The Velvet Room | ✔

𝖢𝗁𝖺𝗉𝗍𝖾𝗋 𝖳𝗐𝖾𝗅𝗏𝖾

The hairs on the back of my neck were standing straight, more alert as I glanced towards Reyna's stage to see it desert for the first time in a while. Is she late?

I checked my phone again.

R: I will, thanks for worrying.

She never texted me she got home, and my nerves had been rattled ever since. It didn't help that a certain smug bastard had been prancing around with a fucking grin on his face all evening.

I took note of the scratch mark on his neck, eyeing it cautiously.

If she had sex with him, that's good for her, but she was last seen with him and now she's suddenly gone.

In all honesty, I never liked the smug bastard. Vincent set me up on a few orders with him and all he knows how to do is praise himself. Somehow finding a way to steer the topic back to his glorious self. There was always something off about him, but since I don't know him well I always did well to push it off.

"Leo," I called out, seeing his form whip around and catch my eye. He sauntered on over. "Where's Reyna?"

A smirk took over his lips yet he shrugged. "Got out of the shower and she was gone, why? Have a little crush?" He leaned over the counter, eyeing my expression with a cocky glint.

"Just didn't know where she was. Haven't seen her today." I gritted.

"So you do? Sucks to be you I guess."

"And that's supposed to mean...?" I was getting tired of this guy's shit. I didn't have a damn crush on her, Rey is like my fucking sister. And something about his grin tells me something was wrong.

"Means you missed your chance. She's probably recovering. Ha avuto un brutto momento la scorsa notte." Again he grinned, but before I could give him my two cents he was sauntering away. [She had a rough ride last night]

My fists clenched under the counter, drilling holes through the back of his head before he was disappearing around the corner.

"Cosa sta succedendo?" A voice snapped me from my glare, familiar enough to me that I could distinguish it as Lucas. [What's going on?]

"Niente," Was all I replied before turning to meet his eyes. I took in his nonchalant look, leaning against the bar, scanning over the club before his eyes settled on the empty stage. I caught his eyes squinting, then looking around the club again.

I smirked, "Reyna's not here,"

"Why is she late?" A box of cigarettes was pulled from his slack pocket, taking one out and lighting it up.

"Don't know," I paused, seeing how his leg bounced and eyebrows began to furrow. Did they...

"What? Does another person here have a thing for Rey? I think you got beat to it,"

"Beat?" I cocked an eyebrow.
"Leo came over here bragging about how he fucked her last night."

I love my best friend, I really do, but if she did what I think she did with the brothers, she needs to start picking better men to spend her time with. Even with the looks of the brothers and having about any woman they want, usually at the same time, they were the last men to be with. Separately and together.

I didn't want her getting mixed into our world.

His jaw ticked and then clenched, "When she gets here, send her to my office,"

But as the hours passed, she never showed. And my worry continued to grow.

_____________

The next day

Seconds turned into minutes passing as I waited outside her door, hesitating to knock. I didn't even know why. I carried bags of food that was getting cold by the minute. Just this gut-wrenching feeling had me nervous.

I just need to make sure she's okay. She's never gone this long without showing up to work and not sending at least one text. And the issue of the matter of her not sending a text last night was more worrisome.

Of course, there were possibilities. she could be asleep but I feel she would've texted last night.. That's why something didn't feel right.

And between Lucas's and Leo's reactions, it put me on edge.

I knocked twice on her door, hard so she'd be able to hear. I hope I have the right address; I remember dropping her off once but I never went in. Although she did send me her apartment number just in case.

The door creaked and caught my attention, barely cracking as she had the chain connected to it. She only had one eye looking out. "Aiden..?" She questioned hesitantly. "I-I don't have my contacts in,"

"Hey, yeah, I got worried because you never showed up to work and you didn't text...so I brought you some food,"

"O-oh...I called out for the week, I'm not feeling too good," I peered behind the short woman and to her apartment, seeing its tidiness.

"Well, can I come in?" She bit her lip, peering back and then nodding. The door gently closed before I heard the chain loosen and the door crack. I pushed in, seeing her jogging to the back, "give me a second," she called.

While I waited I set the food down on the table in front of her couch. A glass of wine and an empty glass set upon it. "I didn't know what you'd like so I just got pizza,"

"Yeah that's fine, I haven't eaten yet," She reappeared around the corner and the first thing I noticed was her hair. The once-long stands were cut at the perfect length - besides the slight unevenness, it actually looked hella fucking good.

"You cut your hair? When?" Gently I took her hand, leading her around the couch for her to sit but the flinch didn't go unnoticed. I reached out to touch it, but she immediately moved away and subtly cleared her throat.

"Last night," Her hand nervously glided down her sweater-covered arm, eyes not even being able to meet mine but for a mere millisecond at a time.

Something was still off.

"What the fuck did he do?"

"H-Huh?" Her voice remained shaky and this time her eyes connected with mine.

"You're wearing heavy concealer, I can obviously see that, and I know you're not sick. The last person you were with was Leo," She tensed, "And ever since then I can feel that something is off. You didn't even text me when you got home. So what the hell did that dick do?" She swallowed thickly, eyes jotting all around the room and I knew from experience she was looking for an excuse, a lie.

I knew it by the way she tugged on her sleeves and bit her lip, reaching for the glass of wine on the table and filling it a quarter of the way.

Her eyes became glossy, hands shaking as she poured her glass and then gulped it down. "Rey..." A tear slid down her reddening cheeks that not even her makeup couldn't do well to hide. She poured more into her glass and that's when I took it from her.

"I-I don't know! I don't know what he did to me!"