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Sitting at the bar, I stare straight ahead, my eyes scanning the bottles lining the shelves. Luca is sitting beside me, but he's lost in conversation with Alanna. I haven't seen Aria since we got our medals earlier. When I finally made my way back to the hotel to shower and change, she had already been there and left before I arrived. That was hours ago now. I ended up getting dinner with a few of our teammates and then we wandered into a pub down the street. I have only had a total of two drinks all night and the one in my hand has watered down from the ice that melted in it about an hour ago.
Pulling my wallet from my pocket, I take out some cash and leave it on the bar as I begin to rise from my seat. I leave the glass with the watered-down liquor and turn to face Luca. He glances over at me, a little perplexed.
"I think I'm going to head back," I tell him as I fake a yawn. Our flight home isn't until early in the afternoon tomorrow, but I still haven't packed any of my things yet. My body was tired from the toll of the stress this morning. It's only nine o'clock at night and my mind is still running rampant. I don't want to drink the thoughts away. There's only one person I feel like entertaining, but she's not here.
And finding her isn't an option.
Luca nods and smiles at me. "Sounds good, man. See you tomorrow."
"Good night, Leo," Alanna says with a matching smile, her face relaxed from the alcohol in her system. I think everyone felt like they could finally breathe after the competition, but as soon as we get back home, we're going to be thrown right back into the cycle.
I leave the two of them in the pub and walk out onto the sidewalk. There's a steady stream of people trickling along the storefronts. I walk past couples and groups of people, tuning out their conversations as I focus on their faces instead. I can't help myself as I scan the crowd, my eyes searching every person's face, hoping that it ends up colliding with her gaze.
She's everywhere I look, yet she isn't here at all.
My chest feels heavy, like there's a vine snaking around my rib cage before it begins to constrict, wrapping tightly around me. In a way, it feels like I can't breathe, even though my body is having no trouble drawing oxygen from the air. The glass doors of the hotel slide open and I step inside. As I walk into the lobby, it's relatively empty, but there's a lot of noise coming from the bar tucked away in the left corner. I let my gaze drift over there as I begin to make my way in that direction.
There's a group of people crowded around the bar and a handful of other patrons throughout the small space, some occupying tables and some standing and talking. I look at the group by the bar and as soon as I see her black hair, I can't help but inhale deeply.
It feels like I can breathe.
Aria smiles brightly, laughter spilling from her lips. She doesn't see me, so I move closer but keep enough distance to not be noticed. She's wearing a pair of black flared leggings and a dark gray sweater that hangs off her left shoulder. Her midnight hair is pulled back in a high ponytail and the locks are wavy and long, hanging down her back. I stop by a high-top table and lean against it, finally looking at the entire group of people. And then I see who Aria is smiling at… and it's not one of the girls from our team that she disappeared with earlier. It's some guy that I've never seen before.
My blood instantly boils, but I don't intervene. Aria is allowed to make her own decisions. I didn't stake my claim. Hell, I don't even like her like that. I don't give a shit what she does or who she does it with. My jaw tightens as I watch him hand her a shot. She raises it in the air and taps it against his before she lifts it to her lips. As she tips her head, the ends of her hair dance across her back. Her throat moves in a delicate motion as she swallows the liquid.
Flames of irritation lick at my veins. Abandoning the table I'm standing at, I stride over to the bar, positioning myself a few seats away from Aria. She still doesn't notice me and I order a drink. I wasn't planning on getting drunk, but fuck. The bartender pours me a shot of bourbon and I down it in one gulp, not bothering to savor how the expensive liquor tastes. I can hear the sound of Aria's voice drifting past the two people separating us.
I hear her laughter as I down another shot. I hang on to the sound of it, analyzing it. She sounds happy, she looks happy, but there's something off in the way she's laughing. It's a little more high pitched than normal. It's something most people wouldn't notice. There's a hint of nervousness laced within the sound.
"Don't do that," she says to the guy in front of her, although I didn't see what he did or if he said anything to her first. I turn my head to the side, leaning back in my seat as I watch the interaction between the two of them. Aria's back is now to the bar and it looks like she's trying to step away from him as he closes in on her. "Stop. I already told you no."
Instantly I'm on my feet, closing the distance between us. Aria and her friend don't see me coming as I reach for him. My hands land on his shoulders and my fingers dig into his flesh as I haul him away from her. Aria's eyes are wide as they meet mine and her jaw falls open.
"What the fu—" the guy starts to say as I spin him around to face me. I cut him off before he can get the last word out as I move my hands to grip the front of his shirt.
I shake my head at him as my free hand curls into a fist. She told him no and he couldn't respect her. What if I wasn't here to stop him? This man is a total stranger. Who knows what he would have done with her or to her that she didn't consent to. "You should have listened to her when she told you to stop."
His mouth falls open to argue, but I silence him before he even gets the chance to speak a single word. I pull my arm back before driving my knuckles directly into the side of his jaw. His head whips to the right and the sound alone has everyone looking at us. Aria gasps loudly and the guy stumbles backward when I release the front of his shirt and shove him with my other hand.
His hands fly up to cover his face as blood begins to drip from his lips. His eyes are wild as he turns his head to the side and looks at me. My chest heaves, rising and falling with every shallow breath I take as my heart runs wild from the adrenaline. The guy drops his hands, forming his own fists before he comes charging at me. I try to duck out of the way, but he collides into me. I regain my footing, grabbing onto him just as his fist connects with my mouth. Pain erupts in my face and I instantly taste blood on my tongue.
"You should have minded your own fucking business," the guy barks at me as he tries to throw another punch but he isn't quick enough. I block him with my forearm before driving my other fist into the side of his ribs. The air leaves his lungs in a rush and he coughs as he goes to lean forward.
I'm not even thinking as I grab him, hauling him back up before punching him in the face again. "She is my fucking business."
He lifts his hands to shield his face and he still can't catch his breath after I knocked the wind from his lungs. I don't register her hands at first, but her voice is what breaks through the blind rage I'm in.
"Leo, stop."
I release the guy, giving him a shove for good measure as he stumbles back into the bar again. He falls forward, struggling to catch his breath. Ignoring him, since I know he can't do anything to me now, I turn around to face Aria. Worry is written across her facial expression and she stares up at me with her eyes damp. Her gaze falls down to my mouth and back to my eyes. My lip is cut open and blood is smeared across my chin. My breathing is erratic and my heart is thrumming away in my chest.
"We should probably go," she says quietly, not bothering to look at anyone around us as she pulls me toward her. Her hand finds mine and her fingers lace with my own as she leads me away. "Come with me."
She doesn't have to say anything more than that.
Her movements are quick as she pulls me out of the bar. No one follows after us and we walk in silence over to the elevator before getting inside. Aria scans her key card and pushes the button for our floor as the doors shut. I don't know if I'll end up getting in trouble for what happened, but hopefully not. Losing my shit on a stranger in a public place doesn't exactly look good for me. I stare straight ahead at the doors, still trying to calm myself down from the thought of that man doing something to Aria that she didn't want.
My mind barely registers when the elevator dings and the doors slide open. Aria's hand is soft against mine and she pulls me with her out into the hall. We're halfway to our room when I pull her to a stop. She spins around to face me, her eyes desperately searching mine.
