Embracing Trouble (Trouble Series) (31 page)

Ava

The week passed slowly and I tried not to think about him. I finished my last exam on Thursday night and felt like one big weight had been lifted off my shoulders. I was now free.

Tyler hated the idea of me going to Will’s birthday party and I was annoyed that he thought he had a say with any of it. I wanted to go. Hell, I
needed
to go.

I knew it meant I would be crushed if I saw Zac with his new girl, but like an addict, I no longer cared about the consequences. I still wanted to see him, and I wanted to hear his voice. I yearned to see him face to face again, because I was clearly crazy.

On the night of the party, I dressed up in a tight black dress with my boots and styled my hair in messy curls, ready to go to Hell.

As the four of us stepped into the club that night, I heard the heavy music and my blood started to zing. Zac and the boys were in here somewhere and I suddenly felt very excited. The dark heavy music thudded through me and I hid a smile because it felt like coming home.

We walked through the main crowded area, past people with piercings in all areas of their bodies, different colored hair and a myriad of tattoos. I headed towards the private function doorway and spotted Janey laughing with security.

She squealed in excitement as she saw me.

“Ava!”

She threw her arms around me and hugged me hard.

“I’ve missed you so freakin’ much!”

I laughed happily, and answered, “Me, too.”

She touched my hair.

“You look fucking hot!”

“So do you,” I laughed, realizing just how much I had missed her.

I was soon introducing her to Tyler, Sam, and Sophie. She didn’t miss Tyler’s hand take hold of mine. She looked at me and grinned before turning and motioning for us to follow her into a large room with a bar and a stage.

Dancers were dressed in S&M outfits, swinging on poles and dancing on podiums. I looked around in awe; the music even heavier in here. It was perfect for Will, and as I turned back to Tyler, I saw that he wasn’t comfortable. But before I could say anything, Janey was pulling me further away.

“Look who I found!” shouted Janey.

Will appeared in front of me with black devil horns.

“Beautiful Ava!”

“Happy Birthday,” I said hugging him.

“You look edible,” he said into my ear. “You’re going to kill him.”

He glanced over at Tyler and the others and sniggered at their obvious discomfort before giving me a wink as he turned to greet someone else.

Janey grabbed my hand again and pulled me away, over to the bar. She ordered a round of shots and turned to me.

“So, Tyler looks like a hottie.”

I looked over and saw him watching me as he talked to Sam. She passed me two shots.

“Is it serious?”

“He wants it to be,” I said downing the first shot.

“He doesn’t want to be here at all, does he?” she stated before downing her own shot.

I shook my head and downed the second shot.

“Where’s Zac?”

“He’s around,” she said lightly, not meeting my eyes.

“Beautiful Ava!” said Noah coming over and hugging me.

I hugged him tightly, having missed these guys like crazy.

“You’re here with pretty boy, I see,” he said motioning to the bartender and ordering more drinks. “He looks fucking over the moon to be here,” he said sarcastically, playing the drums on the bar to the heavy song playing.

I knew it, everyone knew it, but he wanted to come and I knew it was to keep an eye on me. He slugged back a shot and looked at me, his eyes assessing me for a moment. Did he realize I was only trying to fill the deep dark void that Zac had left in me? It wasn’t working, nothing would.

As if on cue, Tyler appeared beside me and put his arm around my waist possessively, pulling me to him. Noah pulled his shoulders back to his full six feet height and glared at Tyler. He looked quite menacing for a moment before he looked back at me.

He leaned over and whispered into my ear, “Good to see you again, Ava. You should stick around. We’ve all missed you.”

His words made me long for what I had before it all had gone wrong. I smiled up at him as he gave one more glare at Tyler before disappearing back into the crowd.

Janey caught my eye and winked at me cheekily before she turned to the others next to me.

“What are you guys drinking? Vodka cruisers?”

“I’d love a vodka cruiser,” Sophie piped up as I hid my own smile at Janey’s in-joke. Vodka Cruisers were for the young and uninitiated and had been a long standing joke within the group.

“Nothing for me,” said Tyler. “We’re leaving shortly.”

Janey turned back from the bar.

“You can’t go yet. We have so much to catch up on!”

