CHAPTER TWO: An Alcohol Bath
1178 Words
Eva had gotten into her car and began to drive with no destination in mind, all that she had thought of was that she wanted to be free.
She had met Jake as a junior in high school and had been so excited when he had asked her out.
She had been so excited that she had gradually forgotten all her dreams and had been slowly molded into a sweet, docile Mrs Matthews.
She wanted to live in a big city, join the tech industry, and attend concerts but Jake had convinced her that big cities were dangerous and unsafe, the tech industry was filled with dirty men who chased everything in a skirt and concerts were for people who had no responsibilities to their spouse.
She knew where she wanted to live.
She was going to go to Los Angeles.
It had been her and her best friend's dream but of course, her best friend had eventually left her behind when she got accepted into UCLA and Eva had stayed behind to attend a community college that was close to Jake.
She parked at the nearest gas station, got some snacks and took out her old phonebook.
She searched for Steph's number, all the while praying that she still used the same number.
When she eventually found and dialed the number, she waited with bated breath as it rang and rang.
She had almost given up when a sleepy voice called.
"Hello?"
Eva almost screamed because she instantly recognized the voice as her best friend's.
"Steph?", She called slowly.
"Who is this?", Steph asked.
"It's Eva, Eva Moralis", She repeated excitedly.
"Wait ...are you serious???", Steph yelled.
"What else would I be if not serious?'', Eva asked, laughing.
Steph began to scream.
"When I heard my name, I was thinking how nostalgic it felt and it really is!! I really never thought we would ever reconnect. What the actual fxck?", Steph kept saying everything that Eva was thinking.
"I know right?", Eva eventually added.
"Okay, I hope you are okay? I mean, I love this but don't fxcking tell me you are calling me for some terrible reason, no one died, right?", Steph asked.
Eva chuckled, it was so like Steph to say things like that unprovoked.
"No Steph, no one died", Eva said laughing.
"Well, then it's good news, right?", Steph asked.
"Honestly, I don't know what kind of news it is. The thing is I'm coming to L.A, it was a really unplanned decision and I was beginning to freak out and then I remembered that you were there and I just thought to see if you still used this number and here we are", Eva explained, grimacing as she spoke.
Steph laughed heartily.
"OMG, I can't believe this. My best girl coming to L.A??! You have to come see me tonight. It's literally my first night dancing center stage", She said seriously.
Eva was confused, she had no idea that Steph was into dancing of any sort.
"Center stage?", Eva asked, confused.
Steph guffawed.
"Okay, now I know this must sound crazy but I'm dancing in clubs and have the time of my life and I've sort of made a career out of it and tonight is the first night I'll be dancing on a major stage as the main dancer", She explained.
Eva chuckled, she strangely had no issues with this and couldn't wait to see it.
"Well, you'll need a little support from back home. Send the address of the club, I should be able to get there in time for your show", Eva told her.
Steph screamed loudly and called out the address for Eva who rushed to jot it down before they ended the call.
At the prospect of someone expecting her, Eva was temporarily relieved and found new strength to carry on with her journey.
Los Angeles
11pm
After several missed turns and road mishaps, Eva finally arrived at the club.
She was tired, hungry and just wanted to hug her friend.
She found a rather dark spot to park and made her way to the club.
Eva wasn't prepared for what the club looked and sounded like, Jake had never approved places like this so she had never been.
She wandered around, asking anyone she thought worked there for Steph.
She was still walking around when she came across three men in suits.
All the other men she had met had all been in party appropriate outfits so she immediately assumed that they were security or something.
She rushed towards them and the first thing she noticed was how good-looking they all were, she simply shrugged thinking that they probably had to be good-looking since they were all faces of the club.
When she stood in front of them, they all sized her, making her suddenly conscious of how she looked.
"Do any of you know Steph?", She asked.
"Excuse me?", The first man asked, he was a really tall man, he had his dark hair in a man bun, and what seemed to be a tattoo peeking from his collar.
He looked so handsome, he was almost menacing.
Eva took an involuntary step backwards.
"Uhhh Steph Anders? She is a dancer here", Eva whispered, suddenly intimidated.
The men suddenly burst into laughter and Eva glared at them, especially the one in the middle.
He wasn't laughing but his look of amusement managed to infuriate her.
Finally, the third man answered her.
"Honey, no one here would know a Steph. The only names I've heard all night are Candy, Pink princess, Daddy's baby and the likes. Do you understand what I'm saying?", He asked,his blonde hair getting in his eyes as he stooped to her height.
Eva's cheeks reddened as she realized what they meant.
She just knew that Steph would have some extremely ludicrous name, it was in her nature.
Suddenly, the man with the man bun got on his feet.
"Gotta run", he muttered and hurriedly left them.
The blonde man with the bangs whispered something to the last man and also turned and walked away, leaving Eva with the last man that she had not really looked at.
Something about him just made her insides quiver , his mere presence intimidated her in a way that she didn't understand.
"So which is it then?", He asked, his voice velvety and deep.
She looked up, looking into his gray eyes that seemed to open her like a book.
"Which is what?", She replied curtly.
He tilted his head to take a better look at her.
"Which are you known as? Baby? Daddy's girl? Princess? Little Mama?", He asked.
His voice, the way he looked at her, her exhaustion, she couldn't handle it all.
She stepped back at the moment a server was moving with drinks, she tried to avoid him but it was too late.
Just when she thought her day was going to end with an alcohol bath, he pulled her out of the way and onto his legs.
"There you go".
Eva's insides exploded.
- Writer
