𝐀𝐑𝐑𝐀𝐍𝐆𝐄𝐃 - 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐑𝐋𝐄𝐒 𝐋𝐄𝐂𝐋𝐄𝐑𝐂

VIII

Charles

It was shortly after midnight, and the party was in full swing. I stood at the bar, not seeing anyone familiar around. My head was spinning, and it was hard to breathe - the air was stale everywhere, and I didn't want to squeeze through the intoxicated crowd to get out.

As soon as we all entered this club - Nettie, Lando, Danny, Max, and Pierre - they disappeared from my sight. I tried to find them, but it was like looking for a needle in a haystack. My phone died, so all I could do was stay put and hope that I will notice someone. I turned to the bartender and asked for another shot of Japanese liquor.

Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed long, brown hair in the massive crowd of people. Nettie. She was heading towards me, carrying herself with such elegance that I stopped paying attention to the commotion around. For a moment, she locked her eyes with mine, getting closer and closer, my heart beating stronger and stronger.

Then I noticed she was holding the hand of some random guy. Something inside me boiled. She sat with him at the bar right next to me, pretending she didn't know me. I approached her so closely that I could feel her pulse beating on her neck.

"Qu'est-ce que tu fais sorcière?" I whispered in her ear.

No response. She just turned to me and gave me an angry look.

Meanwhile, bartender handed her a drink. Her companion's hand reached into his pocket and pulled out a small bottle. Its contents were poured into Nettie's glass, which was handed to her. Very inconspicuous indeed.

Nettie took the glass, but as soon as she brought it to her lips, I snatched it from her hand.

Then everything happened so quickly: I grabbed the guy by his shirt and forcefully pressed him against the bar. I yelled at him, my face red with anger that had built up inside me. It was as if all the alcohol had disappeared from me. I loosened my grip and handed the guy the glass.

"Drink it!"

He shook his head in disagreement.

I pressed harder. "Drink what my fiancée was supposed to drink!"

Nettie grabbed me by the shoulder and pushed me away. "Stop it, Charles, are you completely out of your mind?!" she exclaimed.

"You should thank me; maybe I saved your life!"

"What are you talking about again?!"

"That salaud poured something into your drink!"

"You're paranoid," she smirked.

I don't know if I went crazy at that moment, but I downed the entire contents of the glass. Within a few seconds, the whole world started spinning even more, and I saw nothing but blackness. I stopped sensing time; I lost feeling in my entire body. I could only hear muffled voices, but I couldn't distinguish whose they were.

Antoinette

Pierre helped me discreetly move Charles to the hotel. Together, we laid him in bed, and now I watched him.

Everyone else had long since fallen asleep - they were completely exhausted.

"Why can't we take him to the hospital?" I turned to Pierre.

"Because of the media. Don't worry, he'll be fine."

We talked for about an hour, and then he left. I stayed alone with Charles.

I lay down behind him. "Thank you for saving my life today," I whispered, though I wasn't sure if he could hear me or not. I rested my head on his chest and snuggled up to him. He'll probably kill me in the morning, but I needed to be close to him.

I felt his chest rise and fall, felt his breaths and his fingers on the back of my neck... wait, what?

I lifted my head, and my eyes met those beautiful blue-green ones.

"Hi," he greeted me with a weak smile.

"Hi."

"You're welcome."

"Why did you do it?" I asked him.

He hesitated. "Because I care about you..."

I don't know if it was the charm of the moment, but suddenly I pressed my lips to his. He didn't resist and kissed me back. An innocent kiss suddenly turned into a makeout session. I sat on Charles, his tongue almost in my throat, and his hands on my hips. This time I was completely relaxed. I allowed him to flip us over, so he was towering over me.

"I want you..." he groaned into my mouth...

A/N: I apologize for the shorter length of this chapter. Unfortunately, due to the overwhelming workload from school, I've been finding it challenging to dedicate as much time to writing as I would like.