Page 49 of Lily, Unwritten
Just as the band announced this was their last song, I felt sweaty hands take hold of my hips from behind and a mouth press up against my ear.
“You look hot,” said a mystery voice. Ugh, his lips were slimy and much too close. I stepped forwards, trying to move out of his hands before I turned around. He was your atypical, posh, pretty boy, blond university student who had probably slept with half the campus in the first term. He moved closer as I stepped away, his hands back on my waist but from the front now. “You obviously wanted someone to do this, the way you’ve been dancing.” His hands slid down and around towards my bottom.
I stepped back again and looked around me, everyone was still dancing and oblivious to his wandering hands. “Sorry, I think you got the wrong impression. I was enjoying the music, that was all.”
He moved forwards, and I realised I couldn’t step back farther as I’d neared the wall. He smirked as he leaned in and ran his fingers through the ends of my hair. What was it with me and bars and creepy guys?! I shook my head, trying to get him, literally, out of my hair, but he moved in anyway and planted his mouth against mine. I turned my face to the side; his wet lips smeared over my cheek. “Stop,” I said. “I’m not interested.”
He did stop, although he still leaned over me. “Come on, nobody comes to a place like this dressed like that unless they’re after exactly what I have for you.” He swooped back in, and this time, got me on the mouth, wasting no time as his tongue wrapped around mine. I wanted to heave. I tried to push him away, but the way I was against the wall made it a struggle. It was as though I couldn’t breathe, and just as panic began to overtake me, I was free.
Almost in slow motion, I saw that a guitarist had jumped down from the small stage area, grabbed ‘Mr Wandering Hands and Tongue’ off me. I winced as I heard the sound of his fist connect with the guy’s nose, an even worse noise than me slapping Anna had been.
“She said no, I could hear that from up there, so what was your problem?” the guitarist shouted at him. The room seemed echoey now that the band had stopped playing.
“What the fuck have you done to my nose?” he shouted back. “You wanker, she loved it. What’s your problem?” His friend handed him a wad of tissue for his nose. An older guy - I guessed he was the manager - rushed around from the other side of the bar.
Band guy, as I had nicknamed him, looked at me with kind eyes. Kind eyes that looked insanely sexy rimmed by that eyeliner. “Let’s ask the lady, shall we?” The question was aired to everyone watching, in an almost theatrical fashion, before he focused on me again. “Did you want this… I use the term loosely… man to kiss you?”
I shook my head and wiped my mouth and cheek, which still felt damp and sloppy from his unwanted attentions.
“There we go then! Mark…” He looked over at the guy I assumed was the manager. “Can we kick this guy out for harassing the lovely lady, please?” I realised I’d been holding my breath as band guy took hold of my shaky hand. “Come with me, we’ll get you a drink.”
He led me to a small table round the side of the bar. “I’ll be right back.” True to his word, he returned a couple of minutes later with a large glass of wine and a tumbler of what looked like straight vodka.
“Thank you,” I said with a shy smile. “For the drink and the rescue. Think it ruined your last song, didn’t it?”
He grinned, and, oh my word, his face was beautiful - angular and elegant, almost elven. “Don’t worry about that. I’d clocked him a couple of songs back, could see what he was up to. Was obviously not a nice bloke, he’d been watching you.”
“How did you manage to notice him, watching me, while you were playing?” I asked, genuinely confused.
“Because I couldn’t keep my eyes off you the whole time.” My cheeks burned hot, I’d never been good at compliments. “Sorry!” He let out a small laugh. “I didn’t mean to embarrass you. You’re not the average girl we see in these places.”
“It’s because I left my converse at home, isn’t it?” I replied with a smile. I liked him. Not a hint of sleaze about him, unlike the other guy. As far as knights in shining armour went, he was pretty hot, in a different way to my usual type. “I’m Lily, by the way.”
“Elijah,” he replied. His dark eyes were intense with the eyeliner and the black, scruffy hair. I took a big gulp of my wine self-consciously as I found myself concentrating on his mouth. “Want to get some fresh air? Go for a walk?” He bit his bottom lip as he waited for my response; it made me want to bite it too, his lips were so full.
For a moment, my mind said no. My sensible, Lily mind. But… Where had that got me? Precisely nowhere. So, before I could overthink, I put my glass down, looked Elijah in the eyes and said, “Yes.”
He raised a hand to the rest of the band who were now packing up, they didn’t seem too bothered. I noticed the black, swirling lines of ink travelling down his neck, back, and shoulders as I followed behind him. Maybe I should have been looking for rock band guys and NOT lawyers…
“You don’t mind leaving do you?” he asked. “I always need quiet time after a show, my head gets so full.”
“I don’t mind at all. I need coffee, my head is spinning.” I thought for a moment; there was nowhere quiet around here. Nowhere except… “My place is only a few minutes away, if you wanted to have a drink there? As quiet as you like.”
Almost imperceptibly, his smile twitched at one side. “I’d love that. As long as it’s OK with you? I’m not going to be like that other guy, just in case you were worried.”
“Even if I ask nicely?” I asked with an innocent face as we began to walk. The dirtiest little scenarios were playing out in my mind, I’d never had a one night stand, maybe it was exactly what I needed.
We headed towards Cassie’s house; I hastily explained it wasn’t mine. As if I could afford a place like that, I didn’t even know how I’d pay my phone contract next month. We talked about the band and the bar on the way back. I stayed well away from any conversations about me and my situation. I turned to him as we approached the gates to the long driveway of the mini mansion.
“Can you run?” I asked as I took my boots off and held them in one hand.
His face was bemused, and cute. “Yeah… Where we running to?”
“The back garden, before my friend sees me and wants to make you a cup of tea,” I grinned. Elijah grabbed my hand, and before I knew what was happening, we were running and laughing as if we were kids at sports day, having the best time ever.
I’d left the door unlocked so we ran straight inside, both full of laughter despite me trying to shush him to keep quiet. I put one hand on my stomach, where a stitch had crept in, and pressed a finger against his lips. “Shhh.” I couldn’t stop laughing. “Why is this so funny?”
He ran his tongue up the finger that was pressed against his soft lips, it woke up the sleeping butterflies from my stomach. I pulled my hand away as I blew my hair from my face. “I have no idea,” he said as he pulled me close. Guys in bands… why had nobody ever told me? His hand pulled at the hair at the base of my skull as he kissed me. There was no slow warm up here, this was absolute rock star kissing. His mouth felt incredible; his tongue fit perfectly against mine as I returned the kiss. I’d never done anything like this before. Maybe this was what I should’ve been doing. Not sitting around being lonely, followed by switching between two loves in such a painful way. I just should’ve been out meeting people like him, doing things like this...