Page 14

Emmie

The first thing I register is the pounding in my head. A deep, rhythmic throb behind my eyes, like someone’s knocking from the inside, trying to get out.

The second is the weight around me. Arms. Warm. Heavy. A chest rising and falling beneath my cheek. I blink, but my vision is still blurry.

The room is dark, lit only by a faint strip of streetlight bleeding through half-closed curtains and a dim light shining from under a door over in the corner. A bathroom, maybe? Everything smells like sweat and cheap aftershave. My mouth tastes of cotton and something sour.

I shift slightly, trying to figure out what the hell is going on. I tip my head up just enough to find out whose heart is beating gently underneath me, and I stiffen when I see Landon sleeping soundly.

He’s fully clothed, I’m not. Panic floods my chest.

I wriggle out of his grip, clumsy and shaky, trying not to gag as the room tilts. My feet hit the floor, but it doesn’t feel solid, more like I’m floating. Or sinking. Or both.

“Em?” Landon murmurs, his voice thick with sleep. “Hey, it’s okay. You just needed to lie down.”

I don’t answer. My stomach coils and lurches. I barely make it to the bathroom before I’m on my knees, retching into the toilet, waves of nausea crashing over me. Tears prick at the corners of my eyes from the force of it.

What the hell happened to me?

I grip the edges of the toilet, trying to slow my breathing. Everything feels off. My skin, my head, my memory. There’s a gap, just darkness where the rest of the night should be.

I remember dancing. Zara disappearing. Then things seem hazy. A fire exit, maybe? Calling Kai, or at least trying to. And then . . . nothing . Just a blur of hands I couldn’t feel and a voice that kept telling me I was fine.

And now this.

“Are you okay?” Landon calls. “Do you need me to come in?”

I swipe the tears leaking from the corners of each eye and push to stand on shaky legs. “No,” I manage to force out.

I rinse my mouth with shaking hands and lean back against the cold tile wall, trying not to fully cry. I’m still in my underwear, and Landon’s out there like nothing’s wrong.

I take a breath, gripping the sink to steady myself. I need to go back out there and ask him what the hell happened.

My legs feel unsteady, and my head’s still thick, like someone’s stuffed my brain with cotton wool. I splash cold water on my face, hoping it’ll clear the fog, but it only sharpens the dread curling in my gut.

When I open the bathroom door, the room beyond feels foreign. The walls are a colour I don’t recognise, the furniture too neat, too masculine.

Landon’s sitting on the edge of the bed, scrolling through his phone casually. Normal. He looks up as I step out, and he smiles too wide. Too knowing. It makes me feel uneasy.

“Hey,” he says, calm, casual, like I haven’t just thrown up my soul in the bathroom. “You good?”

I wrap my arms around myself, as though it’ll cover my half-naked body from him. I don’t remember taking my clothes off, and I don’t remember getting here. “Where are we?”

“My friends place, he’s away and asked me to watch it for him.” he explains. “You were out of it. Zara left with that guy, so I brought you back here to sleep it off.”

I blink. My mouth opens, but no words come out.

“You were all over the place, Em.” His voice softens, but there’s something patronising underneath. “Slurring your words, couldn’t stand up straight. You don’t remember?”

I shake my head slowly. “I didn’t drink that much,” I whisper. “Just a few shots. Not enough to . . .” My voice trails off. Because it wasn’t . I’ve had more than that before. I know how alcohol feels. This wasn’t it.

Landon laughs. Not cruelly, but enough to make me feel ridiculous. “You were hammered,” he says. “Kept trying to kiss me, remember?”

My stomach flips. “No, I didn’t,” I say, but it comes out weak and unsure.

He raises a brow. “You did. You don’t remember clinging to me outside? Begging me to, well, yah know.”

Heat rushes to my face. I don’t remember that either. But the shame settles into my bones anyway. “I didn’t . . . I wouldn’t …”

“You were a mess, Em,” he interrupts, standing now, stepping closer. “You should be glad I’m a gentleman. I looked after you. You could’ve ended up God knows where, with God knows who.”

His words feel like rope, tightening around me with every breath. “We didn’t do anything,” I say quickly, panic seeping in. “Right?”

