Tonight, Veronica had indeed received an invitation to a party. One of her old friends was celebrating their birthday at Paradise, a well-known bar.
Initially, Veronica had no intention of going. Besides not being a fan of parties, she wasn’t particularly comfortable with the crowd at night entertainment venues.
However, after Deasy persuaded her and invited her to come, Veronica eventually agreed. Besides, these past few days she had been feeling quite stressed and bored. So, it wouldn’t hurt to have some fun by meeting old friends for a change.
Upon arriving at Paradise, Deasy immediately brought Veronica to mingle with their old friends. They chatted briefly before joining the candle blowing ceremony, followed by congratulations and continuing with the dance floor party.
All the invited guests seemed joyful, dancing and enjoying the DJ’s music echoing throughout the venue. While Veronica was beginning to feel tired standing, she invited Deasy to take a break for a moment.
“Des, can we sit down for a while? I’m so tired standing in heels for a long time.”
Deasy, who was enjoying the DJ’s music, nodded. She took Veronica’s wrist and guided her friend to a seat that was available.
“You can rest here for a bit. Sean will be joining you soon.”
“Sean? Why would Sean be here?”
Deasy smiled. While occasionally swaying to the music, she explained, “Well, I deliberately asked him to come so he could keep you company.”
“Can other people enter? I thought only invited guests were allowed.”
“No problem,” Deasy shook her head. “This bar wasn’t rented out privately for the birthday party. So, other people can still come as long as there’s an open table. Look, there are many people on the left side, right?”
Reflexively, Veronica looked in the direction Deasy mentioned. And indeed, there were many other people gathered there.
“Just wait at the table,” Deasy reminded her. “Sean will come to you. I’m going back to the party.”
“Des —-”
Perhaps not hearing or intentionally ignoring her, Deasy left Veronica alone at the table. While Deasy danced and enjoyed the music on the dance floor, Veronica sat alone. After a few minutes, a man approached her and greeted her kindly.
“Are you Veronica, right?”
Veronica immediately looked up, smiled, and nodded.
“Yes, I’m Veronica.”
“Can I join you here?”
“Sure,” Veronica replied casually.
“Do you remember who I am?” the man asked next.
Veronica raised an eyebrow in curiosity. She gave him a questioning look as she tried to recall the man in front of her.
“You’re Darrel Sanjaya, right?”
The man then smiled widely and nodded. He didn’t expect Veronica to still remember him.
“Yes, I’m Darrel. I thought you might have forgotten me.”
“How could I forget someone like you, the campus Playboy,” Veronica said honestly. “So, are you still a Playboy?”
Laughter erupted from Darrel’s lips. He didn’t take offense at being called a Playboy by Veronica. In fact, he seemed proud of the label.
“Well, you know, it’s quite fun and satisfying to change partners every week or month. How about you? Do you have a partner? Or are you married? If not, you can be my partner.”
“No way, I’m too lazy to have a Playboy as a partner. I’d end up heartbroken every day,” Veronica joked, but it sounded piercing.
“If you were my girlfriend, I’d be faithful for a lifetime.”
Veronica just laughed. Taking a sip of her drink, she stood up, ready to leave.
“Where are you going, Ve?” Darrel asked when he realized Veronica was about to leave.
“I’m going to the restroom real quick, need to fix my makeup.”
“Oh, I thought you were going somewhere. If you want a restroom with no line and clean, go to the one on the left. It’s usually less crowded.”
Veronica nodded, grabbed her sling bag from the table, and walked slowly through the crowd to the restroom Darrel had mentioned.
And true enough, the restroom was clean and empty. Making Veronica comfortable, without hurry or disturbance from other visitors.
For a moment, Veronica focused on fixing her makeup. She tidied up her slightly disheveled hair and reapplied nude lipstick to her lips. Once satisfied, she decided to leave.
As she opened the restroom door, Veronica was surprised by Darrel’s presence. She didn’t know when he arrived, but he was suddenly standing in front of her.
“Sorry, if you’re looking for the men’s restroom, it’s probably on the other side,” Veronica addressed him, pointing to the men’s restroom she meant.
“I’m not looking for a restroom anymore,” the man confessed.
“Then? What are you looking for here?”
“Looking for you,” he answered with a mysteriously smile. The scent of alcohol immediately hit Veronica’s senses strongly. She was convinced that Darrel had just consumed a lot of drinks.
“Looking for me?”
Darrel nodded.
“Yes, I want to have some fun with you.”
Veronica ignored him. She thought maybe he was drunk and chose to dismiss Darrel’s words. She intended to leave.
However, just as she took a step forward, unexpectedly Darrel grabbed her wrist. He held it firmly and then pressed her body against the wall.
“Darrel, what do you want?” Veronica asked, her face full of surprise. She was certainly shocked by what the man was doing.
“I’ve been curious about you for a long time, Ve. People say you’re really hard to tame.”
“Darrel, let me go now! Or I’ll scream loudly,” Veronica threatened earnestly.
“Go ahead and scream, Ve,” Darrel retorted nonchalantly. “This restroom is at the end of the hallway. No one will hear you no matter how loud you scream. Especially with the music outside being even louder. If you don’t believe me, you can try.”
Veronica looked at Darrel with a frightened expression. Especially since he was tightening his grip on her wrist.
“Darrel, let me go.”
“No,” he shook his head, then gave a smirk. “I won’t let you go until I get what I want.”
In that moment, Veronica screamed as loud as she could. Regardless of whether anyone heard her or not. Hoping that someone out there would come to her rescue.