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Once I had downed the water, I dove back into the throng, trying to find them.
What the hell? Where is everyone?
I went back out to the courtyard. It was empty. Deep puddles covered the ground. It must have poured with rain while we were inside.
Could they have left without me? Surely not.
I looked around the bar again, but I still couldn’t find them. Not knowing what else to do, I approached the bartender. “Excuse me. The group of women I came with—did they leave? I was in the bathroom, and I’ve lost them.”
He grimaced. “I’m afraid I saw them leave.”
“How long ago was that?”
“Just a few minutes ago.”
I frowned. “Right. Thank you.”
The night was still young. They must have gone to another bar or club. Without me.
I raced outside, hoping I’d be able to see them somewhere down the street. But no, no sign of them. They could have gone to any of the numerous bars or clubs nearby. There were too many to search. I went back inside with my head hung low.
How could they leave me behind? It was a large group, but still. All eleven of them forgot about me. Even Stacy, who had seemed so friendly, and Marley, who spoke to me not that long before I hid in the bathroom. I tried to convince myself it was an honest mistake, but in the back of my mind, I wondered if Nicole just didn’t care. She had barely said a word to me all evening. Maybe she wanted to lose me on purpose.
I shook the idea out of my head.
That wasn’t the Nicole I knew. Any moment now, she’d realise what she’d done and be mortified. In the meantime, there was still one thing I could do.
I returned to the bathroom to escape the blaring music. With quiet restored, I pulled out my phone to make a call. Nicole might not answer, but it was worth a shot. Standing in front of the mirror, I pressed my phone to my ear. She picked up much quicker than I expected.
But the voice that answered wasn’t Nicole’s.
Chapter Twenty-Three
“Amelia?”
A man’s voice. Deep, silky, British.
My heart jumped into my throat. “N-Neil!”
How had I called him instead of Nicole? Were they next to each other in my contacts?
I must be very drunk indeed.
“Is everything okay?” he asked, a slight hitch in his voice.
“I’ve called you by mistake. I’m trying to reach my friend, Nicole. Ugh. Everything’s gone wrong. Nicole’s gone. Someone groped me. That creepy guy’s still out there. Sorry for disturbing you. Were you asleep?”
“Someone… Christ.”
“He’s out there, and I’m all alone. Nicole went somewhere without me.”
I knew I wasn’t making much sense, but it was difficult just to string a coherent sentence together.
“Are you drunk? You sound drunk. Is that music? Where are you?”
“I am drunk. So drunk.”
“Where are you?”