The lights suddenly dimmed and a spotlight highlighted the stage across the room. Janey turned and whistled as girls clad in leather masks and nothing much else walked out to the beat of the music and started to dance. Everyone cheered with Will up at the front cheering the loudest.

Janey grabbed my hand and pulled me away from Tyler, leading me closer to the stage. I watched the girls dance down to Will and then they got him up on stage.

I laughed and clapped as they sat him down on a chair and started to dance around him. Some touched, others kissed, and others caressed him, while Will sported a grin from ear to ear. As the crowd cheered, I looked at their bodies, thinking how beautiful the girls looked. It was a lavish dance that was meant to induce lust, but there was nothing crass about it.

I went to smile at Janey and then caught the pair of deep brown eyes that I had been longing to see. He was off to the side, leaning against the wall, and sipping a beer. He watched me and looked like a dark devil.

My lips trembled at the sight of him and my skin tingled all over, my body still so attuned to him. The familiar sparks licked at my skin as his eyes bore into me knowingly. Everything around me fell away and it was just us.

I didn’t look away, I could only stare back at him, with lust and a little defiance in my eyes. He continued to watch, and his eyes heated me up to the boiling point, but I wasn’t going to look away first as his eyes challenged me further. I slowly moistened my lips and he couldn’t help but watch the trail of my tongue as it darted out. I smiled a little, the vixen in me feeling powerful.

He sipped his beer and then looked past me with a sudden scowl.

“You ready to go?” asked Tyler into my ear.

I jumped slightly and tried to focus on him. Tyler. He wanted to go. I shook my head.

“I don’t want to go yet.”

“Everybody else does,” he said back into my ear.

I looked toward the direction where Zac had been standing, but he had disappeared from his spot and was nowhere to be seen.

“But these are my friends and I want to stay.”

“We’re your friends too, Ava,” said Tyler annoyed. “Sophie’s uncomfortable and so am I.”

“I want to stay, Tyler,” I said determinedly. “Just go and I’ll meet up with you later.”

“That’s just great,” he said shaking his head. “I knew you would do this!”

“I haven’t done anything,” I said back to him, angry now. “I’m seeing friends I haven’t seen in a while!”

“Friends that dumped you the minute he left you!” he shouted.

“That’s got nothing to do with you!”

“It has everything to do with me,” he snapped. “I was there from the start, remember? When you were so fucking heartbroken you wouldn’t even talk!”

I pulled back from his anger, disbelief in my eyes.

“You’ve been waiting for this. Waiting to see him again. Everything else between you and me has been a load of shit!”

I gasped.

“Say it!” he said to me angrily. “Admit it, Ava!”

Everyone cheered around us as the floor show ended and Will jumped down from the stage. Heavy music returned and people started to move to it around us.

“Have you seen him? Is he here tonight?” asked Tyler suddenly.

“Just go, Tyler,” I shouted.

“You have, haven’t you? You’ve seen him. That’s why you want me to go!”

“Everything okay?” asked Will coming up beside me and looking at Tyler.

He was no longer smiling.

“Everything’s just fucking great,” returned Tyler eyeing him with anger.

Then he turned around and walked away.

I felt angry and annoyed at myself for upsetting Tyler, because he had been nothing but sweet to me, and I repaid him like this. I went to follow him and Janey grabbed my arm.

“Let him go and have some fun with us.”

I was torn. I wanted to go wild and have fun with Janey, while my conscience demanded I follow Tyler.

“I’ll be back,” I said to them both as I quickly pushed my way through the dance floor. I caught up with them at the door as they were leaving.

“Tyler,” I said, grabbing his arm.

He turned to me, hurt in his eyes mixed with anger.

“I’ll meet you at Salt in an hour,” I confirmed to him. “I’ll have a few drinks with Janey and then I’ll come to you.”

“Whatever you like,” he answered. “I don’t care anymore.”

I felt like the worse type of friend imaginable, because he had finally had too much of me.

Looking defeated, he said softly, “Call me when you finish here, and I’ll come and meet you.”

I nodded as I watched him walk away and then stop.

“Just remember what he did to you and how fucked everything has been for you, Ava. We are good together,” he confirmed leaning down to kiss me once on the lips.

