Chapter Six

Jordan hasn't heard from me in a week, and he hasn't replied to my messages at all.

I didn't think about continuing to do it, and chose to continue with my life as it should be. I already understood that he was a busy person, and sometimes the cities he visited didn't have a signal.

I try to understand that, I also have no right to interfere in his business. I can only pray that he's always protected while doing the noble thing to help the underprivileged. Something that sticks out in my heart is an envy when I see people with their partners, doing normal things and looking happy. I wanted to feel that too, but I realized it was an unreasonable thing to think about.

I mean, everyone has their life and happiness. I don't have to envy them, because what God has given me is more than enough. So I stopped complaining and refocused on my work.

Jordan would be back, and he had promised to introduce me to his family. He had serious intentions towards me, even though he never touched me. But, how bad can it be? Sex is not an important thing to think about and is not a guarantee that our relationship will continue well.

And, I should stop thinking about unimportant things.

"Has Jordan contacted you?" Gabriella's question made me purse my lips in annoyance.

I shook my head, "Not yet."

"And you look normal."

"He's busy, Ella." I replied, shutting down my laptop and closing it. I glanced at Gabriella who was now walking towards me and then sat on the sofa beside me. "You know what his job." I continued.

Gabriella rolled her eyes. "But, it doesn't make sense for someone who's serious about you." There was a pause, she leaned towards me. "It's possible he did that to cover himself up."

"He's not like what you think, Ella." I replied with an annoyed snort that I tried to hide. I don't know what makes Gabriella always think badly about Jordan. Although I don't know what Jordan is doing behind my back, but I'm sure Jordan isn't as bad as Gabriella thought.

"And he's not like what you think, Amanda." Gabriella replied while shrugging her shoulders. "We both don't know what he's doing."

I sighed, "That's fine then. Don't talk bad about him. If he does something bad behind my back, then he will get the consequences."

Gabriella was silent for a moment, and then withdrew her crooked smile, and tossed the popcorn into her mouth. "You're too positive, Amanda." She said as she chewed.

I shrugged, not saying anything to her. I took three popcorns from the bowl, and watched Breaking Bad playing on the flat screen in front of us.

"Do you have an event tomorrow?"

I shook my head.

"Shall we have some fun tonight?"

I stopped chewing.

"Instead of brooding, and wasting your tears tonight, we'd better go have some fun. Rock yourself into a stupor. Maybe meet some better guy than Jordan." She said with a cheerful smile. "

"Hey." I shouted.

She laughed. "So?"

I pondered for a moment and then nodded.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________

I don't like parties and clubs. Whatever that is.

A crowded room with alcohol, the smell of cigarettes and crowded people is my nightmare. Two years ago I gave up my virginity under the influence of alcohol after a party my family threw in Seattle.

I'm not traumatized, I just often feel scared. To me those are two different things. If traumatized I wouldn't be here and chose to stay away from Gabriella. I'm just afraid of myself being careless by lowering my guard, and then ending up being wasted and ending up in bed completely naked.

I don't want what happened two years ago to happen again. It was a nightmare.

After all, I wanted to sleep of my own accord, with my conscious self and with the man I wanted. That's why until now I've never been drunk or in an unnatural state while accompanying Gabriella to have fun at the club.

Luckily, she didn't ask me why I didn't want to drink alcohol in a crowded place. She seemed understanding without being curious and was always trying to take care of me while we were here.

"I'm going to Jack first. Are you okay with me leaving?"

I nodded my head with a cheerful smile. "Enjoy your time."

She smiled, and then left me alone on the bar stool. Drinking apple juice, my favourite, and gazing at the people dancing wildly on the dance floor.

"Amanda?"

I turned to the direction of the voice calling my name. A man with blond hair and brown eyes approached me. He was wearing a polo shirt and holding a red plastic cup in his hand, and he smiled at me.

"Who are you?" I squinted. At first glance, he looked familiar in my head.

"Jimmy. We're in the same major."

"Oh yeah." I honestly don't remember seeing him before, because there were about a hundred students in the class, so I never really noticed the faces of the people. After all, that was five years ago and I wasn't one to care so much that I had to greet them.

"Are you alone?"

"I'm with my friend."

"Ah Gabriella. I didn't expect you two to be so close."

"We're still in the same apartment."

"Oh I see."

I nodded, moving in discomfort, for his gaze had already dropped to my chest a dozen times in the five seconds we spoke. Even though I only wore a regular t-shirt, pants and a green denim jacket. What's so sexy about this?

Jimmy paused as if he was trying to think of something else to say. I can't think of anything either because I suck at small talk. If he was someone I was interested in, I'd ask about how his college life was, or if he had a job, or what kind of music he liked, but the only thing I cared about was keeping my walls from losing my mind.

On the other hand, the fact that I felt that way made me feel like a loser.

"Ah this is so awkward. I'm sorry, I'm really not good at this." I said in a low tone.

Jimmy paused for a moment with a 'what-did-you-just-said' face and then chuckled, "As I always guessed."

"What's your guess?"

"You're an adorable shy girl." Jimmy answered closer and sat on the stool where Gabriella had been before.

