Run! The Black Wolf's prey.

Chapter 3 - A hot night

“So... will you go through with it?” Emma asked while sipping her cocktail. She was Isabel’s best friend, and had suggested them to go out to have a drink together so Isabel could talk freely about her thoughts and feelings concerning her collapsing relationship with David.

"I think so..." Isabel’s hazel green eyes wandered over the busy bar, her thoughts occupied. "It's so hard. One second, I feel confident, like breaking up with him is the only right thing to do. But next, I feel so stupid, that I haven't really given us a chance, you know?”

"But you already have given him so many chances, Iz," Emma put a comforting hand on her shoulder. "And look around! There are plenty of fish in the sea. You're way too young and pretty to let yourself be stuck in such a destructive relationship."

Isabel did as Emma suggested, and her eyes immediately met the gaze of a handsome guy seated by the bar. He was tall with broad shoulders, auburn hair and blue eyes, wearing a well-fitted dark blue suit. He smiled appreciatively at her as his eyes took a tour over her figure, and she instantly blushed and turned her gaze back at Emma, who started laughing.

"You haven't been single for quite some time, for sure!" Emma giggled. "This is good news for me, you know. Finally, you have no excuses for not going out dancing with me during weekends!"

"I guess not" Isabel grinned. "If it wasn't for me being a terrible dancer."

"That's not true," Emma objected, "You are a great dancer, you just need a little booze and relax,” she winked. “Besides, don’t you remember the Christmas party at work last year? All eyes on you that evening."

"No no no, don’t remind me!" Isabel squealed, blushing again. She barely remembered what happened at that Christmas party, she had had a little too much to drink and blacked out… But people had told her afterwards that she had totally lost her self-control and been dancing on the tables, accidentally breaking one of them and had fallen into the lap of their boss. It had probably been one of the most embarrassing moments of her entire life.

“Anyway, I am still a terrible dancer,” she affirmed.

"Phum pchi" Emma smiled wryly, arching a brow.

"What again?" Isabel was looking confused.

"Phum pchi!" Emma repeated. "It means 'bullshit' in Japanese. Or something. I don't remember."

They both started laughing loudly, and all eyes in the bar turned their way.

"No, but seriously," Isabel sighed. "Breaking up is hard. Not only am I breaking up with Dave, but I’m also cutting all the strings with his family as well."

"Oh yeah, you told me... You're really close to his sister, right?"

"Yep, or at least we used to be. " Isabel nodded. "And I love his nieces and nephew. I used to babysit them sometimes, and they're really like family to me."

Isabel had always longed for a big family. Her father died in a car accident when she was a baby, and she didn’t have any memories of her own of him. Her mother, Miriam, never remarried, and as far as Isabel knew, she never even dated anyone else, so Isabel had grown up with only her mother. They were very close, and she loved her mother, but she had a deep longing after something more – it was like a hole in her chest, always feeling something was lacking her. She fantasized of having a big family one day, with festive family dinners and Christmas celebrations with plenty of children running around. She had had a little taste of that with David’s family, but now that was going to be over.

“But can't you just stay friends with his sister? Emma suggested.

"No" Isabel slowly shook her head. "Dave is way too possessive for that. I think I have to cut him off completely. Including his family." Tears were flooding her eyes. "I really, really wish things had turned out differently. But I'm really not in love with him anymore."

"Then it's decided." Emma smiled gently and took her hand. "You can come stay with me if you want, until you figure out where to live. My apartment may be small, but the coach is quite comfy.”

"Thanks, it means a lot " Isabel squeezed her hand before letting go. "But I think I'll stay at the lake house instead."

"Where you use to go sometimes during weekends? Isn't it way off?"

"It takes about two hours to drive. But mom is rarely there, so I can stay up there by myself, and I think I need some space.”

“Understandable” Emma nodded.

Isabel had grown up with her mother in a large apartment in the city, but they always went to the lake house during the holidays.

