Chapter 11: The Man with the Blue Eyes

Chapter 11: Chapter 11: The Man with the Blue Eyes

An hour later, Iris stood in front of the full-length mirror, barely recognizing the woman staring back at her.

The black dress Zoey had unearthed from the forgotten corner of her wardrobe was nothing like the soft, romantic red dress she’d worn for Jason.

That dress had belonged to the girl who believed in forever. This one belonged to someone else entirely.

The satin hugged every curve of her body like it had been made specifically for her. Elegant cutouts framed the sides of her waist and lower back, revealing just enough skin to be daring without looking cheap, while the plunging neckline left little to the imagination.

It wasn’t sweet, it wasn’t innocent either....It was just dangerous.

"Holy shit..."

Zoey folded her arms and slowly circled her like an artist admiring a finished masterpiece.

"I knew this dress would look incredible on you, but this..." She shook her head dramatically. "This should honestly be illegal."

She reached forward and tucked a loose strand of Iris’s raven-black hair behind her ear.

The smoky makeup she’d painstakingly redone had erased every trace of the tears she’d cried earlier. Dark eyeshadow made Iris’s hazel-green eyes appear deeper, almost hypnotic, while the deep red lipstick transformed her soft smile into something far more seductive.

"You look like the kind of woman men make terrible decisions over. And I think that you could break hearts with this look tonight."

Iris studied her reflection for another moment. Then she gave a bitter smile.

"Good." Her voice was quieter than she’d intended. "Maybe it’s time I started breaking hearts."

Zoey looked at her thoughtfully. "Oh? You want to become a heartbreaker now?"

"Why not?" Iris shrugged, trying to sound convincing. "If Jason can destroy mine without thinking twice..." She looked back at her reflection. "...maybe someone else deserves to know how that feels."

Zoey raised one perfectly arched eyebrow. "Nah...you couldn’t do it. I know you well enough to know that you’d shy away at the end."

"I absolutely could actually do it." Iris tried to argue playfully.

Zoey laughed. "Iris Carter, you once apologized to a chair after walking into it. And the annoying part was that it was dumb ass old chair."

Iris blinked. "That happened once and I really thought that someone was seating on it...You’re exaggerating."

"I’m really not."

For the first time that night, Iris found herself smiling and it was a real smile. She sighed and surrendered.

"Fine."

She threw both hands into the air dramatically. "I don’t have it in me. I’d feel guilty five minutes later."

"I know. And you’d probably buy the poor man flowers to apologize."

"I hate that you’re right."

Zoey grinned triumphantly. "Regardless..." She grabbed her purse from the bed. "...tonight isn’t about becoming someone else."

She walked toward Iris and rested both hands on her shoulders. "It’s about reminding yourself that Jason Montgomery doesn’t get to decide what happens next."

Her smile turned mischievous. "And who knows?" She wiggled her eyebrows. "You might meet someone ridiculously handsome."

Iris rolled her eyes. "I seriously doubt that."

"Iris honey, never underestimate Seattle nightlife."

********

The drive to Obsidian passed in a blur of city lights and bass-heavy music pouring from Zoey’s carefully curated playlist.

Every song seemed to be about revenge, about moving on, and about women realizing they deserved better.

Iris rested her forehead against the cool glass of the passenger window, watching neon reflections blur across the streets as the taxi carried them deeper into downtown Seattle.

She tried not to think about Jason, and about Vanessa. About the way her entire life had imploded in the span of twenty minutes.

"Don’t think. Don’t feel. Just survive the night." She quietly reminded herself.

*****

Obsidian stood like a monument to excess. Its sleek black-glass exterior reflected the city lights while the illuminated silver logo shimmered above the entrance.

Luxury cars lined the curb. And a crowd stretched halfway down the block, everyone hoping to get inside.

Zoey didn’t even glance at the line. She just linked her arm through Iris’s and walked confidently toward the VIP entrance.

A sharply dressed woman with a sleek black bob looked up from her tablet. The moment she saw Zoey, a knowing smile spread across her face.

"Well, if it isn’t my favorite troublemaker."

Zoey laughed. "Still employed, I see."

"Barely." The woman looked at Iris. "And who’s this?"

"My best friend." Zoey replied, looking towards Iris with a smile.

The woman smiled warmly. "Then she’s welcome here." She stepped aside. "Have fun tonight."

Then she pointed a finger at Zoey with a mischievous smile. "And tell Mira she still owes me dinner."

"I’ll remind her." Zoey replied her with a smile.

The bass hit Iris the moment they stepped inside....it’s like a physical force that thrummed through her chest and made her bones vibrate with every beat.

Crystal chandeliers hung high above the dance floor like frozen explosions of light, scattering shimmering reflections over hundreds of dancing bodies.

