and looked towards Melia, sitting to his left. "Stop being a little b***h. Just go and talk to her." Chris scoffed the idea. Him, being a little b***h? As he opened his mouth to fire an insult back, she raised an eyebrow. "Don't even f*****g think of calling me a b***h. Reserve that for female dogs." A small smile played on his lips as he reflected over the irony of her sentences, but then he nodded, albeit slightly slowly. She looked like the typical 'girl next door' type; not usually his type. After all, he preferred to be hunted, rather than hunting, but hell - a preference isn't a be-all-end-all.

After having downed his drink, Chris made a wave with his back hand, motioning for the guys on his right to move. They complied wordlessly, even though he got a sullen look from the Cub with the hurty fingers, and he moved up to the bar. Was that just the loud bass from the music, or his heartbeat in his chest? He wasn't sure.

Something about it bugged him. Usually, he had no problem with approaching girls. The closer he got to her, however, the less he even felt like talking to her. She seemed so pure. No tattoos, no piercings aside from her ears, no nothing. She looked like a doe standing in a lions den. Or prey surrounded by a pack of wolves. Suck it up. He paused at the bar, getting a gin and tonic as he lingered. He didn't want to approach her. Suddenly, he heard her laugh, when one of her girlfriends said something, that presumably was funny. The sound made him feel like warm rain on a summer's day. Did that even make sense? He didn't know, but he knew it made him feel... something. Something good. Something he wanted to feel again.

He finally turned to look at the girls, and found them all looking at them, though they quickly looked away and giggled when his eyes met first her friends and then hers. Knowing he already had their attention made him feel more at ease. With that dose of encouragement he straightened back up and took the few steps over to them. "Hi. Did I do anything funny?" he asked, raising an eyebrow and putting on a faux-confused voice. The girls giggled again, and the blonde gained a beautiful flush on her face. It reminded him of sunsets over the ocean. "No, not at all. It's just, uhm.." she started, frantically looking at her friends for backup. Which, to be fair, they did, but probably not in the way she'd hoped: "It's just that Kate here finds you super attractive, and she really wanted to talk to you. So now you get your chance, girl." one of the girls said, kissed her on the cheek and the (three? four?) other girls left for the dance floor. Kate, as he now knew she was named, looked back at the girls before turning one more glance towards him. She only met his eyes for barely a second, before turning her gaze towards the ground instead.

He finally turned to look at the girls, and found them all looking at them, though they quickly looked away and giggled when his eyes met first her friends and then hers. Knowing he already had their attention made him feel more at ease. With that dose of encouragement he straightened back up and took the few steps over to them. "Hi. Did I do anything funny?" he asked, raising an eyebrow and putting on a faux-confused voice. The girls giggled again, and the blonde gained a beautiful flush on her face. It reminded him of sunsets over the ocean. "No, not at all. It's just, uhm.." she started, frantically looking at her friends for backup. Which, to be fair, they did, but probably not in the way she'd hoped: "It's just that Kate here finds you super attractive, and she really wanted to talk to you. So now you get your chance, girl." one of the girls said, kissed her on the cheek and the (three? four?) other girls left for the dance floor. Kate, as he now knew she was named, looked back at the girls before turning one more glance towards him. She only met his eyes for barely a second, before turning her gaze towards the ground instead.

Chris looked out over the crowd of people, getting eye contact with Ash for a second before they both looked away. He finally cleared his throat, and looked at Kate again. "So, are your friends telling the truth?" he asked, a slight hint of a teasing tone. This made her look up, slightly startled, which amused him. Did she think he'd vanish if she just looked away for long enough? The thought only endeared her further.

"Y-yeah, I guess..." she finally said, glancing over the bar. "But I don't really know what to say, now.." She hesitated, before looking up at him, her blue eyes showing a certain tinge of uncertainty. "You're just very, uh, pretty, and..." Her voice faded away as the blood shot up to her cheeks again, and she bit her lip as she looked down at the floor. "Thank you, Kate. You're very pretty, too." he said with a slight chuckle. "But I wasn't thinking I'd be exchanging compliments. My name's Chris. Can I buy you a drink?" he asked, motioning towards the bartender.

Kate had reluctantly agreed, and he still remembered the first drink he bought her. A nice little fruity thing, to match her flustered face; a strawberry daiquiri.

As they'd talked, chatted and laughed throughout the night, the sun seemed to rise much faster than it would any other morning. When he woke up the next morning in a strange hotel room, she was still sleeping beside him.