THREE

"You, my dear friend, need to step out of this house," Magnus said to Starr.

Magnus was the only person Starr sometimes spent time with or talked to about personal or mundane things. Magnus had been there with her through thick and thin, through unexpected hits and decisions. He was the only one who was there when she made her vow. It seemed like he was the only one who understood and got her. He knew when to leave her alone, bug her, tell her the truth, and mince his words. So, she hardly had any issues with him and often enjoyed his company.

"No, thank you," she told him shortly, switching between TV stations. She had been doing that for quite some time; she couldn't decide what she wanted to watch, and nothing seemed to interest her.

Magnus sighed, throwing his hands up. "You are such a huge buzzkill; you kill your own fire," he complained, earning no reply from Starr as she kept on switching from station to station.

It was a Friday night, the perfect time to go out with friends and have extreme fun. Get wasted and forget about your sorrows, but Starr would rather wallow in them, and Magnus wasn't having it at all.

"Really, Starr? Seriously?" he asked her with a frown, getting up from the couch.

Starr's face was still stone cold and plain, holding no emotion as she kept on switching from station to station.

"Not today, woman," Magnus let out after a sigh, grabbing Starr's hand and pulling her up. "Not to-fucking-day."

"What the hell, Magnus?" Starr shouted, trying to pull her arm from his grip, but he really wasn't having it with her. "Magnus, stop this madness," she tried to sound commanding, still trying to pull herself from his grip, which she was failing awfully at.

Magnus shook his head. "Today, we go out. Today, I don't sit and mope with you."

Starr groaned. "Do leave me, Magnus."

It was then his time to ignore her, pulling her to her room. He pushed her to her bed, walking into her closet to pick an outfit. It didn't take him long before he threw her a slim-strapped red mini gown with exposed sides, with only straps covering them. "Oh my gawd, No. Way too much skin," Starr protested, finally seeing a perfect opportunity to run.

Magnus' expression changed from friendly to serious as he said, "On. Now."

Starr groaned, mumbling things to herself as she pulled off the oversized black t-shirt she was putting on and slipped on the gown he had passed to her. She stood in front of her mirror, examining her look and curves as she said, "This is way too much skin. I'll be passing a message I don't want to be passing out," she complained to Magnus as she slumped her shoulders, tucking her butt in.

"All I see is perfection," Magnus replied to her, blowing her a kiss. "So perfect. Now, let's move." He grabbed a black shoe from her shoe rack, throwing it to where her leg was. "I'll be waiting downstairs." With that, he walked out of the room.

Starr could honestly not tell why she was answering Magnus and getting dressed, but she was. She was a little bit also tired of staying indoors. Going to work and then back in. It was tiring, but she had shut out everyone who was going to invite her to outings or meetings, leaving her to herself.

She sighed, then put on her shoes. She grabbed a black purse from her bag rack, pulled out the chain and quickly went to join Magnus downstairs. "How are we going to get a ride by this time of the night?"

"Came with my car," Magnus informed her as she gathered the things she needed and slipped them into her purse. "I wonder why you just wouldn't get a car. It is so much easier."

Starr shook her head. "Not true. It is stressful, and I already have a lot on my shoulders," she replied to him as she opened the door and they both got out of the house, then locked it and made their way to where Magnus had parked in front of the apartment.

"No, they are, as a matter of fact, very and highly comfortable. Moments like this, you can never be stranded and would always have a ride."

Starr shrugged. "I almost never go out, so."

Magnus sighed. "Yeah, whatever."

He got into the car; she followed suit and got into the passenger seat. She didn't waste any time switching on his radio, smiling as nineties soul music started playing from it; immediately, Magnus turned on the car. She rested her head and then shut her eyes, letting the music flow. "You seem to be enjoying a car, for someone who finds it stressful," Magnus said to her with a smirk, making her chuckle.

"Oh, please, Magnus, don't ruin my peace." She smiled, causing him to smile as he let her be and drove.

They arrived at their destination in no time at all. It was a club; Starr wondered why she thought it was going to be someplace else. "Fun!" Magnus shouted as he got out of the car, stretching his hand up. Starr couldn't help smiling at his reaction, getting out of the car as she pulled her gown down and smoothed it. "Come, let's go," Magnus said to her, stretching his right hand to her. It was like he didn't want to leave her, so she didn't run back.

She smiled as she took his hands. "I can walk myself, you know?"

He shrugged. "I want your warmth."

She chuckled, taking his hands as they both walked hand in hand into the club. The bouncer knew Magnus, which gave them an express entry.

The club was booming with both music and people. The dance floor was crowded. Starr was really glad when Magnus didn't try to pull her to or through it, but led her through a staircase to the VIP (Very Important Person) lounge, easily passing through the guards there. Starr smiled. "How often do you come here?" she asked him with a smile.

He smiled widely before he replied, "We're going to sleep here." Starr laughed. "What would you like?" Magnus asked her as he pushed her a bit, so she was seated on a wine chair. It felt really comfy; Starr couldn't help relaxing into it.

"Cosmopolitan."

"Alright, be right back."  With that, he walked away.

Starr didn't sit for long before she heard someone say, "Fancy seeing you here." Which made her look up.

Starr was shocked. Her eyes widened before they relaxed; then she rolled them.

It was Chris Chariton.