Private lounges overlooked the crowd from elevated balconies. Everything about Obsidian whispered wealth, power and Influence.

The kind of place ordinary college students only saw on social media.

"First things first." She grabbed Iris’s wrist. "Come on," Zoey shouted over the music, grabbing Iris’s hand. "Let’s get you a drink. Something strong."

They made their way to one of the bars...a sleek obsidian counter that glowed from within with blue light. The bartender, a man with purple hair and too many piercings to count, and half a dozen rings decorating both hands, took one look at Iris’s face and knew that she needed a drink.

"You’ve had a rough day." He said to her.

Iris laughed softly. "Is it that obvious?"

"I’ve been here for years and served lots of people. So I’ve seen them all. You darling.. you’ve got the eyes."

"What eyes?"

"The kind that either need therapy..." He began mixing something dark inside a polished shaker. "...or tequila."

A moment later he slid a midnight-blue cocktail across the counter.

"What’s it called?" Iris asked him.

"It depends baby girl but...it usually gets called..." He winked. "...the Bad Decision."

Zoey burst out laughing. "That’s perfect."

Iris lifted the glass in a toast. "To bad decisions."

She took a long drink and drowned it in a single gulp. The alcohol burned pleasantly all the way down. It hurt...but unlike the ache in her chest...this pain made sense.

Zoey bumped her shoulder. "Easy, tiger," Zoey laughed, but there was approval in her eyes. "We’ve got all night. You can drink all you want."

Iris laughed. "I suddenly feel like dancing on the bar. And maybe making terrible life choices."

"Oh?" Zoey raised her own drink and laughed at her antics.

They found a spot near the edge of the dance floor, close enough to feel the energy but far enough to breathe.

Iris finished her drink and immediately ordered another. Then another. The alcohol wrapped around her like a warm blanket, muffling the sharp edges of her pain until everything felt soft and distant.

She was on her fourth drink when she felt it. The unmistakable sensation of being watched. The feeling was so intense that the tiny hairs on the back of her neck stood up, a sudden awareness that made her skin tighten.

Iris turned, scanning the crowd, at first she saw nothing of importance, just a bunch of people grinding themselves at each other, getting drunk, and dancing their hearts out.

She frowned, thinking that she was just imagining things. She returned back to her drink and drowned another one, but the feeling didn’t disappear, if anything....it grew intense.

As though something inside her was urging her to look over at a particular direction...somewhere specific.

Her eyes drifted across the club almost on their own. And then...she saw him, and everything else disappeared.

He stood alone on one of the elevated platforms overlooking the club. But even from a distance, he was impossible to miss.

He stood tall....easily over six feet....with broad shoulders that filled out his black suit jacket in a way that suggested the body beneath was all lean muscle and controlled power.

His hair was dark, almost black, styled in that effortlessly perfect way that probably took no effort at all. Sharp jawline, high cheekbones, and a mouth that looked like it had been carved by an artist with a preference for sin.

It was a face so devastatingly handsome it seemed almost unreal. A face that could be a study in masculine perfection.

Every feature seemed carved with impossible precision, from the strong line of his jaw to the high cheekbones that gave him an almost aristocratic appearance.

He wasn’t simply handsome. He was the sort of man people noticed the instant he entered a room. The sort of man conversations stopped for. The sort of man who carried authority so effortlessly that he never needed to announce himself.

But it was his eyes that stopped her heart.

Even across the distance, even through the strobing lights and the crowd, she could feel the weight of his gaze.

They were brilliant blue eyes....so clear they looked almost like a glacier...and they were fixed entirely on her with an intensity that made her breath catch.

He wasn’t just looking at her. He was ...seeing... her. Stripping away every defense, every wall, every carefully constructed facade, every carefully guarded part of herself had suddenly become transparent beneath his gaze. And she felt naked under his stare.

Then Iris didn’t know if it was the alcohol messing with her mind, but she could have sworn that, for the briefest heartbeat...his blue eyes flashed red and they glowed. Then it was blue again.

Iris blinked hard, telling herself that this is what alcohol does. Drinking too much and you start seeing things.

And when she looked back at him... simply because she couldn’t resist the urge not to look...he was smiling. Just slightly. Like he knew exactly what effect he was having on her.

"Earth to Iris," Zoey’s voice cut through the spell. "You okay? You’ve been staring for like... two whole minutes and you look like you’ve seen a ghost."

"Who is that?" Iris breathed and swallowed hard....unable to look away.

Zoey followed her gaze and let out a low whistle. "Holy shit. I have no idea," She looked back at Iris with an amused grin.

"But judging by the way he’s looking at you..." She nudged Iris’s shoulder. "...I think he’d be more than happy to introduce himself. And I think you should go find out."