Treacherous (5 page)

Nathan

As soon as I turned to make my way back
to Charli with the drinks, her friend appeared in front of me.

“
Would you like some
help?” she asked, cocking her head to the side with her hand on her
hip.

“
Uh… thanks. Mia,
right?”

“
Correct. So I heard
you’re in Charli’s Social Studies class? How are you finding
Uni?”

“
It’s great. Exactly
what I expected.” Mia took one of the plastic drink cups from me—
the rum and coke. She took a sip, cringing.

“
Ugh. I hate this
pre-mixed shit. But yeah, college is great, huh?”

“
Yeah.” I tried
looking for Charli, but I couldn’t see her. She was no longer
standing where I had left her. I attempted to step around Mia, but
she stopped me again.

“
So, do you have a
job?” she asked.

“
Uh… yeah. I work in
IT.” I lied. Well, it was a half lie. I couldn’t tell her I was a
cop. I would blow my cover.

“
Ooh. So you must be
like, really smart.” She was flirting, I could tell. I ignored it.
I had to get back to Charli.

“
We had better get
back to Charli.”

“
Do you like
her?”

“
Who?”

“
Charli? Because she
has a boyfriend, you know.”

“
Really? She didn’t
say she had one before.”

“
Well, she lied.
Probably because she has mixed feelings for both of
you.”

“
Is that so?” Mia was
beginning to get tipsy. She downed her current cup. “I need another
drink,” she added, and then thankfully, left me for the bar. I
quickly made my escape and headed back towards the edge of the mosh
pit. I had to see if what Mia had said were true, if Charli really
did have a boyfriend. I had to check this guy out.

I stood by the edge
of the thick crowd of partially drunk college students and stood up
on my toes to try to see. After a moment of scanning the bobbing
heads, I found her. But when I saw whom she was with my heart sank.
It was the guy from Social Studies. He was leaning close to Charli
and saying something in her ear. Charli laughed and then blushed.
He must have been paying her a compliment. I suddenly felt very
jealous. I was tempted to down Charli’s drink in my hand, but I
couldn’t. I had a plan. I pushed my way into the crowd.

Charli

After the band had
played three songs, I began to feel more comfortable around
Frankie. He really was a sweet guy, even if he was a little
intense. I laughed when he leaned in close and sang some of the
lyrics slightly off key. When I realised what he was singing, I
blushed. The song was very fitting. It was about a girl with red
lipstick whom the lead singer said he couldn’t take his eyes off.
And when Frankie sang these words to me, I melted. Luckily, he was
hanging onto me, because I would’ve been on the floor already. He
took my hand in his, interlocking our fingers, and placed it on his
shoulder. He then placed my other hand on his other shoulder and
placed his hands on my waist. I was burning up—from his touch and
from the heat of the other bodies around us. I really did feel
faint. I had to get out of there. I motioned for him to lean
closer.

“
I need air,” I
yelled. He seemed to hear me and nodded.

“
Let me come with
you,” he yelled back.

“
No, I won’t be long.
Enjoy the show.” I leaned up to kiss his cheek to reassure him and
he seemed okay with that, so I slipped away.

In my haste to get out of the
suffocating mosh pit, I didn’t see him until it was too late. I
crashed right into Nathan, spilling the drinks he held all over
us.

Nathan

“
Oh My God, Charli, I
didn’t see you.”

“
You really are making
a habit of this, aren’t you?”

I couldn’t tell if
she were mad or not. She shook her hands of the liquid, splashing
me in the process.

“
Yes. I’m sorry. Let
me buy you another drink. Or help you get cleaned up.”

“
This is why I don’t go to concerts much. I’m going to the
bathroom.” She pushed past me. She
was
mad at
me.

“
Charli, wait.” I
discarded the empty cups and followed her as she ran into the
ladies bathroom.

I hesitated outside for a second before
barrelling through the door after her.

Charli

I leaned into the
basin and washed my face and neck, before looking up at my
reflection in the mirror. My hair was plastered to my right cheek,
and my top was totally soaked through. I also smelled like a bar.
Ugh, I looked like a nightmare. I began peeling off my tight
leather jacket as I heard the door open behind me. Another face
joined mine in the mirror.

“
Nathan! What are you
doing in here?”

“
I had to make sure
you were okay.” He was looking at me, at my wet tank top, which was
beginning to turn transparent. You could now see my black bra
through the material. I covered my chest with my jacket and
continued to wipe myself down with some paper towels. My wristbands
were also soaked through and were beginning to unravel themselves.
I knew I had to remove them too but I couldn’t do it in front of
Nathan.

“
You’re far prettier
than your photograph,” I heard him say quietly. I tense, and I turn
around to face him.

“
What did you
say?”

“
Uh... nothing. I saw
your picture online.”

“
Stalking me, too?” I
turned back around to face the vanity.

“
Everything I think of
to say in my head sounds much creepier in real life. Let me start
over—I lied.”

I looked up at him in the mirror.
“About what?”

He stepped closer. “I didn’t see your
picture online.”

I turned to face him
again. There was now less than a metre separating us. Neither of us
moved any closer. I waited. But it didn’t come.

“
Well? Are you a
friend of a friend on chat, or something? Where did you see my
picture?”

He didn’t answer. Instead, he looked
down at his sneakers.

“
I have to go.” I
grabbed my jacket and left the bathroom. Nathan didn’t move to stop
me.

Chapter
Nine

Charli

Why was everyone
being so secretive? Everyone seemed to be lying to
me
, or keeping secrets from
me, these days. As I worked my way back out into the venue, I
suddenly didn’t feel like moshing anymore. I exited through the
glass doors out into the cool night air. With thoughts to myself, I
didn’t notice him leaning against the wall in the dark.