“OK, so now it’s Thursday. Tomorrow evening you’ll move out?” Emma asked while waiving at one of the waiters. “One more of these, please!” she pointed towards her empty martini glass.

“Yep.” Isabel sipped her barely touched mojito.

“And then on Saturday you come back to party with me?” Emma grinned.

“No!” Isabel laughed. “That is definitely not happening.”

“Haha OK. But maybe next weekend then? You need to get out and spread your wings. It’s the best remedy for break-ups, I promise!”

“Well, you should know,” Isabel teased.

“Yeah, you’re talking to the expert!” Emma laughed. “But anyhow, we should go out. Too bad it’s workday tomorrow, or we could have tonight already.”

“Naaah,” Isabel shook her head. “I just had my period, and I was supposed to get on the pill again a few days ago. But since I’m not planning to have a boyfriend anytime soon now, I thought I might as well just skip them. I’ve been on them for way too long. But now, my body feels so strange,” Isabel crossed her arms, caressing her own chest. “I’m exhausted, I just want to sleep, and I have terrible mood swings. And my boobs are seriously killing me!”

“They do look bigger than usual,” Emma chuckled. “I almost thought you had done a boob job.”

“Nope, just my body being really confused, like it’s addicted to those pills,” Isabel shrugged her shoulders, smiling apologetically. “But I wouldn’t mind a little bigger, they’ve always been so tiny.”

“Your boobs are great,” Emma objected, “mine are way too big. I can hardly run without knocking myself out, they’re just all over the place!”

They both started laughing out loud again.

“But why stop taking the pill? You don’t have to say no to s*x just because you’re not having a boyfriend, you know,” Emma winked.

“I’m just thinking it would be good with a break. I’ve been taking contraceptives ever since I was a teenager. You know, my mom’s a gynaecologist?”

Emma nodded.

“So, I used to have really unpredictable periods. I never knew when it would show up, and sometimes it took several months, up to a year at one time. So, mom said it was better I simply took contraceptives, in that way I would always know when my period would show up. Mom said it would probably get better eventually, with time, but that I just as well could stay on the contraceptives until I want to have kids.”

“Ahh… Well, promise me – no kids now!” Emma laughed. “I can’t wait to bring you to all my favourite bars and clubs, now that your single.”

“You make me sound like I have been a nun,” Isabel objected. “I have been out and about as well, you know.”

“Yeah, like hundreds of years ago,” Emma rolled her eyes. “You have been quite busy lately.”

“Mmm, sorry for that…” Isabel looked at her friend apologetically. “I just haven’t been in the mood for hanging out.”

“No worries,” Emma grinned. “You are making it up for me as we speak.”

Emma and Isabel had been best friends since childhood, and as a coincidence, Emma was working as a nurse at the same unit where Isabel started her internship a year ago, when she decided she wanted to become a cardiologist. Emma was that kind of non-judgmental and compassionate person who would go through ice and fire for someone she cared for, and Isabel was extremely grateful to have a friend like her now when her whole life was turned upside down.

They kept on chatting and Emma told her about her own hopeless love life, when suddenly, Isabel noticed the man with auburn hair standing up and starting to walk towards them, holding his blue suit jacket nonchalantly over his shoulder.

“Oh my God,” Isabel breathed. “That guy at the bar? Don’t look. I think he is coming over.”

“Is he?” Emma whispered excitedly. “Be nice, don’t scare him off! I have a thing for gingers.”

“Well, here he comes…” Isabel noticed his perfectly V-shaped torso, looking very fit with strong arms and firm legs, and she couldn’t help to imagine what he would look like without his clothes on. Probably, he would look like one of those statues of Greek gods, or something, she mused and instantly blushed again.

“Hello ladies,” he casually grabbed one of the chairs by their table. “May I buy you another drink?” He sat down with a mischievous smile. “It’s a very hot night,” he added, his piercing blue eyes looking straight at Isabel.