Even Angels Fall (26 page)

Tonight they are celebrating Gemma’s birthday, heading out to the opposite end of Leeds for a change and to a huge nightclub called Labyrinth. It is apparently quite popular with the student crowd and is one of the many establishments that Alex deals at regularly. It has a well-known reputation for drugs and illegal all night raves, but is still quite exclusive, hence the smarter dress code that everyone has adopted for the evening.

“Raise your glasses please ladies and gents…” Tom announces at the top of his voice, “To Gem… happy birthday old girl, let’s make this a night you’d rather forget!” He laughs, and Gemma nods eagerly in agreement as they hold their drinks aloft. Liam’s phone vibrates in his pocket and he swipes the screen to reveal a missed call.

“Taxi’s here…!”

“Let’s go, let’s go!” Darren claps his hands enthusiastically as they all rush around the kitchen, downing their drinks, grabbing their bags and wallets and throwing on their coats. They stagger out of the door one after another and Alex locks up before racing after them down the corridor. He dives into the elevator that Nathan is holding open for him, rugby tackling Tom in the process.

There is an excited buzz in the air and Abbey can already tell that it is going to be a good night. Plenty of alcohol has already been drunk and a fair bit of cocaine shared between them, and she feels tipsy and content, sitting in the back of the taxi listening to the animated conversations and friendly banter around her.

When the minibus pulls up at the entrance to the club Alex pays the driver and slides the door open, stepping down and holding his hand out to Abbey. As she reaches forward Darren grabs hold of it before she has chance and climbs out, pulling Alex into a hug.

“Oh you’re such a gentleman…” He flutters his eye lashes and Alex shoves him playfully, laughing as he pulls Abbey into his arms. Gemma and Sophie walk hand in hand, as Lucy and Nathan follow behind, completely engrossed in one another as usual. Liam dives onto Tom’s shoulders and he piggy backs him up to the door, passing the thirty or so people in the queue without so much as a glance in their direction.

The large, imposing bouncer standing by the entrance turns and assesses them with caution, instantly breaking into a smile as he sees Alex approach.

“Now then mate, long time no see…” He tilts his head in acknowledgement and Alex shakes his hand.

“How’s it going man?”

“Not bad at all. Are you on call tonight?” The bouncer winks, knowingly.

“Nah, I’m taking the night off, out celebrating a birthday…”

“Nice one, have a beer for me yeah?” He turns and shouts to the girl at the cloakroom door, “Tasha… this lot are VIP…”

“OK…” She nods, smiling a little too sweetly at Alex as he leads the way into the club, slapping hands with the bouncer again as he passes. She looks him up and down from head to toe, before her eyes linger seductively on his face and Abbey raises a single eyebrow, willing the girl to look at her, but she doesn’t notice her ‘hands off bitch’ facial expression. At least Alex doesn’t seem to notice either, paying absolutely no attention to her obvious advances as he grips tightly onto Abbey’s hand and guides her down the spiral staircase.

The club is large and spacious, almost cavernous. It has dark, midnight blue walls and a mirrored glass ceiling, with a huge, fancy looking chandelier hanging high above. The staircase leads into an area that is occupied with a couple of sofas and a cigarette machine. There is a queue on the right hand side of the room that leads to the toilets and straight ahead are three doors, spaced out equally. One has ‘R&B’ lit up in neon pink above it, the other reads ‘Chart’ and the third door in the centre says ‘Main’.

Alex glances over his shoulder to check that everyone is inside, before pushing his way through the door and into a tunnel like passage with flashing strobe lights. The beat of the music sends dull vibrations through Abbeys chest and she can hear the DJ announce the next track before a heavy bass line kicks in. There are people standing around talking with drinks in hand, and others walking back out of the room towards the exit. More than a few girls look Alex up and down, eyeing him appreciatively, and he nods at a handful of men that greet him as they pass, no doubt some of his clients who he supplies to on the nights he is working.