I watched them leave, feeling terribly confused. I didn’t know what I wanted anymore. These two worlds didn’t mix.

“He’s kind of sexy when he’s all angry and pouty,” said Janey next to me.

I glanced at her and then couldn’t help but smile.

“I’ve missed you so much.”

“Tell me about it. I’ve been dying to hang out with you again,” she said putting her arm around me. “Let’s have some fun.”

I was soon downing another shot with her and lining up another one. We then headed up to the small roof terrace where groups were standing around and smoking. Janey lit up a joint, passed it to me, and I dragged on it, feeling the welcome numbness.

“So he really likes you, huh?” she asked looking out over the city.

“Yeah, but I don’t deserve him.”

“Why?”

I took another drag.

“Because he’s waiting for me to fall for him. He’s the perfect guy, but it feels like I’m only using him to try and get over Zac.”

“Is it working?”

I shook my head with resignation as Noah appeared beside us. He took a swig directly out of a vodka bottle and silently passed it to me. I took a swig and then passed it to Janey.

“Where did you swipe this from?” asked Janey taking a swig.

“Bar girl wants me,” he grinned, looking at me. “Where did pretty boy go?”

“They’ve gone to Salt. I’m going to meet them in an hour,” I said taking another swig of the vodka that Janey passed back. “Where’s Zac?”

Noah shrugged and looked at Janey.

“Not too sure.”

“Liar,” I said taking another swig.

“So how’s Antony and Nathan doing?” he asked next.

“Reputations are ruined. I never got a chance to thank you.”

He chuckled and took another swig of the bottle.

“Zac was the mastermind, but I’m glad it helped.”

A guy came over to Noah and looked me up and down.

“Who’s this gorgeous creature, Noah?”

“Zac’s,” said Noah firmly. “How you doing, Joel?”

I listened to their conversation, my eyes narrowing on Noah. I was no longer Zac’s. I knew it and he knew it, so why couldn’t this guy think of me as a gorgeous creature? I swigged once more on the vodka bottle and eyed Joel. He smiled at me in mid-conversation with Noah.

“The whole vodka bottle, huh?” he said to me.

“Want some?” I asked seductively.

“Of course,” he said moving across to me and taking the bottle from me, his fingers deliberately touching mine.

I watched him take a drink as I put the joint to my lips. He studied me with keen interest.

“So you’re Zac’s?”

I shook my head and savored the smoke in my lungs before I blew it out.

“Not anymore. Noah’s living in the past.”

“Really?” he said looking to Noah for confirmation.

Noah shook his head and gave him a warning look.

“I’m Ava,” I said, moistening my lips.

“Nice to meet you, Ava,” he said taking my hand and kissing it slowly.

We both grinned at each other, playing a flirting game and enjoying it.

“Get your hand off her, Joel, before I break every fucking finger,” said a husky but angry voice out of nowhere.

I turned and saw Zac standing beside me and then promptly giggled. I didn’t know if it was the joint or just the situation, but I felt a nervous anxiety start to choke me. I shook my head and stood back from Joel. He had dumped me and was still being possessive. It didn’t make any sense.

“Sorry, man,” said Joel putting his hands up slightly.

“I’m not his,” I said flicking my joint away, no longer giggling. “Not anymore,” I added.

I glared at him in defiance as I leaned my back against the railing of the roof terrace.

Zac was suddenly in front of me, looking into my eyes as he put both hands on either side of me on the railing. He blocked me in. The city was behind me and we were suddenly alone as he stared at me.

I swallowed and glared back at him.

“A little possessive, aren’t you? Especially when I’m no longer with you.”

He didn’t answer.

“Where’s your latest blonde?” I asked next, trying to fill the tension-filled silence between us.

The drugs and alcohol had made me feisty.

“I see yours has gone and left you alone,” he returned darkly.

“I’m meeting him at another club,” I returned.

“Couldn’t handle it?”

“He can handle a lot of things,” I said boldly.

He could take that in whatever way he wanted. I saw the fire in his eyes and took satisfaction from it.

“He lets you handle things, like the puppy dog he is,” he said unevenly.