Chapter 1 - Emily

I stretched before I blinked my eyes open, wincing slightly as I felt an intense headache. Placing my hand on my head, I sat up... Or at least, tried to.

I was being held in a tight grip. A warm, tight grip.

As I tried to focus my eyes on my surroundings, my eyes gradually adjusted. And then I turned to look beside me.

That was when I froze, realizing what I was looking at. A man.

A naked man.

"Holy shit," I whispered.

I heard a groan and a murmur.

It belonged to the chiseled and smooth features of a very handsome man. He had a birthmark by his neck and a tattoo of a moon by his chest. His eyes were closed and I heard soft snoring coming from him, his pink lips slightly open.

I looked beneath the sheets and finally accepted that I was as naked as I'd thought. And so was he.

I didn't know what to think. I'd slept with a man.

I tried to remember what happened last night, but it just made my head hurt.

I couldn't see what exactly he looked like, but I knew I wouldn't know him even if his eyes were open.

It was probably better this way.

I took in a few deep breaths before I slowly and gently removed his grip from my waist, flinching at every slight movement he made.

I was finally able to get out of the bed and hurriedly dressed back in my last night clothes, not bothering to smell it. I just wanted to go home.

I grabbed my purse, not bothering to look back at the guy in bed and creeped out.

Hopefully, we wouldn't meet again.

When I unlocked the door to my dorm, I was met with the wide eyes of my roommate.

"Where the hell have you been?!" Ava yelled as I closed the door behind me. "I called you all through last night. I was literally about to call a police report but I thought it best to calm down, because I could be overreacting."

My cheeks turned red and my heart rate intensified when I remembered where I was last night. "What?" Ava gave me a suspicious look.

I shook my head, raising my hands up in surrender. "I don't know! I just... I just woke up in a random room and so I left!" I continued. "And I only just got my phone... I think it was on airplane mode."

I was a bit hesitant to tell her about the man I woke up in bed with.

Ava gasped, her expression worried as she grabbed my hands tightly. "Okay. Wow. I'm so sorry, Emily." She sighed. "Maybe taking you to a party was a bad idea."

I waved her off. "It's fine. I'm safe and that's all that matters." I wanted to walk towards my room, but then I stopped. "Do you... remember what happened last night?"

"You... don't?" Ava asked, a frown on her face. My heart dropped. "Was it that bad?"

Ava shook her head. "You got drunk just like everyone else. And then you passed out... I think." She scratched her head. "I was just about to get you back to our room when you disappeared.

The only reason I left was because Ethan said he saw you, and that you were safe." It was my turn to frown. "Who's Ethan?"

"Ethan Morgan," she stated. Then groaned when my confused state remained. "I'll tell you later. You're still pretty new to our world, so I'll forgive you."

And that was how the conversation ended. With me trying to remember what happened last night and failing while getting ready for class.

Walking to class after a night of being drunk wasn't an easy feat. I was lucky Ava had some hangover pills in wait. She apologized again, but I waved it off.

It really wasn't her fault.

I was the one who let myself be peer pressured into going to a party. I wouldn't do it again.

We went right to class, and I momentarily pushed it all to the back of my head.

I was supposed to be panicking, but I'd already done that hours ago. Might as well accept it.

However, I wasn't able to "just accept it" when we were done with class and went to the cafeteria for some food.

Because I met him.

He walked in surrounded by girls and boys, his eyes a dark blue that pulled me. The noise faded into the background of my ears.

This was someone important.

"Who's he?" I blurted, really wanting to be wrong.

Ava gave me a look of incredulity before answering over the noise. "Julian Blackwell! The hottest! Richest! He's very popular in the media too." She let out a wistful sigh.

It was his face. His body...

I didn't expect to meet him again.

"Did he go to the party last night?" I asked in her ear, still in denial.

She nodded, not bothering to look at me. "You didn't see him because you were hammered."

I thought it was my eyes deceiving me, that there was no way that guy was really looking at me like I'd thought.

But he turned his head again, and met my eyes head-on, leaving no room for me to hide. His eyes remained on me till he passed.

My throat got stuck and I couldn't breathe.

"Did he just... look at you?" Ava gasped, looking over at me, then at his back. "Or am I seeing things?'

I shook my head in denial, my cheeks pink. "No, I don't think he did. What are you saying? Didn't you just say he was rich? I don't know him from anywhere!"

Ava gave me a suspicious once-over, her expression contemplative before shrugging and grabbing my arm.

"You're right," she said, leading me to our next class. "Why would Julian Blackwell be staring at you anyway? You're not exactly..." she trailed off giving me a comforting smile. "You're not in his league."

I smiled, nodding. I didn't care that I wasn't in his league, I cared that she believed me. "Yeah, you're right."