He scoffs, looking offended. “Wow. Thanks. Glad to know I’m not a complete creep in your eyes.” But he doesn’t answer the question. And suddenly I feel cold all over.

I scan the room. “My phone?” I ask, trying to keep my voice steady, though it comes out thinner than expected.

He grins. “Lucky you didn’t lose that too. I saved it right before you almost dropped it.”

He reaches into his back pocket and pulls it out like he’s offering me a gift, holding it just out of reach for a second too long, before I snatch it from his hand. The screen’s dark. My fingers tremble as I check it, then I realise it’s flat.

“And my clothes?” I ask next, my voice quieter now, trying desperately not to portray the panic I feel.

Landon’s gaze dips, just for a second, but it’s enough. Enough to make my skin crawl.

“Not sure,” he says, tone light. “You stripped off when you were trying to seduce me.” I freeze. My stomach turns again, not from the nausea this time, but from the weight of shame and confusion pressing down on me. I don’t remember that. Not even close. But his certainty makes me question myself.

“Don’t look so horrified,” he adds, stepping toward me with a laugh that doesn’t reach his eyes. “You were all over me, but I didn’t lay a finger on you. I’m not the kind of guy that takes advantage when a woman is vulnerable. Emmie, you were safe with me last night.”

My spine stiffens. I grip the phone tighter, hoping it might anchor me. “I need to get dressed,” I say, cutting across whatever else he was about to say.

He shrugs. “Suit yourself. I’ll go see if I can find your clothes. Maybe they’re out by the stairs where you started that little dance show.” He winks.

I don’t react. I don’t move until he’s gone. And then I breathe. A shallow, shaky breath that does nothing to clear the heaviness in my chest.

Something isn’t right.

And I think, I know , he’s lying.

Kai

I pace back and forth inside Emmies house. There’s no one in. I tried the door several times and when no one answered, I smashed the small window, reaching through to open the kitchen window, and let myself in, just to be sure.

I called the campus security; I even tried the police. Of course, they think I’m crazy. I can’t give them any information that doesn’t make me sound like a jealous ex trying to sabotage her new relationship.

I hear a key in the lock and race to the front door. Zara screams in surprise, dropping her bag and almost running back out again. “It’s me,” I cry, grabbing her wrists and forcing her to look at me. “It’s just me.”

She looks alarmed. “What are you doing here? Is Emmie okay?”

I shake my head, and her face is filled with concern. “She’s somewhere with Landon.”

Relief floods her and she rolls her eyes, “Seriously Kai, I thought you meant she was being murdered or something. Although, I’ll kill her if she’s broken our number one rule.”

That thought alone makes me sick. “You don’t understand,” I say, “She called me. When I called back, Landon answered. He sounded smug, as if she wasn’t really with it.

” I follow her into the kitchen. “I went round all the clubs, local late-night cafes. Every friend I can think of that knows him. He’s disappeared and so has she. ”

“From what Emmie told me, you two were measuring dick sizes from the second you met. He was probably using it as an opportunity to get under your skin.” She fills the kettle. “What’s the deal with you two anyway?”

“Zara, I’m serious. Landon said some stuff about her, about her past. He wasn’t kind about it. I’m worried he’s gonna hurt her, if he hasn’t already.”

She looks me in the eye, then sighs. “Fine, I’ll call her.”

“I tried that. Her phone is off.”

“So, I’ll call him.”

I watch as she dials his number, pressing her mobile to her ear as she spoons coffee into a mug. “Hey, Landon. Sorry it’s so early,” she begins, smiling my way. “Look, have you seen Emmie?” She waits a beat, her smile fading the more he talks. “Right. Okay. Thanks.”

She disconnects and I step closer, eager to hear what she’s got to say. “Weird,” she mutters. “He said she was really out of it last night so he took her back to his mate’s place. But she wasn’t drinking much, I remember because she passed me a few of her shots when he wasn’t looking.”

I narrow my eyes. “Where is she now?”

Zara looks less confident. “He’s looking after his mate’s place. Let me send you the pin.” She taps her mobile then my phone vibrates. It’s five minutes from here. I rush out before she can stop me.