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Chapter 3 The Guy Named Damon

  • Ady’s POV
  • “Dad, we’re going to sink! What’re we going to do? Dad!”
  • I sat up in bed in shock, sweating and gasping for air. Since the night of the accident, I have repeatedly had that dream. Suddenly, I feel like I’m reliving that night all over again.
  • “It’s just a dream.”
  • “I’ve missed them. I’ve missed you, Mom and Dad...” I whispered as my tears flowed down my cheek.
  • ——
  • Friday night is the big bash! Tonight is going to be my very first party with my friends. I felt awkward in my tight dress. Since I pulled my hair up, my shoulders and neck have been bare. I was dressed, but I didn’t feel comfortable. There were a lot of students there that night, and everyone seemed to have a good time—everyone except me, that is. As an introvert, social gatherings aren’t my thing.
  • Giant sound systems around the auditorium of the party made a lot of noise. Mix music that will get you singing and dancing. There is also an extensive buffet table with many tasty treats and drinks.
  • As Elsa and I walked toward the group, one of my classmates saw me and said, “Ady, you look beautiful tonight.”
  • I gave him a small smile and then turned away from him. A fellow student gave me a glass of wine and made me drink it. Even though I’m not a big fan of wine or other alcoholic beverages, my classmates made me try some bottles they brought in for us to try. At first, the taste was so off-putting that it made me gag, but after two more sips, I liked it. My tongue felt wrapped in a warm blanket of sweet and sour flavors. The wine is very much like a fruit wine. I drank more and more of it because it was just as addicting as soda. It quickly moved to the top of my list of favorite drinks.
  • When I ran out of wine, I quickly left our table to get some more. I made my way over to the extensive buffet table. I promptly looked at everything on the table and thought everything looked good. I grabbed a cupcake and started eating it.
  • I kept saying, “Hmmmm,” and nodded. “To be honest, this tastes good.”
  • I finally got to the end of the long table where the drinks were kept. I poured wine into the wine glasses on the table and tasted each. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find the wine juice that a fellow student had given me earlier. To my disappointment, I just got a glass of juice and walked to the nearest table. I put the juice glass on the table and rubbed my lower thigh while sitting up. Since I rarely wear high heels, it’s hard for me to walk in them.
  • “Great! Now it has blisters!” I said. “I’ve already told Elsa I’ll wear rubber shoes. Damn it. It is going to hurt.”
  • While everyone else was enjoying the party, I was waiting for it to end. Half an hour later, it was midnight, and I wanted to go home. As I gulped down the juice, I felt an icy shiver run up and down my spine. I got the creeps when I thought someone was watching me. I turned to make sure that my uneasy feeling wasn’t just paranoia.
  • I could see a guy wearing casual clothes standing behind the curtains. I didn’t feel comfortable in the dark parts of the auditorium, but his look got to me. The juice I drank went directly up my nose instead of down my throat. My throat and nose felt tickled, and I coughed incessantly. I covered my lips and nose with my free hand.
  • ‘Damn..’
  • “Here, take it.”
  • A handkerchief suddenly appeared before me, and I heard a man’s voice. I looked at the hanky in front of me, up his arm, and finally into his face. When I saw a handsome guy, I felt intense embarrassment all over my body. He offered me a handkerchief, but I didn’t take it, so he pulled up a chair and sat in front of me. He took my hand off of my face, which was covering my nose and mouth, and wiped it. I stopped what the man was doing as quickly as I had just woken up.
  • “Hey, what’re you doing?” I asked as I took the handkerchief from his hands. I could feel the blood rush into my cheeks, ears, and neck. Oh my goodness, this is so embarrassing!
  • “I’m sorry,” he said. “Miss, are you okay?”
  • When I glanced at him, I was both surprised and interested. Something about his voice sounded familiar to me.
  • “Have we met before?” I asked. “I feel like I have heard your voice somewhere.”
  • “Yes, on the train,” he said while looking at me.
  • Thinking about that day on the train has given me a sudden case of nerves. It was one of the most fantastic days of my life.
  • “I am sorry for that day. I was in a hurry, so I couldn’t properly introduce myself,” he said. “Hi, I’m Damon.”
  • As he said, Damon held out his hand to me. I looked at his hand first and then at mine. I quickly dried my hand and sprayed it with alcohol before shaking his hand.
  • “My name’s Adira, but you can call me Ady,” I said. I was slightly surprised by how warm his hand was. It feels like I’m holding a pair of cotton gloves. “Oh, your hand feels warm...” Damon took his hand off of me. “Are you okay? Have you got a fever?
  • “I’m good,” Damon said.
  • “I’ll wash your handkerchief before I give it back to you.” I hurriedly put the handkerchief in my purse.
  • “Did you know there’s a superstition that says handkerchiefs are bad luck because they bring on tears?”
  • “Huh? That is an old belief. Untrue.”
  • “I’m sure it’s true. I’ve seen it a lot, so you should believe it.”
  • I couldn’t believe it when he took his handkerchief out of my bag and put it in the wine glass he was carrying. I just stared at him and said nothing.
  • ‘Wow, he is superstitious.’ I thought.
  • I suddenly noticed that the man was looking at me. Before I could say anything, he reached up and yanked at my ponytail, causing my hair to fall over my shoulders. Damon brushed the stray hairs on my face that were falling into my eyes behind my ear.
  • ‘Geez, what is he doing?’ I thought.
  • Damon said, “You look beautiful with your hair down.”
  • His surprise left me speechless. I couldn’t get the words out of my mouth.
  • “Did I offend you?” he suddenly asked me.
  • “W-what?”
  • He smiled as he got closer to me and then turned to my ear and whispered.
  • “I’m just being honest. You are beautiful when your hair is down.”
  • Shortly afterward, a maintenance worker came with the industrial electric fan and quickly plugged it into the outlet. The wind from the electric fan made my hair fly around, and it hit Damon’s face. My hair was messy, but I quickly fixed it and apologized to Damon.
  • “Damon, sorry, I didn’t mean to...”
  • But then Damon rushed out in front of me. I’m unsure if he was upset with me because he left so quickly.
  • ‘What did I do?’