When they reach the end of the tunnel there is another heavy door which opens up into a massive, circular room. There are two bars - one to the right and one to the left - which have a number of tables and booths situated in front of them. The dance floor is lowered into the ground, and they walk down a handful of steps from the platform level, weaving through the hordes of people dancing around them. Another huge crystal chandelier hangs above the dance floor which again has a mirrored ceiling, and at the very far end, raised up high, is the rather impressive DJ booth with all manner of speakers and lights surrounding it. To the right of the DJ is another set of stairs - slightly higher this time - that lead up and behind the booth towards the back of the club with a small balcony overlooking the dance floor. As they get closer, Abbey notices another bouncer standing at the foot of the stairs and behind him are two posts with a sign hanging between that reads ‘VIP’ in bold letters. ‘Of course’ Abbey smiles to herself.

Alex glides through the club like he owns it and people move out of his way without question, staring at him as he heads straight over to the VIP lounge with complete, self-assured confidence.

Every now and then he looks back at Abbey while squeezing her hand tightly, and her stomach flips and her heart lurches as she struggles to believe that this unbelievably desirable man is all hers.

Alex greets the bouncer, but it is a short exchange as the music is far too loud for conversation. On the level behind the DJ booth there is another bar and a smaller seating area. The music is a little quieter back here, but not much. Alex stops in front of the largest booth and gestures for Abbey to sit.

“What do you want babe?”

“Vodka and coke please…” She shouts in his ear and he winks before making his way over to the bar, with Darren, Tom, Nathan and Liam. Gemma grabs the cocktail menu and discusses the options with Lucy, while Sophie practically bounces in her seat.

“I love this song!” She yells, excitedly, “I can’t wait to dance!”

Abbey laughs at her enthusiasm and glances over to the bar where the boys are stood waiting for their order. Alex is watching her closely, with a warm smile on his face, and her heart drops through her chest as she catches his eye. All it takes is one look and she turns away, blushing shyly.

It’s no wonder he gets so much female attention wherever he goes. Tom, Darren, Liam and Nathan are all incredibly attractive in their own way, but standing there, lit up under the blue and white strobe lights, Alex looks like an Adonis. Or maybe she is just biased? She smiles to herself as she remembers the first time she laid eyes on him in the doorway of the flat. It was like her whole world had dropped through the floor and the attraction she felt struck her like a lightning bolt out of the blue. It’s crazy how much things have changed since then. She never would have believed in her wildest dreams that things would turn out like they have and that she would come to know him so well.

To the casual observer on the outside looking in, Alex is coolness personified. Calm, focused, controlled and in charge… he has a dark, mysterious edge to him and a gravitational pull that makes people - men and women alike - want to be near him. But he is so much more than that. Ever since he has let his guard down with Abbey, she has seen the other side of his personality. How sweet and kind he can be. How loving and loyal. He has become so incredibly important to her in the time she has known him. She has fallen, hard, and her feelings are getting deeper by the day. He isn’t perfect and the life he leads can sometimes be frightening, but she is no longer the perfect, straight ‘A’ student she used to be either. Not since Ryan died and her world became a whole lot darker. She was lost for a long time before she found Lucy, Alex and the others, but now she is finally starting to live her life again - albeit a totally different life than before.

The vibe and energy in the club is amazing. The room is absolutely packed and the DJ is really working the crowd. The group have spent the majority of the night in the VIP lounge, with the girls - and Liam -making the occasional trip to the dance floor. Although it is busy the drinks flow freely all night due to the standard special treatment that Alex receives from his friends in high places. There are plenty of trips to the conveniently placed VIP bathrooms for regular ‘pick me ups’, and as they are out for a messy night, it is more than cocaine being taken.

Abbey has only tried ecstasy once before and she had been in the relative safety of the flat at the time. She loved the rush of happiness and love she felt as the effects kicked in and she couldn’t remember ever experiencing such intense and blissful feelings. The hours that followed felt like floating along in a dream and nothing bad or hurtful could touch her. The aftermath, however, was the complete and total opposite. She had come back down to earth hard and was pulled into a deep depression that lasted for almost an entire day. The hollowness she felt had truly scared her and she is unsure if she wants to experience that sensation again.

“Do you trust me?” Alex purrs. He is drunk and high, like Abbey, and he strokes her back gently as she sits beside him in the booth with her legs across his lap.

“Yes…” She whispers.

