Chapter 3 The Guy Named Damon

Ady POV

"Dad, we're sinking! What are we going to do? Dad!"

I sat up on the bed in shock, sweating and gasping for air. Since that night of the accident, that dream has been visiting me. It's like the events of that night are coming back to me.

'Just a dream.'

"I missed them. I missed you, Mom and Dad..." I whispered.

——

Friday night is the big bash! Tonight is going to be my very first party with friends. My short dress made me feel out of the way. Both my shoulders and neck are bare since my hair is pulled up. Even though I was dressed, I felt not at ease. There were a lot of students there that night, and everyone seemed to be having a good time—everyone but me, that is. Being an introvert, social gatherings aren't my thing.

There was a lot of noise from the enormous sound systems around the party's auditorium. Mix music that will get you singing and swaying. In addition, there is an extensive buffet table stocked with tasty treats and refreshing beverages.

As Elsa and I walked toward the group, one of my classmates saw me and said, "You look beautiful tonight, Ady."

I smiled a little and then turned away from the man. I was offered a wine glass and forced to drink by a fellow student. Although I'm not a big fan of wine or alcoholic beverages, my classmates had me try some bottles they brought in for us to sample. Initially, the flavor was so off-putting that it made me gag, but after two more sips, I came to like it. My tongue felt like it was being encased in a warm blanket of sweet and sour. The wine is much like a fruit wine. Soda-like in its addictiveness, I found myself drinking more and more of it until it quickly rose to the top of my list of preferred beverages. I was busy sipping wine as Elsa, and our classmates talked.

When I ran out of wine, I quickly left their place to get some wine. I made my way over to the huge buffet table. Everything on the table looked delicious as I quickly glanced at it. Immediately, I grabbed a cupcake and dove in.

I kept saying, "Hmmmm," and nodded. "To be honest, it tastes great."

Eventually, I made my way to the far end of the long table, where the drinks were kept. I poured wine into the wine glasses on the table and tasted them one by one, but unfortunately, I could not locate the wine juice that a fellow student had given me earlier. In my frustration, I just got a glass of juice and walked to the closest table. I placed the juice glass on the table and rubbed my lower thigh while sitting up. It's hard for me to walk in them since I'm not accustomed to wearing high heels.

"Great, it's now got blisters!" I said. "I already told Elsa that I'd only wear rubber shoes. "Damn it. It's going to hurt."

While everyone else was enjoying the party, I waited for it to end. Half an hour later, it was well past midnight, and I wanted to go home. As I gulped down the juice, I felt a cold shudder travel up and down my spine. That someone was watching me gave me the creeps. I turned to make sure my uneasy feeling wasn't just paranoia.

I could see a guy in casual attire standing behind the drapes. I felt uneasy in the auditorium's dark parts, but his look got to me. Instead of going down my throat, the liquid went straight up my nose. My throat and nose felt like they were being tickled, and I began constantly coughing. Using my free hand, I masked my lips and nose.

'Damn..'

"Here, use this."

My eyes roved over the handkerchief in front of me, then up his arm, and finally into his face. There was a sharp, powerful sensation throughout my body as I recognized the guy. Since I didn't take the handkerchief he offered, he pulled up a chair and sat in front of me. He took my hand off my face, which was covering my nose and mouth, and wiped it. I stopped what the man was doing as quickly as if I had just woken up from a nap.

"Hey, what are you doing?" I asked as I took the handkerchief from his hand. I could feel the blood rush to my cheeks, ears, and neck. Jeez, this is so embarrassing!

"I am sorry," he said. "Are you all right, Miss?"

When I glanced at him, I was both surprised and intrigued. Something about his voice seemed familiar to me.

"Have we met before?" I asked. "I feel like I've heard your voice somewhere."

"Yes, on the train," he said while looking at me.

Thinking back to that day on the train has given me a sudden case of nerves. It was the most exciting day of my life.

"I'm sorry for that day. I was in a hurry, so I couldn't give you a proper introduction," he said. "My name is Damon."

As he said, Damon put out his hand to me. First, I stared at his hand, then at mine. I hurriedly washed my hand and splashed some alcohol on it before shaking his hand.

"My name is Adira, but you can call me Ady," I said. I was slightly surprised by the warmness of his hand. It feels like I have cotton gloves in my hand. "Oh, your hand feels warm..." Damon took his hand off me. "Are you okay? Do you have a fever?"

"I'm fine," Damon said.

"Oh, I'll wash your handkerchief before giving it back to you." I stuffed the handkerchief into my purse hastily.

"Did you know that there is a belief that you shouldn't give someone a handkerchief because it will make them cry?"

"Huh? That is an ancient belief. Untrue."

"I know it's real. I've seen it many times, and you must believe it."

I was astonished when he grabbed his handkerchief from my bag and placed it into the wine glass he was carrying. I just gazed at him and didn't say anything.

'Wow, he's superstitious.'

I suddenly felt the man looking at me. He reached up and pulled at my ponytail, forcing my hair to slip down over my shoulders before I could even respond. Damon brushed the stray hairs from my face that were falling into my eyes behind my ear.

'Jeez, what is he doing?' I thought.

"You look beautiful with your hair down," Damon said seriously.

His surprise left me speechless. The words just wouldn't come out of my lips.

"Did I offend you?" he suddenly asked me.

"W-what?"

He smiled at me as he brought his face closer to mine, then turned to my ear and whispered.

"I'm just telling the truth. You look beautiful when your hair is down."

Shortly afterward, a maintenance worker arrived with the industrial electric fan and promptly connected it to the outlet. I can see Damon's expression at that moment. It was like getting sick because of the wind from the electric fan that made my hair fly freely but was hitting his face. My hair was messy, but I quickly fixed it and apologized to Damon.

"Damon, sorry, huh, I didn't mean to..."

But then Damon comes rushing out in front of me. He was upset with me because he left so quickly.