“Hey, watch your eyes; they might fall out,” Cliff softly said to Dalaja.
“Cliff!” Dalaja replied irritably.
“Arlo, are you just going to sit there? Aren’t you going to dance with your girlfriend?” Dalaja asked. Arlo looked at me.
“You know I don’t dance,” he replied to Dalaja.
“Oops, sorry, I forgot you don’t dance.”
“Dalaja, leave him alone,” Cliff scolded Dalaja, who seemed drunk.
“Did I say something wrong?”
Cliff stood up and invited Dalaja to dance on the dance floor instead. Arlo’s phone rang a moment later, and he excused himself to answer it.
“I’ll be back,” he said.
I was about to get up to go to the ladies’ room when a man approached me. He smiled.
“Are you here with someone?” the man asked.
“Yes, my boyfriend, but he’s outside on a call,” I replied.
“Sorry, I thought you weren’t with anyone because someone wanted to meet you,” he said, pointing to a man seated at another table.
“I’m sorry, sir, but I don’t entertain other men,” I said before excusing myself. He didn’t insist.
“Lily!” Cliff called out my name.
I stopped walking and turned to him.
“Where are you going?”
“To the ladies’ room,” I replied.
“Who approached you?” Cliff asked.
“I don’t know him. He said someone wanted to meet me,” I answered, nodding toward the man’s table with my eyes.
“OMG! Are you serious?” Cliff exclaimed, his eyes widening.
“Why do you seem like you don’t believe me?” I asked, feeling that Cliff was already acting too familiar with me.
“Don’t you know who that man is? What planet are you living on, girl? He’s a multi-billionaire. Many women are dying to get his attention, but he doesn’t even notice them. You’re the first one he’s shown interest in. Even Dalaja did everything but couldn’t catch his attention,” Cliff explained.
“Not everyone knows him, and besides, I have a boyfriend,” I replied.
When I glanced at the man’s table, I saw that he was looking at me. Among all the beautiful women in the bar, why was he interested in me?
“Good girl, Lily. But Darren can’t seem to take his eyes off you. Maybe Cupid hit him hard,” Cliff said.
I excused myself from Cliff, but he accompanied me to point out the ladies’ room. After a short while, I left the restroom. Cliff and I returned to our seats. Arlo’s friends were drinking and laughing at another table.
“Where’s Dalaja?” Cliff asked.
Cliff stood up to look for his friend. I checked the time on my small wristwatch—it was almost 11 PM. Arlo hadn’t returned yet; his call was taking a long time. I decided to check on him outside.
When I stepped out, I felt lighter, as if the noise inside the bar had vanished.
“Have you seen Arlo?” I asked the bouncer.
“Ma’am, he’s inside his car,” the bouncer replied.
I quickly headed to Arlo’s car. The parking lot was dimly lit, with blue and red lights illuminating it. When I reached Arlo’s car, my eyes caught sight of him kissing a woman beside it. I couldn’t see the woman’s face because her back was turned.
I could hear the woman moaning. It felt like a sharp needle pierced my chest. It hurt to see Arlo kissing another woman, even though I knew I had no right to feel this way. My knees grew weak, and I returned to the bar.
“When I came back to my seat, you weren’t there. Where did you go?” Cliff asked.
“I just answered a call outside. Have you seen Dalaja?” I asked.
“No, maybe she went home. That girl has his own thing,” Cliff replied.
I nodded.
“Me too. I feel like going home. I’m just waiting for Arlo to take me.”
“Don’t you want to drink?” Cliff asked. He kept insisting until I gave in.
“Fine, just one shot,” I said.
“I’m sure you’ll enjoy it. If you have problems, you’ll forget them for sure,” he said, quickly ordering the drink.
After a while, I had several drinks. My vision began to blur, and I felt like the room was spinning. It was as if I was floating on the sea, losing myself. Suddenly, someone grabbed my hand.
“What? Let me have fun and dance!” I shouted.
“Lily, we’re going home.”
“Who are you? What do you want from me? Leave me alone! I just want to have fun, even for a moment, because I might not get to do this again!” I shouted until someone carried me.
