Part 7: Strangers
I flatly refused to put on the dress Gia held out to me. It was far too revealing and completely inappropriate for me to wear.
“I don’t want to wear this,” I said honestly, handing the bag of clothes back to her.
Gia snorted in annoyance and glared at me impatiently. “Aster, we don’t have much time left! Damian is already inside waiting with the others.”
My brow furrowed slightly. Damian? Who was this Damian person now? My mind was becoming increasingly crowded with unfamiliar people I didn’t recognize.
“You knew Damian was coming tonight, didn’t you?” Gia pressed, scolding me. “You should have gotten ready at home. Do you know how hard it was to convince Andreas to bring Damian here? You need to make the most of this opportunity to get close to Damian.”
I remained silent, barely paying attention to Gia’s tirade about this Damian person. I decided to go inside without changing into the inappropriate outfit Gia had offered me.
Gia continued berating me in a raised voice, but I didn’t care in the slightest. If the security guards wouldn’t let me in wearing what I had on, I would actually be grateful and immediately choose to go home.
In the end, however, Gia dragged me into the nightclub by the arm, leaving me to walk in wearing a thick jacket, pants, house slippers, and no makeup.
As soon as we passed through the main entrance and entered the bar area, everyone in the dimly lit room immediately turned their attention to me. Their gazes were sharp and piercing, as if they were looking at something bizarre.
“Is that really Aster?”
“Why is she dressed like that?”
“She’s pretty bold, showing up here bare-faced without any makeup.”
“Was she already drunk before she came here?”
I could hear the whispers around me commenting on my appearance perfectly clearly. I looked around, taking in every corner of the bar, which was filled with the deafening pounding of bass-heavy music. But there wasn’t a single face I recognized.
“What now?” I asked, breaking the silence between us. “I’ve come here and shown my face to everyone. I can leave now, right?”
Without waiting for Gia to respond or make any further small talk, I immediately said goodbye, ready to put an end to this madness.
“Aster!”
Suddenly, a girl’s shrill voice called my name from beyond the crowd. I turned and saw a scantily clad girl approaching, a wide smile spreading across her face.
“Come over here! Damian’s over there,” the girl said, pointing toward a corner of the bar. Once again, this girl mentioned the same name.
I turned toward Gia, hoping she would offer me some explanation or clue. Instead, Gia walked away and joined her other friends, completely ignoring my presence.
“Aster, why are you spacing out? Come with me,” the girl urged again, gently pulling my hand.
Who was this woman? I didn’t even know what I was supposed to call her because I didn’t know her name.
I began to feel cornered. In a situation like this, I had no choice but to use my trusty escape tactic before anyone realized I had no idea what was going on.
“Sorry, I need to use the bathroom for a minute,” I said, making up an excuse.
Without waiting for the girl’s permission, I immediately turned around and hurried toward the exit. I rushed through the crowd of dancing people, ignoring the several bodies that bumped against my shoulder.
CRASH!
Because I was walking too fast, I accidentally slammed into the broad chest of a man crossing in front of me. The impact was hard enough to bring me to a stop.
“Sorry,” I said briefly without turning around.
I intended to keep walking and make my escape, but the man’s deep voice suddenly stopped me.
“Aster? Is that you?”
My steps froze instantly. I slowly turned around, then looked up at the face of the man I had just run into. My eyes widened, and my heart seemed to stop beating when I recognized the figure standing before me.
That person... why was he here?