“
Is everything
alright?”

I jumped. “F...
Frankie. You scared me.” He stepped out of the dark and I saw his
face—well, half of it. The other half was hidden by
shadows.

“
So, are you alright?
I was looking for you.”

“
Yeah. I’m fine. But I
think I’m going to go back to my dorm.”

He moved in front of me then, his voice
deep and low in my ear. “I saw what that jerk did to you. Want me
to go speak to him?”

I looked up and met his gaze. There was
concern there, and something else.

“
No. It’s fine. I can
handle it.” I tried to move past him, but his hand came out and
grabbed my arm. I found myself flush against his chest for the
third time that night. What was he doing to me?

“
Frankie. I’m fine.
Let me go.” The way he was looking at me, it frightened me for some
reason. It was intense. He finally let me go after a few tense
seconds, and I hurriedly made my way to the dorm
building.

With all the
intensity Frankie’s gaze held, I hadn’t noticed how wet I really
was. I shivered as I fumbled for my keys in my clutch and opened my
door. Just to make sure no one had followed, I stuck my head back
out and looked down the hallway. When I was sure the hallway was
empty, I locked the door and leaned against it.

What had just
happened? I was having a good time until the moment Nathan left to
get me a drink. Then everything turned to shit. Frustrated and a
little rattled, I decided the best medicine for the way I felt was
a hot shower and a glass of wine, in that order. The music from the
concert was still throbbing as I stripped from my booze-smelling
wet clothes and slipped into the shower.

Standing under the
hot water, I let the shower’s steady beat throttle my skin, washing
away my worries. After ten minutes, I finally managed to pull
myself out of the shower stall and wrap myself in a towel. I heard
a low rumbling noise and realised it was my phone. It was vibrating
on the kitchen counter. I ran to catch the call, but missed. When I
checked it, I saw it was my mother. She was last person I wanted to
speak to right now. I went into my bedroom to dress in pyjamas and
when I came out, I poured myself a big glass of Pinot Noir. I
didn’t care what Mia said about my choice of alcoholic beverage—I
was a wine drinker. Growing up in the household I did, I was
accustomed to it. As I took my first sip, sinking down into the
couch, my phone began vibrating again. I groaned and grabbed it. I
pressed answer.

“
Hello?”

“
Charlotte? Are you
okay?” said my mother. She sounded panicked.

“
Yes. Why wouldn’t I
be okay?” I replied warily. How could she know anything about what
was happening tonight?

“
You weren’t answering
your phone. I tried calling four times.”

“
I was at a concert.
But I’m home now. What’s up?”

“
Nothing in
particular. I was just calling to check in. How’s the boyfriend
search going?”

I rolled my eyes. I knew she wasn’t
going to drop it until I gave her an answer.

“
Good. Actually, it’s
a bit… complicated.”

“
Oh? Complicated, how?
Please tell me you’ve met someone.”

“
You could say
that.”

“
Please, do
share.”

“
As I said, it’s
complicated. I’ve met two guys.”

“
Two? And what are
they like?”

“
Mia introduced me to
one of them, Frankie. He’s really sweet…”

“
I hear a tone of
uncertainty in your voice.”

“
Don’t get me wrong, Mum. I like Frankie. Actually I
really
like him, but he’s so mysterious.”

“
Honey, men are
mysterious for a reason: to get you interested.”

“
Really?” I couldn’t
believe I was confessing all this to my mother! This conversation
was beginning to sound like the type of conversation I would have
with Mia. I mentally slapped myself.

“
You said there were
two guys?”

“
Oh, yes. The other…
actually, Mum. I think you’ll approve of Nathan.”

“
Nathan?”

“
Yeah. He’s a
gentleman. Totally different from Frankie.”

“
What does Nathan look
like?”

“
Dark blond hair, blue
eyes, nice big smile. Why?”

“
Oh, nothing. You said
I would probably approve, so I thought I would see if maybe I knew
of him or his family.”

“
Oh, okay.”

After I hung up with my mother, I sat
still on the couch for a good five minutes. Something didn’t add
up. Why was Frankie acting so possessive? Why had Nathan acted
strange after saying I looked hotter in real life than a photo he
had seen? And why was Mia acting so distant? I rubbed at my temple,
feeling a slight migraine coming on. I decided all the questions my
mind was asking could wait until morning, after coffee. I went to
bed, leaving the rest of my wine untouched.

Nathan

As I left the bathroom, I felt my phone
vibrate in my jeans pocket. I clicked on, pushing the handset to my
ear and my finger in my other ear.

“
Yes?”

“
What happened
tonight?”

“
Pardon?” it sounded
like Mrs Jayne on the other end of the line, but I couldn’t be
sure. The music was too loud. I ran out into the courtyard. The air
was fresh and there were a few other people mingling, smoking, and
making out. I walked behind a pillar. “Mrs Jayne?
Susan?”

“
Yes. It is me. What’s
happening?”

“
Sorry, the music was
too loud to hear.”

“
Were you with
Charlotte at the concert?”

“
Yes. I
was.”

“
And where is she
now?”

“
I… I’m not sure. She
left.”

“
Well, you better find
her. It’s your job to protect her. I am not paying you to lose
her.”

“
Yes,
Ma’am.”

“
She’s in her dorm.
Go, and make sure she’s okay. She sounded shaken up.”

“
Shaken up?” I slapped
my forehead. “Susan, forgive me. It was my fault.”