Alaric didn't enjoy the music. Faithless seemed to completely strip him of his confidence. He rarely visited CUE because it wasn't his style to share common interests with a crowd like this. Alaric preferred to sit on the sofa, engaging in conversations with acquaintances while graciously offering them their favourite drinks. The music played by DJs or bands served merely as background nuance only for his activities. If he didn't like it, he would call the Operations Manager and curse for a moment before requesting the musicians—whether DJs or bands—to play a song that he or his girl desired. It was as simple as that.
So, CUE, which had a big name among music enthusiasts, was not a pleasant ecosystem for him. Some acquaintances who knew him well furrowed their brows before greeting him. There was one word that everyone used tonight about his presence; unusual.
Of course, it was unusual—CUE was filled with colleagues and friends who often glanced at Alaric cynically. Some were openly hostile towards him. Alaric's blood began to boil when a college acquaintance laughed sarcastically and taunted him, asking what he was doing standing near the CUE stage where a world-class legend was performing. He would have caused a scene if he hadn't spotted Aisha rushing past.
Emerging from the hazy smoke, she captivated Alaric with her above-the-knee dress. Those long legs couldn't escape his attention. The boiling blood within him transformed into a thrilling warmth. Without a word, Alaric abandoned his potential rival, cancelling any confrontation. Instead, he hurriedly pursued Aisha. The floor, crowded with beautiful girls whose initial fragrance made it difficult to navigate, posed a challenge to Alaric's steps. Fortunately, he remembered that only Aisha wore a dress with crystal tassels hanging from its open back. The broken white dress, adorned with accents of sapphire and gold of an Horus eye, perfectly enveloped the slender figure of those beautiful woman. Alaric knew that Aisha was feeling a bit emotional, if he didn't misinterpret her conversation with Jaya Emyr earlier. And now, Alaric surprised himself as he became the Stalker of the Long-Legged Beauty with those trembling royal green stiletto heels. He watched as Aisha skill fully slipped through the bodies that were almost pressing against each other, heading towards the front of the stage. Alaric's steps faltered when he saw Aisha grab the arm of a man. The next moment, she wrapped her arms around his neck.
Alaric came to a halt, stunned.
The man, too, was initially surprised. However, as soon as his eyes met Aisha's face, he smiled. His hand wrapped around Aisha's waist, pulling their bodies closer without any awkwardness. Unbeknownst to Alaric, his jaw had tightened. His mind was in turmoil. He realized that he didn't know Aisha at all. He realized that Aisha always surprised him, never being what he expected.
Did Aisha know this man? She must have, because if she was just playing around, there were many more captivating options she could have pursued instead. Alaric flexed his stiff back, a mix of irritation and pleasure upon discovering Aisha's wild side. He approached out of frustration as the man leaned in and kissed the corner of Aisha's lips. Aisha responded with a teasing smile, grabbing the man's drink bottle and taking a long sip, making him widen his eyes and laugh joyfully. Then they drew closer again. Alaric felt anger rising inside him this time, without reason.
No, he did have a reason. Aymard.
Suddenly, the music stopped playing and was replaced by thunderous applause. The man who was embracing Aisha smiled gently, playing with strands of her hair as if he were a longing lover. A sentence reached Alaric's ears as he stood behind Aisha.
"I miss you, Wife. Really miss you."
Aisha smiled, perhaps. Meanwhile, Alaric felt as though his feet were planted firmly on the ground. Wife?
"I am sorry." he murmured, tilting his face.
But the kiss never landed on Aisha's lips. Another woman with a tousled haircut rushed towards them, immediately grabbing Aisha's hair and shouting as if she was possessed.
"Bitch!!! Trashy whore!"
Alaric instinctively pulled Aisha, shielding her behind him. The woman raised her head and stared defiantly at Alaric.
"Oh! So now you're whoring around too, Bitch? Oops, my mistake. Whore! Premium class?" she sarcastically taunted as she scanned Alaric's figure.
The man who had embraced Aisha pulled her away. She became hysterical immediately.
"What? You bastard! What am I lacking?!"
The man tried to calm her down, visibly uncomfortable as more eyes turned towards them during the pause in the Faithless performance. He whispered to her and embraced her, but she forcefully shook her head and pushed him away. The music started playing again.
"You bastard! You're just the same! Bitch and bastard should be together. I'm done with you!"
"Pfft, domestic affairs!" sneered a girl nearby.
The man sighed, looking at Aisha with a dazed expression, as if seeking forgiveness. But then, a slap landed on his left cheek. The woman tried to approach Aisha again. Alaric didn't allow it, causing the woman to look up at him.
"She's not worthy, Man! She's worthless! Just a bitch who likes to seduce another women man! Oh, and you're quite good at selling yourself too, getting a guy who's too good for you. Still young. Pathetic, Widow!"
Aisha remained silent, even chuckling. It was Alaric who was ignited with anger. He had heard that Aisha's husband had remarried the woman he impregnated.
"Oh, really? As far as I know, they were husband and wife before you came between them," Alaric retorted sharply.
The laughter of the people around them filled the air. The music was still not too loud. The woman looked at Alaric calculatingly. Aisha raised an eyebrow, surprised by Alaric's know-it-all attitude.
"Baby, please stop. I'm sorry. Please, stop embarrassing ourselves!" pleaded the man with the bottle in his hand.
They fell silent. The roar of applause filled the air as the intro of the song changed to Faithless' hit "God Is A DJ." Everyone's gaze shifted to the stage. Aisha looked at the woman next to her ex-husband now, throwing a provocative smirk. Of course, Alaric was unaware, causing him to step forward once again, blocking the woman who desired to rush towards Aisha.
"Enough!" Alaric said firmly.
His eyes turned to Aisha's ex-husband. With all his might, he spoke as calmly as possible.
"Take care of your whore!" he said, then walked away, pulling Aisha with him.
Alaric led her out of CUE, regardless of whether Aisha agreed or not. Throughout his brisk steps, Alaric couldn't help but curse his heart for accepting the unfamiliar vibrations from Aisha's reciprocating grip.
In truth, Aisha was merely trying to make Alaric slow down. Her thin heels couldn't keep up with him. Indeed, Alaric was torn within himself. It was only when they reached Alaric's car that he lets go of her hand. Alaric turned around and found Aisha standing almost level with him. Her round eyes were fixed on him, a faint smile playing on her lips, causing Alaric's heart to skip a beat for a moment.
"Thank you, Alaric," she said.
Alaric simply nodded, restraining himself from responding with a smile. Yet, his true feelings urged him to smile and gaze at Aisha with his whole heart. He usually didn't hold back like this. Perhaps it was because this was Aisha, a mature woman who could be wild. And she was being pursued by Aymard.
*****