Nogitsune

CHAPTER THREE: PARTY FAVOURS

Present day, San Francisco,

The light at the top of the hotel gliched as she started at it. This is where her mind leads her after leaving Chris Argent. There was loud thumping shaking the ground and the faint sound of music from inside. The display screen showed an ad of an artist she barely listened to. She sighed and tried to restore her phone. There was no need cause she had service. Now would be a perfect time for her to call her friends and tell them where she was so they could come get her. But her mind wanted her to go inside the hotel first.

Lydia slipped her phone into her bag and took one last look at her outfit. She was in jeans and cream floral off shoulder top beneath her coat, not the ideal outfit for a party, but her shoes would cover for her. The last thing she wanted was to stand out.

Once inside the hotel she asked for directions to the party causing the guys at the reception to frown at her. He did a sweep of her appearance and gasped when he saw her shoes.

"The casino is available too if you're interested," he quickly suggested.

Casino?

Lydia didn't do gambling, and she needed a drink, so she insisted on going to the party.

"I'm so stressed, I just want to shake it all off before going to see my family." she told him.

The receptionist nodded in understanding, a fake smile plastered on his face. He signaled for two staff to take her to the club, after which she thanked the men with a tip.

"Madam! You don't have to!" one of the exclaimed, but they took the money and left her. Two young women stuttered out of the club in clothes that barely covered anything and heavy makeup. They giggled as they made their way out of the hotel. She rolled her eyes and called the men back.

"Where can I find the ladies' room, please?" she asked as sweetly as she could.

The men showed her to a door few steps away from the club entrance. She locked herself in the second she was inside. Rolling her eyes at the men's behavior, she turned on the tap and washed her face. She quickly emptied her purse, thankful for the emergency make up kit she always carried with her. It took a few minutes, but by the time she was through she felt more confident than ever.

It was hurtful that she would have to go to a party without her friends, but she knew this was not the party one would be happy about. The bouncers opened the door for her the moment she got close to it. The party attacked her senses all at once. From the loud music to the sweaty bodies to the booze and weed. She used a sanitizer and sprayed her perfume at the entrance before making her way through the pack of bodies.

"What are you looking at?" she asked later to the barman, who she noticed had been watching her since she made her way through the crowd.

The man laughed at her in return. He felt it was cute watching her. Lydia looked back at the well-built man who seemed to take pleasure in tiring his hair in a bun. 18-year-old Lydia would have jumped on his bones, but not now. She scoffed and tried placing an order, but he moved ahead of her, presenting her with a shimmering glass of cocktail.

"That's on me." he told her. She pursed her lips, then smiled.

"How cute, two tequila shots please." she requested, giving him the first shock of the evening.

"I did not tag you for a tequila girl."

"Of course you didn't," she muttered while he brought her drink.

Lydia took a sip of the cocktail. It was fantastic.

"Not bad," she said.

"It's a house special," the bartender told her, presenting two shot glasses which he filled with tequila. She downed one shot after the order, craving more, but she couldn't get drunk. She turned to face the dance floor, leaving a dumbfounded barrister behind her.