"Oh, I'm not." I chuckled awkwardly. Really feel like this is getting worse because, I, didn't expect him to sit here and talk to me.

"You're like that, and you're charming in a different way,"

I turned my head to look at his face with a smile that gave me goosebumps.

"In your own way."

O—okay. I just blinked, and then chuckled awkwardly realizing that the current situation was getting more and more uncomfortable for me. Shit. What should I do? Excuse me for the toilet? It's too readable. Approaching Gabriella and Jack? I can not interfere with their intimate event.

"Then what are you doing now?" Jimmy asked.

I'm sure if this guy notices my discomfort, then I'll answer. I had to force myself to open up a bit with strangers in a place like this or I'd really be cursing myself for making other people uncomfortable, and feeling unwanted.

"I became secretary for the Director of Project Management at an IT company."

"Whoa." His expression radiated praise and admiration.

I chuckled, and took a sip of the liquid in my glass.

"You're amazing."

"Maybe I just got lucky."

Jimmy laughed. "Maybe in your previous life you were so kind that God loved you so much and gave you a lot of grace."

I don't know what good things I did in the past that God bestowed grace on my life. But, he's right. I'm so grateful because, as long as I'm alive, I've really been given a lot of luck.

I was born in the Dimitriou family, one of the richest families in the world who comes from Canada and is of Greek descent, Raphaello (Rafael) Alexander Dimitriou, my father is the largest oil businessman in the world and my mother, Aubrey Cammalia Jauris, the owner of a company engaged in Photography.

My two grandparents from both sides of my parents are also not ordinary people. That, which makes me grateful because I've always been in a life of abundance and excess. I really really appreciate that.

I just laughed at Jimmy's words.

Then, I asked him what his current job and activity was. He turned out to be a stock broker. A job that crossed his former major, which was the same as mine, because we were in the same department and I ended up as a secretary. Then, we started chatting casually about the lecturers, our college life, and our classmates.

See how easy this is? I should have fought my own irrational fear.

The three flashy men who had just entered the club made me cut off my words, and we turned simultaneously to the source of everyone's interest in the club.

And...

If my eyes were made of plastic, I'm sure they would have fallen off. Because—right now—what I saw in one of the three people was a man I recognized. The bastard who two weeks ago stopped me at the cafe.

Yes, that's him.

The same asshole who took my virginity two years ago.

I didn't expect to see him tonight, and I looked down so he wouldn't see me. Maybe if I concentrate hard enough, I'll be a chameleon at the table, and he won't know that I'm here.

Luckily, he didn't notice my presence. He stopped to talk to a few men, then walked towards the bar on the other side of the room, where he was immediately swarmed by half a dozen women who were batting their eyelashes and thrusting their breasts to get his attention.

Beside me, Jimmy rolled his eyes. "An attention seeker. He's not as good looking, you know that?"

I looked at Jimmy, shaking my head. "I didn't know that. Who was he?" I asked curiously. I, too, wanted to know who that man really was. The million dollar check he left two years ago already showed that he was no ordinary person.

"All I hear is he's an influential person in New York,"

I raised an eyebrow, meaning my guess was right. He is not an ordinary person, he can even become an influential person in New York.

"He's also the owner of this club, and the two people who came with him were his friends, who I'm guessing aren't ordinary either."

I raised an eyebrow, even more surprised. "He owns this club? Are you serious?"

"Of course."

I cleared my throat, suppressing the discomfort and disbelief that welled up inside of me. So I've been having fun in that guy's lair all this time? I have to get out of here.

"So...do you want to dance?"

"I don't .." the ringing of the phone in my small purse made me cut off my words. I grimaced, and excused myself to go to the balcony to pick up the call, Jimmy replied with a nod and a smile that didn't reach his eyes. I guess he was disappointed.

Jordan.

It turned out to be Jordan, I swiped the green icon and held my phone to my ear while I walked towards the end of the door leading to the balcony.

"Amanda?" Jordan asked over there.

I stood on the balcony railing, and sighed. "I'm here." I replied.

I should have been happy to see that Jordan called me after he didn't or replied to my messages. But I don't feel anything. The fun was sucked in by worrying about that bastard who would find me here if I didn't leave soon.

"Where are you?"

"Club."

"What are you doing?" his voice was harsh. Maybe he was mad or maybe he wasn't, because Jordan never looked like that to me when I was having fun at the club.

"Have fun, Jordan. What are you calling me for?"

"So i can't I call my girlfriend?"

"After a week without news of never calling and replying to my messages?"

He was sighing, "Oh my God, Amanda. I'm sorry."

"You've done it many times, Jord. Now, what's the matter?"

"Are you angry?"

"No, I totally understand how your job is, Jord." I replied, but I felt that it was completely different from the way I put it.

"Listen, Amanda..."

"We'll talk later. I have to get out of here soon." I cut it offo, and hang up the call.

I grunted harshly. I'm starting to want to get out of here fast before he finds me. However, a voice stopped my movement.

"Fighting with your boyfriend, huh?"

I froze. Turned around slowly and was surprised to find a man in a boomber jacket casually leaning in the doorway with a smile.

"Sorry. I was eavesdropping. Sounds really bad, do you want to have fun with me to forget it?"