The Adjacent Room [h.s]

Chapter 49

'I will be in the restroom if you need me.' I tell Harry, leaning forward and putting my hands on his chest so he can hear me over the noise of the crowd surrounding us. The show is about 10 minutes away from starting now, and I'm not going to leave mid set to go to the bathroom. I know his sexually frustrated self is going to be bothered by my wording, which is precisely why I did it.

'Don't say that.' He breathes, leaning down so his lips meet my ear. 'Or, I will meet you in there and you won't return in time to watch them do the set.'

Through the crowd, I manage to find the dimly lit hallway with the two doors, one for each restroom. The hallway and adjoining restroom is quite empty considering the mass crowd outside, and I'm thankful I don't have to wait in a line.

Once I leave the restroom and walk back into the hallway, I'm half of the way back towards the main area of the bar when I hear a door open behind me. It's followed by light footsteps that sound vaguely familiar, and then a sleazy voice I'd recognise anywhere. It would be just my luck that Ethan is here.

'Ooh Sophie, sugar. That you?' He says, voice still as deep and creepy as I remember. I could pretend I don't hear him, but the hand on my shoulder makes that impossible. He's drunk, and I've never dealt with a drunk Ethan before. Sober Ethan was bad enough for me.

'Hi Ethan.' I deadpan, spinning around in record speed to get his hand off my shoulder. Ethan is a memorable individual I had the pleasure of meeting in high school. We never dated, nothing ever happened between us and I certainly had no interest in ever speaking to him, but it didn't stop his desire to flirt with me at every opportunity possible.

'As beautiful as I remember.' He grins, inching closer to me whilst examining my face and body. I back away until my back is flat against the wall, and I start running through possible ways to get out of this conversation. As creepy and invasive as he is, he never tried anything more than flirting with me, so I'm not worried for my safety, but these interactions are not ones I wanted to revisit.

'It's nice to see you, but I really need to get back.' I state firmly, and go to slide away, before the hand goes back on my shoulder. Someone walks past just as he does it, but they don't take a second glance.

There's no denying that Ethan isn't not attractive, and he used that to his advantage to get whatever girl he felt like back in high school, but he never managed to get very far with me, and that bothered him a lot. He's short, a lot shorter than Harry, but his light brown hair and angular jawline is enough to get most people swooning before they get to know his personality. He has the type of eyes that bore into you for far too long, making any interaction grossly uncomfortable. He conceals the trait well though, perfecting the look to make his eyes appear soft, thoughtful, and often, caring.

A lot can change in 9 years. Marriage, children, hell, you could even switch a career in 9 years, but Ethan is just as I remember him. Arrogant, shallow and self centered, just like his highschool self. He reeks of college frat boy, even though his college years are long gone, regardless of whatever sports scholarship he used to get in.

'Not so fast, sugar.' He says slowly, referencing my attempt to walk away, while continuing to look me up and down. 'I haven't seen you in a long time, and I didn't think you'd look this good.'

The music is still loud in the hallway, but the lighting is only dim. I can't see his eyes clear enough, but it would not surprise me if he's not just drunk.

'That's nice of you, but I need to go.' I try again, turning my shoulder and dismissing his comment, while reaching up to touch the necklace out of comfort, but my efforts are to no avail, because he continues talking. I am really not in the mood for this conversation.