“Then you have nothing to worry about. I won’t let anything happen to you I promise. But it is a totally different feeling, dropping a pill in a place like this… I want to dance in the clouds with you Abbey…” He laughs, playfully. It is so difficult to refuse him when he is being happy, carefree Alex. And the truth is Abbey does trust him… completely.

He reaches into the pocket of his jeans and partially pulls out a small plastic bag. He takes a tiny pink pill between his fingers, pops it into his mouth and swallows, before placing another on the very tip of his tongue. He smirks at Abbey seductively, pulling her forward into a lingering kiss, and as her tongue curls around his, the pill passes into her mouth. She swallows, then reaches for her glass and takes a sip of wine.

Alex waits patiently while she drinks before he leans in to kiss her again. After another minute he stops abruptly and breaks away, feeling a presence beside him. Lucy is staring at them, swaying slightly in her inebriated state. Her arms are folded stiffly across her chest and she has one eyebrow raised while trying to fight the ever constant smile on her face.

“You said 5 minutes…” She moans like a sulky little kid, and Abbey can’t keep from laughing. Alex smirks too and releases his arms from around Abbey’s waist, leaning back in his seat.

“OK, I’ll be right there…”

“You said that last time!” Lucy stamps her foot, “Come on Miller, the dance floor’s packed and he’s playing some right tunes!” Abbey sighs and kisses Alex lightly on the lips before swinging her legs round and reluctantly standing up. She too sways a little from the head rush and Alex reaches for her, but before he can help Lucy grabs her by the hand and pulls her forward.

“Time to dance!” She shrieks, and Abbey turns and shrugs at Alex apologetically.

“Be careful…” He orders, as he watches Lucy drag her away with a look of irritated fondness on his face.

As Abbey descends the stairs towards the heaving, red hot dance floor she sees Alex join Tom and Nathan at the bar before she loses sight of him through the crowd. Darren and Sophie are dancing sweetly together and Liam is throwing himself about a little too energetically, although he can really move. Gemma is off in a world of her own, dancing in the middle of a circle of guys who can’t seem to prise their eyes away from her. ‘Who can blame them’ Abbey muses, she is absolutely stunning after all, and is moving her incredible figure perfectly in time to the music.

Abbey stares, wishing that she had Gemma’s unshakable confidence, but as Lucy grins at her encouragingly she starts to move to the music anyway… twisting and swaying with the people around her as she starts to lose herself to the beat.

The same exhilarating rush that she felt the last time she dropped a pill slowly begins to surface and the effect of the ecstasy totally consumes her. Her body feels light, like it is made of air, and there is a deliciously warm tingle running from the top of her neck all the way down to the base of her spine.

She shuts her eyes dreamily and runs her hands over her shoulders, still dancing as she relishes the delirious high. As she opens her eyes everything around her blurs and all she can hear is the pounding beat of the music and the sound of her own breath in her ears.

She loves this. Loves her friends, loves Alex, loves life. Everything is beautiful, shining, and nothing else matters other than right here right now, getting lost in this song. Alex was right… this is a totally different feeling. It is mind blowing. She lifts her hands and twists them above her head, smiling over at Lucy who is also lost in the moment. The multi coloured strobe lights suddenly take on a life of their own and they twist and dance around her like fireflies, sparkling red, orange, blue and green. She looks up and sees the reflection of the crowd in the mirrored ceiling and it’s like she is looking down on everyone, as she dances high up in the sky… dancing in the clouds.

As her scattered thoughts instinctively turn to Alex, he suddenly appears behind her right on cue. His arms snake sensually around her waist and she turns in slow motion to meet his gaze. He moves with her, both of them grinding together in time to the music as they are encased in a bright, rainbow coloured bubble. The lights continue to swarm and dance around them, completely cutting them off from everyone and everything else as their lips meet. Abbey is in a dream - a perfect dream - and she never, ever wants to wake up.

There is a high pitched ringing sensation in her ears and Abbey blinks, disorientated, as she opens her eyes very slowly. All she can see in her vision is a white light shining down on her. It takes a moment for her to adjust to the brightness before she realises she is home, at the flat, in bed. She turns over to see if Alex is lying next to her but she is alone and as she sits up gingerly, a sharp, searing pain shoots through her head.