He smiles, but not rudely. "What's your name?" he repeats.

"Oh. Um, Crystal. I'm Crystal."

He cocks his head to the side for a minute, then nods slowly. "Crystal," he says quietly, like the word is sacred. "It's fitting," he says at last, looking up to meet my gaze. "It means you're clear and pure, like your soul is." Then, he reaches out a hand. "I'm Sebastian."

I smile despite myself. "It's nice to meet you, Sebastian," I say, and we shake hands like we're business acquaintances or something. And for once, when I say the words, I'm not lying.

"I could say the same about you, Crystal," Sebastian says. "Now, tell me, what brings you here on a night like tonight?"

I take another sip of my drink. "Loneliness," I mutter. "What else?"

"Ah yes," he says. "I know a thing or two about loneliness myself."

"Oh yeah?" I say, smiling a little. It's more of a challenge than an actual question. I can't imagine anyone this good-looking ever being lonely.

"Yes," he says. "I'm good at… abandoning people. Things. Finding a way to push away anyone who gets close to me.

"Drinks to that," I mutter, and we clink glasses.

We drink for a while, just talking about things, the weather, what shows are on tomorrow, and all that jazz while I wait for Ash to finish her flirting so I can leave. Sebastian is the perfect gentleman. He orders me more drinks, but stops me at three, saying getting too drunk in a club can be dangerous, and I reluctantly agree.

Whenever he talks, I let myself get lost in his words, in the emotion behind them. I feel connected to him, somehow. I don't even know why. I just know that talking to him makes my pulse pick up speed, makes my heart flutter a little, makes the empty feeling in the pit of my stomach go away, if only for a little while. Talking to him is an escape; Sebastian is an escape.

After a while, Sebastian sighs, deep in thought. "This is going to sound stupid," he says at last.

I frown at him at first, not understanding what he means, but the curiosity quickly sinks in. "Tell me," I say. It isn't like I have anything else to do.

Sebastian nods. "Okay. I have a, uh… proposition."

I narrow my eyes. Oh hell, don't let him turn out to be a freak after all. "Proposition?"

"Yes." He clears his throat. "We're both lonely, right? We both know what it's like to lose everyone we care about. And now… now it sounds like we both have no one left?"

"I'm following."

Sebastian pushes his drink aside, and locks eyes on mine. He really does have beautiful eyes. Strong and intense, no matter what. "So what if we came together and… used each other to feel less lonely?"

Music continues to thump all around us, and the sound of laughter carries throughout the giant room. The whole place is stuffy and smells like beer and sweat, but with Sebastian, I feel sucked away into my own little world.

I snort. "So is this all part of your clever plan to get me into your bed so you can fuck me?" I don't mention that it's working.

Sebastian smiles vaguely. "I don't fuck, baby. I only fix your pain," he says, smooth as ever. There's a pause, and then he leans into me. His breath smells like some sort of weird mix between alcohol and mint. "So what'll it be?" he asks softly.

"Well, that depends. What does this plan involve?" I say. I'm mostly joking. It's not like I'm going to agree to some sketchy-sounding plan with a random stranger. But still, something about Sebastian… pulls me in, I guess.

"It involves whatever you like," he says. "I get us a hotel room. You come every Wednesday night, and we spend the night kissing, touching, talking. Whatever. We just stay there and we heal each other, heal our broken pasts."

I could laugh at the idea. In fact, if anyone but Sebastian had just said that, I probably would have laughed. But something about Sebastian's words feel so honest and true, like he really doesn't care about sex; he just wants me. And I guess, based off of the tingling sensation he gives me, I want him too.

"No strings attached?" I ask at last. I can't believe I'm seriously considering this. I must be a complete idiot.

He smiles. "Of course." Then, "Meet me here tomorrow night so we can discuss further?"

I hesitate. "Okay," I finally say. It's not like I have anything left to lose in my life. A little adventure can't hurt. "I… I'll see you around."

Sebastian stands up and adjusts his coat. He smiles at me. "I'll see you around, too, angel," he coos.

I laugh. "Did you just call me 'angel'?"

He nods.

"Why?"

Sebastian doesn't look at me then. He just starts walking away, giving off more of his wonderful cologne scent. "Because you're an angel," he calls back at me after a minute. "An angel who is too far out of reach for me to ever really have."

I'm too stunned to ask what he means. 

Chapter Five

I wake up to something warm and soft beneath me. Everything is blurry and distant, and I feel myself stirring, feel the heat creep into my body, feel something conforming beneath me. A mattress, I decide it is. A bed. I'm in a bed.

I force myself to open my eyes. My skin is hot and sweaty, and I realize immediately that I've been panting. A lot. My throat feels hoarse as I gulp in a breath, so strained and overused. I must have screamed a lot too.

And then there's only one word on my tongue:

Ash.

Ash could be dead.

My body starts shaking at the thought. Oh fuck oh fuck. What if she's dead? What if my only friend is dead? And for what? I can't even remember. I just remember people running up the stairs, gunfire everywhere, and then… Sebastian. Screaming at me. Telling me to save her from these men. I don't even know who they were. I don't know where I am. I don't know why any of what happened, happened.

I don't know anything.

I jolt up in bed, sweat covering my face, gasping for breath. Everything is dark around me, but if I squint I can make out my general surroundings. The bed is positioned at the end of a huge, domed hall, with marble walls and several pillars at the ends of the hall. A giant door stands to my right, leading to a room with a yellowish glow. A bathroom, maybe. There are no windows in the building, no obvious signs of escape. I squint and look around to see better.

The walls are covered in paintings of sorts, long and wispy and colorful, like expert hieroglyphs of sorts. My bed is king sized, and the sheets are so soft and warm, and the frame behind me looks to be made of porcelain or something. Definitely not cheap, whatever it is. No one else appears to be in the hall, though. Besides the creaking of the heater below me, there is not a sound in the whole place.

I take in another breath. The air is thick and smells almost like soap. Odd, I find myself thinking. Behind me sits a small dinner table, with two chairs tucked in. Empty plates sit on the edge of the wooden frame, as if waiting to be used. And then, at the end of the hall, I see a door. It's small and dark, almost indistinguishable against the pitch black room, but my eye latches onto it right away and doesn't let go.

Quietly, I slip out of the sheets, and gently touch my bare feet to the cool marble floor. I take a step forward. Pain jolts through me. My legs are stiff and my muscles feel totally sore, like I'd just run a marathon and don't even remember it. Gritting my teeth, I take another step, then another, then another, fighting through the pain. My heart thrums in my chest as I approach the door, and I try to walk in rhythm to it, step, beat, step, beat, step, beat. My whole body is throbbing by the time I reach the door, but I don't even care. I walk toward it hungrily, reaching out my arm to the handle. I can see yellow light slipping out from the small crack beneath it, and it's the most beautiful sight in the world. I know I need to get out of here, wherever here is. I know that after what happened last night, I am not safe.