But why did I wake up in the same bed as him?

I was still thinking about it, but I knew I couldn't walk up to the guy and ask him that. It was too embarrassing. He probably didn't even remember me.

Walking through the crowd of students and the rowdiness, I tried to get him out of my head, deciding to focus on my next class.

It was a one-time thing and he probably didn't care. It didn't matter anymore. I ended up being so wrong hours later.

***

It was nighttime, and Ava bounced into my room, a huge grin plastered on her face. "Hey! I was thinking that we should go out. You know, to unwind?" She flopped onto my bed, her eyes sparkling with excitement.

"We just had a party though..." I trailed off, not liking the thought of being in a situation when I'd get drunk again.

I still hadn't gotten over the last party.

"Oh, come on!" Ava insisted, grabbing my arm. "You don't need to worry. We're not drinking, just some dancing. Just a night out."

Ava was so nice. We'd just met and she was trying to bring me out of my shell... should I really be so resistant? She was pretty, rich and powerful and I just …

I was feeling a sense of dread wash over me. "A night out?" I repeated, trying to sound casual. "What did you have in mind?"

Ava's grin only grew wider. "I was thinking we could hit up that new bar downtown. It's very popular. I heard all the hotties go there," She wiggled her eyebrows, clearly trying to entice me.

My stomach twisted into knots. I didn't want to go to a bar, especially not one filled with rich kids, I already went to class with them.

But Ava looked so hopeful, and I didn't want to disappoint her. "I don't know, Ava. I'm not really up for a big crowd tonight."

Ava's face fell, and I immediately felt guilty. "Come on, Emily! It'll be fun, I promise! I'll be right there with you the whole time. We can just hang out, and enjoy the music. You don't have to drink!"

I hesitated, feeling the weight of Ava's enthusiasm. "Okay, fine," I said finally, trying to sound convincing.

Ava let out a whoop of excitement and threw her arms around me. "Yes! I knew you'd come through! We'll have the best time, I promise!"

The bar was everything I had feared.

The music was loud, and the crowd was rowdy, with people laughing and shouting over the music. Ava dragged me to the bar, ordering a drink for herself, and just sparkling water for me.

As I looked around, I felt a growing sense of anxiety. Everyone seemed to be having so much fun, laughing and chatting with ease. I, on the other hand, felt like an outsider, watching from the sidelines. I glanced at Ava, who wasn't by my side, chatting with a group of friends, and felt a pang of loneliness.

I really shouldn't have come.

Just as I was contemplating leaving, a guy approached me, a sleazy grin spreading across his face. "Hey, gorgeous. Mind if I join you?"

I turned to him, trying to be polite but firm. "I'm just here with my... friend," I said, gesturing to Ava, who was still engrossed in conversation.

He didn't take the hint. "Oh, come on. You're not having any fun. Let me buy you a drink."

My discomfort grew as the guy continued to chat, ignoring my lack of interest. Finally, I'd had enough, and I had a burst of confidence. "I'm really not interested," I repeated. "Leave me alone."

The guy's expression suddenly darkened, and he sneered at me. "Then why the fuck are you here?" he spat, before turning and stalking off. "Bitches piss me off," he muttered.

I felt a surge of relief that he didn't use violence, but it was quickly replaced by sadness.

I realized that Ava was nowhere to be found, and I was alone in the crowded bar. I decided I'd had enough and made my way to the balcony, hoping to find some fresh air and a moment of peace.

The balcony was dark and empty, thankfully, and I stepped out into the cool night air, feeling a sense of relief wash over me. I walked to the railing, looking out over the city, and let out a deep breath.

I closed my eyes, letting the music and noise from inside fade into the background.

That was when I heard the sound of footsteps behind me. I turned, my eyes meeting... Julian's.

He stood a few feet away, a cold expression on his face. His eyes roamed over me, taking in every detail, and I felt a shiver run down my spine.

I tried to step back, but my feet seemed rooted to the spot. Julian's eyes locked onto mine, and he took a step closer.

Before I could react, Julian reached out and grabbed my arm, pulling me towards him. My eyes widened as I stumbled forward, my heart racing with anticipation and fear. Julian's grip was firm, but not painful, and he brought me face-to-face with him.

And then, he just looked at me, his expression unreadable. My heart was pounding in my chest, and I felt like I was drowning in the depths of his eyes.

He reached out to cup my cheek.

He still wasn't saying anything, and I panicked, spluttering, "You... L- Last night we-"

"Fucked," he interrupted, his expression unchanged. He leaned forward, his breath brushing against my skin. "I hope you don't mind doing it again."

I stuttered. "I- I-"

He leaned forward and took my mouth in his, freezing me in place, blood rushing through my head.