Inseparable

“Great,” I replied before hanging up.

I got ready in record time and was waiting by the door when Nick pulled up. Maria was in her room, and I didn’t want her to know I was going out with Nick. So, I hurried out the door and down to the curb. Nick whistled at me as I walked down in my high heels and short dress. I blushed before leaning in to let him kiss me on the cheek. He opened the car door for me and then jumped into the driver’s seat. Then we sped off toward the club.

As soon as I was in the club, there was a drink in my hand which I didn’t mind in the least. Nick pulled me around the place, giving me the grand tour. It was definitely a hot spot in the city with its high ceilings, great music, and the poshest VIP area I had ever seen. He handed me a shot and clicked my glass. I threw it back, unaware of what I was even drinking.

“So, what do you think?” he asked.

“It’s great,” I yelled over the music, curious as to why he wanted my opinion so bad.

“I’m thinking of becoming an investor,” he said loudly in my ear.

“Oh,” I said, bobbing my head to the music and thinking back to the study we did in college on nightclubs. “You know when I was in college, we studied nightclubs. Apparently, it's really hard to recoup any investment in nightclubs. So, I would really think hard about it.”

“You sound like my brother,” he said, scowling. Then he handed me another drink.

The last thing I wanted was to be reminded of Nathan so I downed that drink and dragged Nick out on the dance floor. My only option at that point was to get drunk and have fun dancing, which was exactly what I was doing. Nick leaned forward and grabbed me around the waist, pulling me in close. I smiled politely and pushed back, looking around as I swayed my body to the music. He reached out again, this time forcefully pulling me in and grabbing my ass. I reached around and grabbed his wrist, throwing his hand off of me. At that point, he seemed to get the message.

His face went quickly from entertained to angry. I watched him stomp off back to the VIP area. I continued to dance a bit longer and then headed toward Nick. I stopped short, though, when I noticed him inside, hitting on a tall blonde girl with giant tits. I shook my head and chuckled to myself, finding it hard to focus. I realized quickly that I was completely wasted, but I knew that Nick had zero intentions of taking me home anytime soon, if at all. I fumbled around my bag, pulling out my phone and dialing Maria’s number. I tapped my foot impatiently as it rang, but she never answered.

“Shit,” I said to myself, hanging up and pulling up the Uber app on my phone.

I clicked the button, but it was still programmed for the East Coast. I tried to figure out how to switch it, but between the alcohol, the lights, and the music, I couldn’t get a clear focus on anything. I took a deep breath and tossed the phone back in my purse. I needed to get the hell out of this club and get some fresh air.

I pushed through the crowd, trying to keep my feet firmly planted below me. I wobbled back and forth, the alcohol getting stronger in my system with every step. By the time I made it to the door, I burst out into the cool air and took in a deep, steadying breath. I was so angry with myself. How had I not thought that Nick would abandon me all over again? To be fair, I had no intention of letting him touch me at all. I was mostly using him as a way to get out of my own head for a bit. Still, he had brought me out here, gotten me drunk, and then started hitting on another woman. I stepped to the side to get out of the way of the other people exiting the club.

My feet were freaking killing me so I leaned down, not giving two shits, and took off my heels. The cold cement under my feet sent a chill up my arms, and I realized it was colder tonight than I had ever remembered San Diego feeling like. I had only been gone three years, but I had immersed myself in college, forgetting all about this place until I drove back over the San Diego bridge.

I looked around me at the people walking from the bars. The lights from the signs and street lights made me even dizzier so I started walking down the block, not even sure where it was that I was going. I looked down at my phone an

d realized I had hit a wrong button, so I fumbled with my phone to close it out. I walked toward a large planter on the sidewalk and sat down on the edge of it. I set my phone in my lap, looking around for a cab.

“Finding a cab in the Gaslamp Quarter shouldn’t be this damn hard,” I muttered out loud to myself.

I sat there for several minutes just looking around. Five frat boys joked their way up the street, and I looked in the other direction, trying not to catch their attention. But sitting here drunk and cold in a skimpy little dress was a bit more than noticeable.

“Look what we got here,” the guy in the front said, staring me up and down. “What are you doing out here all by yourself pretty girl?”

“Leave me alone,” I said angrily.

“Whoa,” one said, and they all laughed. “She’s got that Latin spice in her.”

“Don’t,” I said, slapping one guy’s hand away and turning as another scooted up next to me on the planter, putting his arm around me. “Get the fuck off of me, asshole. I don’t need your help, nor do I want you anywhere near me.”

I stood up and found myself being circled by these assholes. My heart began to beat wildly in my chest as my already dizzy vision got worse. I couldn’t focus on any of their faces, but I could hear them laughing and taunting me. Suddenly, one of them grabbed me and pulled me against him. I put my hand on his chest and pushed hard, trying to get away.

“Let go of me,” I yelled out. “Get your hands off of me.”

“I like a girl that struggles,” he said, laughing.

The squeal of tires cut through the night, and the guy dropped me before stepping back and watching as Nathan jumped from his sports car and barreled toward them. He grabbed the guy by his shirt collar and threw him to the ground. He turned toward the other guys with his fists clenched. I had never seen him so angry before, not even during the millions of fights he had with his brother growing up.

“The lady said to leave her alone,” he growled. “Now get out of here before I kick all your asses.”

One of the guys made a move at Nathan, and Nathan punched him square in the jaw. The frat guy dropped to the sidewalk. That one punch was enough to drain the fight from the rest of them. They gathered up their fallen friends, backed up slowly, and then took off down the street.

I looked up at Nathan from the place I had fallen, and his face softened. He reached down and helped me to my feet, picking up my shoes and taking me around the waist. I didn’t know how in the world Nathan found me or even spotted me over here, but I was so glad to see him. He ushered me to the car and helped me in the seat, leaning over to buckle my seatbelt. He closed my door and got in on the other side, reaching back and handing me his jacket. I shivered in the seat, and he reached over and turned the heat on. We sat there for several minutes, letting the car and my body warm up.

All kinds of thoughts were swirling through my head, and I couldn’t get a grasp on reality. I had drunk more than I ever had at one time, and all I wanted to do was sober up. It was like fate that Nathan had been here, had found me, and was saving me yet again from the trouble his brother had put me in. I knew at that moment, I would never trust Nick again, not even to have lunch with him. He didn’t care about me and Maria was right, at least about Nick.