Robin des Bois ✓

twenty-seven. What You Want

I couldn't quite force myself to move for a moment. I pressed one palm against my chest, willing my heart to settle down, for my breaths to slow while I leaned the back of my head against the glass.

I vacillated somewhere between anger and confusion.

How could something so fleeting shake me so profoundly, alter me so completely? How could he, with just a touch, tilt my world out of its axis? And most importantly, how could he leave me here, like this, my mind still reeling, my body still shivering from the memory of the way he'd felt?

I really needed to splash some cold water onto my face –mostly to clear my mind of the afterglow haze that still clouded my thoughts. I willed my shaky legs to hold me upright as I pushed myself off the glass fence and walked towards the door unsteadily.

As soon as I was back in the darkness of the club, I felt the need to get away. All those people, grinding against one another, their bodies pressed to one another, when all I really wanted was him... The thought of anyone else as much as brushing against me made my skin crawl. As I descended the stairs, I made the decision to go to the bathroom to wash my face and to immediately get out and catch a cab to go home and curl up on the mattress next to Tina's bed, and probably spend the rest of the night replaying what had just happened over and over in my mind's eye.

I skimmed the wall of the club, trying my best to not look anyone in the eye –I felt as though what I'd just done was written all over my face, as though Gabe's touch had marked me in some way.

The narrow hallway leading to the bathrooms was dark and didn't really inspire trust.

I pushed open the door to the women's bathroom. There was line of girls waiting for their turn in one of the stalls while others leaned over the sinks, retouching their make-up. I walked up to the nearest available sink, opened the tap and unceremoniously splashed cold water into my face, not caring about the fact that I was probably going to mess up the blush and highlight I'd carefully applied earlier. At least my mascara was waterproof.

I stared at my refection in the mirror, assessing the coppery curls that spilled over my shoulders, my flushed cheeks and the nearly-fevered look in my eyes. I tried to see the girl that Gabe claimed drove him wild, tried to see which part of me could ever have that effect of him, but no matter how hard I stared, I just couldn't fathom it.

And so I turned my back to the mirror, and after taking a deep breath to steady my nerves, I walked out, only to come face to face with Aidan as he leaned against the wall right opposite the women's bathroom.

When he saw me exit, he smiled a cruel grin and pushed himself off the wall –he'd obviously been waiting for me.

I immediately felt anger rising up in me, my cheeks heating, my fingers curling into fists at my sides. He came closer, still grinning, and I took a couple of steps back, until I was pressed up against the wall.

"I thought it was you," he said, looking all too delighted.

"What do you want?"

"I just wanted to see for myself. You know, I've been wondering. What is it that Alexei ever saw in you?"

He was uncomfortably close to me, and I could smell beer on his breath.

"What's it to you? It's over anyway." I bit out, something like fire raging inside me, my eyes flashing up at him.

He placed one hand on the wall right next to my face, ignoring my question.

"And then I saw those pics on Alexei's phone."