"Happy Birthday, Andy!"
She could hear her friends screaming over the loud music of the bar. She knew they were genuinely happy for her. After all, they had been friends for years.
"Fucking HAPPY BIRTH Freaking DAY, Andy!" She could not stress enough as she chugged down her fifth or was that sixth glass of tequila. She lost count.
But celebrating was the last thing she felt as the alcohol flowed down her throat and traveled into her veins. On the contrary, she only wanted to drown herself in her sorrow.
"I am 21, you Bitches." She shouted at the top of her lungs as she joined her friends at the bar, drinking herself to oblivion.
Yep! Finally, freedom!
Yet, she did not feel like celebrating her birthday. She never did.
Every year, she had to force herself to smile. But in truth, she just wanted to crawl into a corner and cry.
Today might be the day she was born, but it was also the day of the tragic death of her parents and only brother. On her special day, she had become an orphan.
Then, her phone ringing distracted her. "Hey, handsome." She quickly greeted the man on the other line after seeing his name on the screen.
"Hey, Happy Birthday, Beautiful Princess! Sorry, I can't be there." The voice spoke loudly on the speaker.
She barely understood what he said as the noise muffled his words. Furthermore, her head also buzzed with the liquor she already consumed.
Still, she was glad to hear his voice and see his face.
"That's ok, Tristan. I know you are busy at school." Andy told the man on the other line, who acted like a brother to her and treated her like his little Princess.
She was almost the same age as him. He was just a few months older. But he studied abroad in some fancy, private, and expensive school.
She knew he would have come to her party if he was available. "But I will see you on Thanksgiving, right?" She believed he would not miss it as she looked forward to it.
"Of course, I will never miss our tradition," Tristan promised, reminding her of the good times they shared.
"Hey, Violet, take care of my little Princess for me." He shouted over the noise, hoping to catch her other friend's attention.
Tristan had always been protective of her. But that was just him. He was just a natural cuddly, good-humored, and super-friendly person.
"You don't have to worry about Princess Andy. She is in good hands." Violet responded while smiling at Tristan, who could only shake his head.
"Violet, you are more drunk than Andy." Tristan chastised them, acting like he had never done anything like this before.
But in fairness, she had never done anything irresponsible in her entire life, especially when he was not around.
"You are just jealous because we are having fun, and you're not," Violet responded with a loud laugh, clearly teasing her so-called brother.
Suddenly, she missed him. She wished he was with them, drinking with them, getting wasted with her. But sadly, her wishes did not count for much.
She had learned never to expect that it would ever come true.
"Anyway, I have to run," Tristan said on the screen. "But I will try to call..." But the line became blurry as her friends started dancing around her, making her drop her phone on the floor.
By the time she picked it up, the call had ended. She shoved her phone back into her bag and let her friends drag her to the dance floor.
After a few minutes of shaking, jumping, and grinding, Violet, her best friend, pointed at a group of loud men on the other side, apparently partying as well. "Hey! Isn't that Jeremy?"
"Didn't he say he could not make it because he had work?"
Jeremy was one of her brother's friends. She had been in love with him for as long as she could remember. He was her knight in shining armor when he saved her when they were young.
Her boyfriend!
"Maybe those are his workmates." She reasoned, giving him an explanation for being in the club. "He is probably entertaining a client."
She could not believe he would purposely miss her birthday just to party with his friends. No! Jeremy would not do that to her.
"Damn, Andy! I'm sorry." Suddenly, Violet gasped as if she had seen a ghost. "I should have kept my mouth shut." Her friend apologized after seeing that Jeremy was out with a stunning woman.
She could only assume she was a supermodel for her tall height and slim figure. The woman was just exactly Jeremy's type. At least, the usual women he dated before her.
No! She has to trust him. She won't let jealousy ruin them.
She always considered herself beautiful. But she was not as tall or skinny. Furthermore, she lacked the confidence or boldness that most girls her age possessed. Nonetheless, she was intelligent.
"She must be the client." She hoped as she watched her boyfriend from her little corner.
However, Jeremy wrapped his arms around the woman's shoulder while he drank, smiled, laughed, and partied with their group.
That was not how Jeremy should treat a client.
Damn! It just made her day worse as it confirmed her worst nightmare!
It was as if the fucking universe had conspired with fate to make her life more miserable.
"I am sorry, Andy." Her friend looked apologetic, probably pitying her for her pathetic life.
Damn! The asshole just broke her heart.
"No, don't apologize, Violet. It is ok." It was not her friend's fault that she was a fool for falling for the bastard. She should have known better.
He was a known womanizer, but still, her stupid heart believed his lies. She had only herself to blame for getting her heart broken.
Jeremy might have been her brother's friend, but he was nothing like her sweet, loyal, and honest brother.
"But look at that dickhead!" One of her friends joined their conversation. "He is blind."
She could not help but look, catching the love of her life making out with another woman as the two engaged in a passionate embrace.
What a fucking prick!
She hated that he could readily replace her with just anybody. It was as if their relationship did not mean anything to him.
Bullshit, Andy! A year of her life wasted on him.
She hated herself more for still thinking about him. She should move on. She should find someone else who deserves her love.
"You are far gorgeous and sexier than that skank."
Violet voiced her opinion while ordering another round of drinks for everyone. "Don't ever waste your tears on him."
She was glad to have friends like them, but she knew they only said that because they did not want to hurt her feelings. But they were right. She was not going to cry tonight.
"Thank you, guys. But don't worry, I am over him." But that was a terrible lie as she felt her chest tightening with the pain of her heart tearing into pieces.
She was not over him, not even by a bit.
I still love him.
But did he ever love her? Perhaps he never did.
"If it makes any difference, you deserve someone better than him," Violet assured her, acting like a true friend. "Come on, let us drink and just have fun."
She knew she was still a lightweight when it came to alcohol, but today was tragic. Getting the buzz was her only way to forget about this horrible day.
She did not care if she got wasted. She just wanted this night to be over.
"Hey, guys, I have an idea." Then, Lindsey, another of her friends, started whispering something in Violet's ears.
She did not care what it was, knowing it would be another of her friend's ridiculous ideas. She was not interested as she turned away from her friends.
"Oh my! I need to go to the bathroom." She could feel the room spinning around her. More than that, she just wanted to get out of there.
She struggled to stand up and supported herself on anything she could touch. Every step she made felt like a heavy lead weighed her down.
Then, she felt arms supporting her before her knees finally buckled down. She turned to look at her savior. To her delight, it was his face she saw.
"Whoa! I got you, Andy." It was music to her ears to hear his voice again. It was as if, just for once, her wish had come true.
"Jeremy, you're here." She mumbled as she clung to him as if her life depended on him. But truthfully, she just wanted him to tell her she was wrong.
However, her eyes were getting heavier. She could barely pry them open. Soon, she felt like she floated in the air as her feet lost contact with the ground.
"Hmm!" She guessed it was the best birthday gift she had received as she savored his nearness, snuggling closer to his firm, strong, masculine body.
However, before darkness consumed her, she sensed something was off with him. The more she felt his warmth against her skin, the more he became unfamiliar.
For some odd reason, she thought his scent had changed. Had he switched his perfume?
"Don't drink if you can't handle it." She heard his voice, but it sounded angry but confusingly different.
Oddly, it did not sound anything like Jeremy anymore.
Lucas?
What was he doing here?