in which joelle d'amore is completing her final semester of university in the grand city of los angeles, california. when she finds herself in the presence of harry styles, a piercing man with dangerous agendas, she is permeated with fear. she saw s...
TRIGGER WARNING: brief mention of sexual assault ahead!
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Chapter 23
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The rhythm of palpitations, it was loud in my ears. I felt hot and a little drunk as the back-to-back tequila shots had begun to take its toll on me.
I don't know where she had gone. I figured she parted from me purposely. It wouldn't have been the first time she decided to leave me for a stranger.
When I stopped searching for August, I huffed and leaned back against the wall in the hallway belonging to a fraternity house. It wasn't long before a stranger came up to me, giving me the company and attention my best friend had failed to give me.
"Drink?"
"Me? Oh, no... I'm done for the night," I told the girl that came up to me, a giggle slipping from my lips. She had the warmest skin, the prettiest brown eyes, and a wavy bob with bangs the framed her perfect face. She was too cool for me, I could tell by the way she dressed and how she carried herself.
"Yeah, maybe I should cut it for the night, too," she said but brought the red cup of liquor to her lips for a drink anyway. "What's your name, babe?"
I smiled at her. It was nice to think she approached me, sparking a conversation as an act of kindness, after seeing me all alone. "Jo. What's yours?"
To be frank, I don't remember her name, but I knew it was something pretty. The only thing I could remember was feeling some type of way around her.
Maybe it was the tequila or maybe it was the fact that I found her attractive.
Only nineteen, never been touched or in a relationship, I craved intimacy with another being.
The conversation flowed between us. I found out we were both majoring in fashion. She was immensely funny, too. I enjoyed her company so much, I recall.
I don't remember who initiated it, maybe it was me, but I discovered the way her lips tasted that night.
A bit taller than me, she led the kiss and I melted right into her. She was soft and gentle, just like her touch. Her lipgloss tasted like berries, but her scent of sweet dandelions stayed with me.
I was convinced nobody wanted me before her. Being single for so long, I thought the problem was me. She showed me it wasn't.
She kissed me in the hallway, not caring if creeps were watching. I didn't care either, because I was never opposed to kissing her in the first place.
That's all I remember from that night. The night I felt wanted for the first time. The night August claims to have met Matthew. The night she claims he assaulted her.
