A soft moan escaping her lips, Jessica covered her eyes in haste as the brilliant sun filtered intrusively into her room. The bright light assaulted her tired eyes, forcing her to bury her head beneath a pillow. Squeezing her eyes shut, she prayed that sleep would come, but knew that her prayers were in vain. She had been restless all night, unable to fall asleep until the wee hours, only to be awoken again.
Finally giving up, she struggled out of bed, clambering towards her bathroom. Pushing the door open clumsily, she stood before the mirror, not bothering to turn on the lights. For a few moments, she stood there, casting a withering glare at her reflection. Her usual sparkling blue eyes were red-rimmed and puffy from lack of sleep and her face had a strange pallor to it, almost as if she were sick. Her hair which usually framed her face in silky, soft layers, now hung listlessly at her shoulders.
She cringed in distaste at her reflection, squeezing her eyes shut as she slowly began rubbing her temples in a circular motion. Already, Jessica could feel the impending onslaught of a horrible headache. With an exhausted sigh, she slowly opened her eyes, stifling a yawn. Tiredly, she turned on the faucet, watching the powerful stream of cold water in fascination. Carefully, she splashed her face with water repeatedly. Feeling only somewhat refreshed, she turned off the faucet and grabbed a nearby towel. Gently, she pat the towel against her wet skin, drying her face slowly. Tossing it onto the counter, she ran a hand through her tangled blonde hair as she peered into the mirror.
Suddenly, Jessica felt the blood drain from her face as her whole body froze. Her breathing became scarce and her heart began pulsating loudly in her chest. Paralyzed with fear, she found herself completely unable to move. Only her eyes moved, gazing at the mirror in utter disbelief. There, she saw him standing behind her, a sinister scowl upon his face, his eyes glinting evilly.
Her lips were poised to emit a blood-curdling scream, but strangely not a sound escaped her throat. She braced herself against the counter, feeling her legs buckle uncontrollably beneath her as the bathroom began to spin in maddening circles. In one sudden motion, he was next to her, hovering menacingly over her shoulder. He was so close to her now that she could feel the tiny hairs on the sensitive flesh of her neck prick up. He loomed closer to her, whispering maliciously in her ear. His voice was low and throaty, but strangely she was unable to decipher his words.
A strangled cry escaped her throat as she squeezed her eyes shut in desperation. He can’t be real. You shot him. He’s dead, her mind screamed silently at her. She shook her head furiously, her cheeks wet as salty tears cascaded down them. She waited for him to make his inevitable move, her body rigid with fear.
After a few moments of silence however, she carefully opened her eyes, fully expecting him to pounce on her any second. As soon as her vision cleared though, she realized to her astonishment that she was alone. As her eyes darted anxiously around the bathroom, he was thankfully no where to be found. As this realization dawned upon her, her body began to quake uncontrollably and soon her legs gave way and she fell to the ground. Drawing her knees to her chest there she sat upon the cold tiles, helplessly rocking her body back and forth. For hours, she remained there, her body convulsing as the sound of her heart-aching sobs echoed throughout her whole apartment.
Almost reluctantly, Nick’s gaze travelled up the seemingly strategically placed sheet, finally landing on her golden bare skin. Watching the steady rise and fall of her chest he felt sick to his stomach. Closing his eyes, his head fell heavily against the pillow as his mind began to swim and he was unwillingly transported back to last night.
It had been so simple. He had entered the club, a pretentious smile plastered upon his face as he flashed suggestive smiles at potential prospects, cringing inwardly as they smiled back. Quickly, he’d seen her sitting by the bar and without hesitation he swaggered confidently over to her. She smiled at him enticingly, her body language speaking volumes. Just as he was, it was obvious that she was looking to have fun for the night.
He started off with the usual small talk and it only took a matter of minutes before he had her eating out the palm of his hand. She hadn’t even bothered to ask for his name. He had all the right moves. He knew exactly what to say and just how to say it. To him however, he was simply going through the motions, following a routine that he’d perfected many times in the past.
With a sigh, he opened his eyes slowly. As his vision cleared, his gaze landed upon her again. Carefully, he absorbed her curvaceous figure, silently hating himself as he did so. He knew however that no matter how disgusted he was with himself at the moment, tonight he would do it again. It was like an addiction of sorts for him, something that Nick couldn’t control and wasn’t even sure that he wanted to.
The club’s surroundings alone had the power to instill an overbearing sense of confidence within him. It was as though the second he entered the club he was transformed into another person. All the insecurities he possessed outside of the club seemed non-existent when he entered the familiar, smoke-filled room. It was the only time he was able to break free from the sad reality that was his life. The only time that he was able to ignore the obvious truth that his life was destined to be filled with one pretty face after the next.
Stealthily Nick eased himself off the bed, careful not to disturb her. He held his breath as she rolled onto her side, hugging the sheet closer to her naked body as she sighed in her sleep. Relief flooded his body when she didn’t wake. Quietly he crept over to a nearby chair where they had strewn their clothes in haste last night. He put on his clothes silently and quickly gathered the rest of his belongings.
Without even a glance back in her direction, he turned on his heel. As usual, Nick exited the room silently, knowing full well that she wouldn’t be too disappointed when she awoke and found that he had already left. As he descended the stairs, the sick feeling in his stomach returned and as he opened the door to her house he was already thinking about the new day at hand and just what the night had in store for him.