Unfamiliar Faces
1402 Words
Getting Clara out of the club felt harder than stopping the man who followed her.
She clung to me like gravity had suddenly betrayed her, her weight leaning awkwardly into my side as we stumbled through the back exit.
“You’re okay,” I told her, more to steady myself than her. “I’ve got you.”
She mumbled her name over again for the 100th time, her head falling forward before snapping back up. Drunk drunk. Not tipsy. The kind of drunk that made people vulnerable in ways they didn’t understand until it was too late.
The cab ride was quiet except for the sound of her breathing and the city rushing past the windows. I kept one arm around her the entire time, my eyes flicking to every movement, every shadow. The adrenaline hadn’t worn off yet. It still buzzed beneath my skin, sharp and restless.
When we finally reached my apartment building, it was past two. The hallway lights flickered like they always did, casting uneven shadows along the walls. I fumbled with my keys while Clara leaned against me, humming softly like she was completely unaware of how close things had gone to ending badly.
The door barely clicked shut before my roommate appeared.
“What the hell, Natalie?”
Renee stood in the living room in oversized pajamas, arms crossed, eyes immediately narrowing on the girl half hanging off me.
“Who is she?” she asked. “And why is she here?”
“She needs somewhere to sleep,” I said, nudging the door shut with my foot. “Help me get her to the couch.”
Renee didn’t move. Her gaze dropped to Clara, then back to me. “Are you serious right now?”
“Yes,” I snapped. “Or do you want me to leave her on the street?”
Renee sighed sharply and stepped forward, helping me guide Clara onto the couch. Clara groaned as she collapsed, curling in on herself, mumbling something incoherent before going quiet.
Renee straightened slowly, her expression tight. “Do you know her?”
“No.”
“That’s not reassuring.”
“She was in trouble, I had no choice” I said, pulling a blanket from the chair and draping it over Clara. “Some guy followed her into the bathroom. It wasn’t innocent.”
Renee’s eyes widened slightly. “Natalie, that’s dangerous.”
“So was leaving her there.”
“You don’t bring strangers home,” Renee said. “Especially drunk ones. You don’t know what she could do. Or who she’s connected to.”
I scoffed, rubbing my temples. “She can barely sit up. What is she going to do? Rob us?”
Renee lowered her voice. “You don’t know her story. People get you into trouble like this.”
I finally turned to face her fully. “And people get hurt when everyone looks the other way.”
Silence stretched between us.
Renee exhaled slowly, running a hand through her hair. “You have a savior complex.”
“Maybe,” I said. “Or maybe I just didn’t feel like watching something bad happen and pretending it wasn’t my problem.”
Renee glanced at Clara again, her features softening just a little. “Still. This is risky.”
“She’ll leave in the morning,” I said. “When she sobers up, we’ll talk. Then she goes her way, I go mine. End of story.”
Renee studied my face for a moment, clearly wanting to argue more. Then she shook her head. “I swear one day your mouth is going to get you into serious trouble.”
“Probably,” I said, already exhausted.
Renee pointed at Clara. “If she throws up on the couch, you’re cleaning it.”
She retreated back to her room, muttering under her breath, and I stood there for a moment longer, watching the rise and fall of Clara’s chest.
Up close, she looked younger. Vulnerable. Not the kind of girl who should be navigating dark clubs alone, drunk enough to lose her sense of direction and judgment.
I grabbed a glass of water, set it on the coffee table, and placed a small trash bin beside the couch just in case. Years of working the club taught you to prepare for worst-case scenarios.
When I finally crawled into bed, sleep didn’t come easily.
Every time I closed my eyes, I saw the way that man had looked at her. The way his hand lingered too long. It was disgusting.
...
I woke to the sound of drawers sliding open.
Not loudly. Carefully. Like whoever was doing it didn’t want to be noticed.
My eyes snapped open, my body already tense before my mind fully caught up. The early morning light filtered weakly through the curtains, painting the room in a dull gray. For a split second, I forgot about the night before.
Then I heard it again.
A soft clink. Fabric shifting. A sharp intake of breath.
I sat up.
She stood near the dresser, barefoot, her hair messy and her movements slow but deliberate. She was fully awake now. Too awake. Her eyes darted around the room, landing on the door, the window, the walls. She held my phone in one hand and a small object in the other.
My heart dropped.
“Hey. You’re okay.”
She spun around.
The look on her face wasn’t confusion. It was fear.
“Don’t come closer,” she warned, gripping the object tighter. I realized with a jolt that it was a small metal paperweight from the desk. Heavy enough to hurt.
Renee appeared in the doorway behind me, half asleep and instantly alert. “What’s going on?”
Clara’s eyes flicked between us. “Where am I?”
“My apartment,” I said. “You’re safe.”
She laughed once, sharp and humorless. “That’s exactly what someone who kidnapped me would say.”
“No one kidnapped you,” Renee said slowly, hands raised. “You were drunk. Natalie brought you here.”
Clara backed toward the door and tried the handle.
Locked.
Her breathing picked up.
“You locked me in,” she said, panic bleeding into her voice. “Why is the door locked?”
“For safety,” I said. “You passed out. We didn’t want you wandering outside.”
Her grip tightened. “I don’t know you.”
“I know,” I said. “That’s why you’re scared. But you were in trouble last night. A man followed you into the bathroom at the club. You could barely stand.”
Clara hesitated.
Renee stepped forward slightly. “You were leaning on her just to walk. You don’t remember?”
Her eyes flickered. The fear cracked, just a little.
Fragments started to surface. I could see it happening. The way her expression shifted from defensive to uncertain.
“The club,” she murmured. “I lost my friends.”
“You were alone,” I said. “That’s why I didn’t leave you.”
Her arm dropped slowly.
“Oh my God,” she whispered.
She pressed a hand to her forehead, sinking onto the edge of the couch. “I thought… I thought I woke up in a stranger’s house.”
“You did,” Renee said, softer now. “Just not for the reason you think.”
Silence settled.
Clara looked up at me, eyes glassy but clear. “You didn’t have to do that.”
“Yes, I did.”
Her lips trembled. “Thank you.”
Renee let out a breath and dropped onto the armchair. “Next time, please wake up screaming instead of preparing to attack us.”
A weak smile tugged at Clara’s mouth before it faded. She reached for her phone on the table.
The moment the screen lit up, her expression changed.
Missed calls filled the display. Dozens of them. The same name over and over.
Her shoulders slumped.
“i need to go,” she said quietly.
I frowned. “is everything okay?"
She nodded. “He tracks my phone.”
Renee stiffened. “Tracks it?”
Clara stood abruptly. “I need to leave. Right now.”
Before I could respond, a knock sounded at the door.
Clara froze.
Slowly opening the door, there he was fuming with anger.
- Writer
