Alek

Chapter 18: Mae Kazimi

Chapter 18: Mae Kazimi

After filling in Rashid, Kai, Avery, Lorenzo and Diego, Alek's best friend as he introduced himself, I completely blanked out for the rest of the conversation. The loud music drums into my ear and the movement in the dance floor catches my attention.

It's a Friday night, and I'm exhausted. I want to do nothing more than get drunk and dance on the dance floor amongst the sweaty group of people below.

"Are you listening, Kazimi?" Alek drawls, lips pressed in a thin line. "If you don't want to be included in this plan, you can leave."

"We're planning?" I frown. "For what?"

Lorenzo shifts uneasily in his chair, his usual glittering eyes now dull, "If my mother really did poison Alek and is behind all of this, then we're going to have to dispose of her. Traitors are not welcome in the Russo home, and papa will not deny us this I am sure."

"You're going to kill your own mother?" I let my jaw drop at the same time Avery kicks me from under the table.

Lorenzo looks away and takes a long sip of his drink. Alek says nothing.

As Rashid begins to talk once more, I let their voices drown away. My eyes are still on the dance floor and I can practically smell the drinks and it's driving me mad.

"Fill me in later," I whisper in Avery's ear and get up from my seat. I know Alek is following my every move, but at this very moment, I hardly care.

I walk down the circled steps of the large bar that leads to the dance floor and make my way to the bartender serving drinks.

"Vodka," I demand. It's the first thing that comes to my mind and as long as I get drunk, I don't really care what goes down my throat.

The bartender gives me one look and begins to pour me my shots. He slides them towards me and I put the shot glasses to my mouth before tipping my head back and draining it.

3 shots down, a couple twenty more left.

"Ciao bella ragazza (hello pretty lady)," a man slides into the booth beside me, waving the bartender over with a controlled flick of his hand. "I'll have what the lady is having."

"I don't speak Italian," I say as the bartender fills my shots once more. I am not interested in conversation tonight.

The man moves slightly and from the corner of my eye I can see him smile, "I can teach you."

He has a deep Italian accent, forcing me to turn my neck to give him a quick look over. He's handsome with perfect blond hair and the cleanest and ironed suit I've ever seen. He's clean shaven and his blue eyes take in my shameless staring.

"You're a Kazimi, yes?" he asks, taking a sip of his drink.

I shrug, turning back to my shots. Attraction is a dangerous thing. It lures you in and then bites you in half. "Depends on who's asking."

"You can call me Tony," he says, leaning closer to me. "What should I call you?"

I drown my sixth shot and I can already feel myself succumbing to the alcohol. And I still don't want to talk. "Nothing because I'm leaving."

I get up from where I sit, slapping bills onto the counter and making my way to the dance floor. Chase Atlantic is blaring from the speakers and I'm dancing before I know it, fingers running through my hair as Okay drains away the world and it's only me alone in the center of the dance floor. I can feel the music vibrating through my soul and I can't help but smile a little.

And then I feel hands on my waist and I turn around to see who it is.

Tony.

"I love this song!" He grins, his perfectly white pearl teeth glinting.

I try to move back, but his hand gets tighter. He's grinding onto me forcefully and no matter how hard I try to step back, he won't let me. My hands reach for my knife, eyes narrowing threateningly. And then....

"Move."

It's Alek.

Tony turns to him, eyes widening slightly in surprise, not fear, "Russo, how nice to see you here."

"Get out," Alek snarls, eyes flashing and stepping in front of me. "I don't want to see you in this bar again."

Tony only laughs before slinking away into the crowd. And for a second, I remain where I am. Another song begins to blare through the speaker and I really like this one and I'm dancing again, giggling as my entire spine vibrates with the loud music.

"We're leaving," Alek says, trying to pull me out of the crowd. I grab his arm, trying to pull him deeper into the crowd instead.

"Dance!" I grin, shaking my head with the music, my hair flying all over my face. "It's fun!"

He watches me, eyes narrowed and mouth in a disapproving line. "You look stupid," he says.

"So?" my grin gets bigger. "How are you going to live if you care about looking stupid all the time? Everyone has something to live for, you know. No matter how stupid it is. They just have to find it."

Alek blinks, and this time, he rakes his eyes unashamedly down my body before his eyes settle onto my face once more, "You're right."

"I know," I say, breathlessly. "I usually am."

We stare at each other over the blinking red light of the dance floor. I look past him and see Avery and Lorenzo in the corner, speaking to each other as if they've known each other all their lives and Rashid is sulking in the corner on his phone.

Kai is nowhere to be seen.

"He left," Alek says as if reading my mind. "He had a fight at 12 AM."

I pull out my phone to check the time and realize that it's already 12:10. I promised I'd be there for his fight a month ago before this whole ordeal with the Russo's started, and I was already ten minutes late. Kai would be so angry.

But then again, I was nervous to see Hale again. It has been three weeks since our argument and I am not ready to see his disappointed look. I don't want to go to the arena and find that Hale hates my guts or worse, never talks to me again.

After all, I was never his responsibility. He made me his responsibility after my parents left me to die in the dumpster. But he can also change his priorities when he wants because, after all, he's not my parent. He only took pity on me nineteen years ago, right? He doesn't love me as a parent should. He....doesn't...right?

"Alek, can you drop me off at....." I pause when I look at the horrified look in Alek's face as he stares at the charm that hangs from the corner of my phone case. "Alek?"

He says nothing, and even under the flashing red lights, I can tell he's gone pale.

I snap my fingers in his face, eyes starting to droop, "Russo?"

"I need fresh air," he breathes, fighting against the crowd as he makes his way out towards the door. "I'll be back-"

I frown, almost tripping on my own feet. I need to get to the underground arena as fast as I can to watch Kai like I promised and face Hale. Alek is supposed to be the one who takes me there.

And so, I followed Alek through the crowded maze and straight out the bar.

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is it just me or are my chapters magically getting shorter or am i hallucinating again??

Guys the big scene is about to come yall arent ready grrrr

okay like and subscirbe