Leaving With Someone
While I was hiding in the bathroom, several people knocked on the door. Some giggled and flirted with each other, which told me exactly what they wanted the bathroom for. Others actually wanted to use it, but as soon as I called out that it was occupied, they all walked away, saying they would go to the other bathroom, which always made me relax a little. That was until someone knocked on the door and claimed that the bathroom I was occupying was the only one available. No matter how many times I told them it wasn’t, they argued that it was, while I tried to determine if the voice that was speaking to me was the white rabbit man or not. Eventually they grumbled angrily before walking off, leaving me more relieved than I thought possible. A few minutes later, someone knocked on the bathroom door again, making me groan.
“Come on, lady! I really have to go! I’m not here to bother you,” he called out.
Fuck! That sounded like him. Did he find me? I cracked the door open, peering through it before letting out the breath I hadn’t realized I was holding. It was just the Easter egg. I pulled the door open so I could trade him places, telling him to please hurry so I could go back to hiding. I crept to the edge of the hallway to peek around the corner, looking for Mr. White Rabbit. I saw him across the room, talking with a curvy redhead while he repeatedly scanned the room, and I groaned. Maybe I could find Lauren and escape before he started to actively look for me again. The door opened behind me as I was searching for my sister. Not finding her, I moved back toward the bathroom intending to call her so I could finally go the fuck home. The thirty minutes I promised to wait had to be up.
“Is this your first party?” He asked, stopping me in my tracks.
“Yes.”
“It’s mine, too. I don’t understand how they do it. They talk for five seconds and already know if their partner is someone they want.”
I glanced at him over my shoulder. “Crazy, huh?”
“Very. Would you maybe want to get a glass of wine with me?”
I smiled at him, desperately wanting to say no, but if Lauren found out I had, she would make me come to another one of these stupid parties. Besides, I could make her take me home. “Sure, as long as that rabbit guy leaves me alone.”
“Is that who you’re hiding from?”
“Yes.”
He held his hand out to me. “I promise not to let him bother you.”
I shyly took his hand. “Thanks.”
He led me back out onto the main floor, keeping me kind of in the shadows as we walked to the bar, where he ordered both of us wine before taking us to a table along the outer edges. I sat down, immediately feeling like someone was watching me. I looked up, and my eyes instantly met Mr. White Rabbit’s. He lifted his glass in my direction, saluting me, and I looked away, gulping anxiously. Shit. Where in the hell was Lauren? I pulled my phone out to call her. It rang several times before she answered, moaning.
“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me!” I snapped.
“Laurel? Wait. Wait. Wait. Laurel, where are you?” she asked.
“At the party! Where are you?" I retorted.
“I left. I looked for you and couldn’t find you.”
“How am I supposed to get home? You brought me here,” I whimpered.
“Ask anyone there. Any of them will take you home. I promise you they are all gentlemen. Just find someone that’s not taken.”
“Thanks for nothing,” I grumbled as I hung up.
I turned to the Easter egg, but he had disappeared. Fuck. I looked out over the dance floor to see him dancing with the curvy redhead that had been occupying Mr. White Rabbit’s attention. So much for him protecting me from the white rabbit. I jumped up as I ended the call, desperate to escape before he found me. I spun around and ran right into the very person I was trying to avoid.
“Did I hear you needed a ride?” he inquired softly.
“No, I’ll get an Uber,” I answered tersely, trying to make him understand that I had no interest in him, even though I couldn’t stop the little wave of excitement that moved through me in his presence.
“I’ll give you a ride, Little Bunny. I’ll even behave myself,” he offered, and I wanted to accept it because Lauren said I could trust the people here, but she said that about herself before we came, and now look at the situation I was in.
Fuck! How was I going to get out of this? I couldn’t really afford an Uber, but I would just to avoid being alone with this man in such a small space like a car. I glanced to the right, but the Easter egg was too engrossed with the redhead to notice my distress. Double fuck! How did I go from getting wine with him to being alone with the very man I was trying to avoid practically since I arrived at the party?
“Alright, thank you.”
I followed him outside to a white Mercedes, and like the gentleman I didn’t think he could be, he opened the passenger door for me. I climbed in, shrinking back against the door as I waited for him to get in.
“What’s your address?”
Fuck. I didn’t want him to know. Not only did I not want him to have my address, because let’s face it, there would be nothing to stop him from showing up randomly, but I was embarrassed. How could I let this obviously wealthy man know that I lived in the slums of the city? I reached for the door handle, intent on getting out.
“I’ll walk.”
He reached over to cover my hand. “Little Bunny, I’m sorry about earlier. It’s obvious that you were nervous about the party, and I’m sorry I made it worse. Please, let me take you home. It’s the least I can do.”
I hesitated, trying to focus on finding a reason to get out that he would accept. “It’s okay. But I really need to get some exercise. It’s not far. I’ll walk.”
He made a show of looking around before frowning at me. “What kind of man would I be to let you walk around this area dressed like that?”
I swallowed hard as I looked down, realizing that I had left the trench coat inside. “Oh, I forgot my coat!”
“I’ll go get it for you. I’ll be right back, but I still don’t think you should be walking.”
“I—thank you.”
As soon as he went back inside, I got out and started hurrying down the street, only to be stopped when he pulled his car in front of me as I went to cross the street. I swallowed hard as he got out of his car, his lips pursed angrily while his eyes glared daggers at me. When he reached me, I flinched. He looked from his hand to my face, slowly running his eyes over it before sighing as he lowered his hand.
“Why did you leave?” He asked softer than I expected him to.
“Why didn’t you take someone else home? Surely there were other women who were more your style,” I blurted out in panic. “Why are you so interested in me? Just let me walk.”
“No can do, Little Bunny. After you, nobody piqued my interest. I was upset when I thought you left before I could apologize for my behavior,” he told me as he gently took my hand.
His thumb stroked the back of my hand before letting me go. Wait, what? He hadn’t taken anyone home because he was stuck on me? Not even Carl had chosen me, even after we were married.
“Little Bunny?”
“Y-yes?”
“Let me take you home. If you tell me no, I will follow you home just to make sure you make it safely.”
“I—alright.”
“Come on. Get back in the car, please,” he requested.
I hesitated before walking around to the car, where he was holding the passenger door open for me. As I approached him, he cursed before leaning into the car to grab my trench coat, which he helped me put on. After I climbed in the car, he walked to the driver’s side to get in.
“What’s your address?”
I swallowed hard, praying that what I was about to do wouldn’t be a mistake. He had made me feel wanted in a way that Carl never had. And I wasn’t sure if I wanted to give that up just yet. Lauren told me I could trust him. Even if she hadn’t told me that, everything in me screamed I could.
“Take me wherever you’re going.”
He studied me for a moment. “Are you sure?”
I nodded. “Yeah.”
He started his car before pulling out of the parking lot. “I promise you, Little Bunny, this is going to be a night that you won’t forget.”
I turned to look out the window. God, I hoped he meant that in a good way, because I couldn’t take any more heartbreak.