Olivia took a glass of cosmopolitan martini and sipped it while gazing around.
“Why don’t you sit down?” Willa urged.
“Um…” Olivia swallowed the drink and looked at her, “Well, you invited almost all of our classmates.”
Willa grinned, “Yes… After all, I am 20 now.”
Olivia couldn’t help but smile at her response.
“Willa, come over here,” Paula yelled from the other side, beaming with a smile. “Let’s have a group photo.”
“Let’s go, Olivia…” Willa linked her arm with Olivia’s and went up to the group.
They took a series of photos, smiling and pouting. Willa occupied herself by going through the images, while Olivia returned to the couch and grabbed another glass of drink.
Even though she was smiling and talking with her friends, she was a little depressed because of Vincent. That guy was extremely conceited. Olivia had never had such a hard time attracting a man's attention. She believed that her allure might entice any man to fall in love with her.
However, Vincent proved her wrong. He was not at all affected by her beauty. She had no idea how to get his attention.
“Hey… Why are you alone?” A masculine voice from the top of her head brought her back to reality.
She looked up and noticed Danish, the popular guy at their college who had a lot of female admirers. Olivia was a bit surprised to see him. He was in a different branch, not her classmate.
“Well, don’t tell me that Willa invited you.” She squinted at him skeptically.
Danish laughed softly, taking his seat next to her. “Not at all. I came here with some of my friends.”
He looked into her eyes, "I didn't expect to see you here.”
Olivia was familiar with that look. Although Danish never expressed his feelings, she knew he had a crush on her. But she never paid attention to him.
‘He is not my type’… popped up in her mind every time she saw him.
Almost all the girls in college followed him, tried to speak to him, gave him gifts. And he enjoyed all this. Olivia didn't think he was reliable. So, she always kept her distance from him.
Nonetheless, tonight was different. She was upset with Vincent. And she wanted to forget the uneasiness of her heart. Furthermore, she wanted to see Vincent’s reaction after noticing her with another man.
Olivia flashed a charming smile and asked, “Isn’t it good that we meet here?”
Danish skipped several beats. He chuckled, nodding firmly. “Yeah… it’s awesome. Um, Olivia… will you dance with me?”
He'd been thinking of asking her since he first saw her at the club. He finally summoned the courage.
“Sure… But I want to have some shots first.”
She sprang to her feet, pulled him up, and dragged him to the bar. Both of them took a few shots of vodka.
Olivia felt as if her nerves were electrified, adrenaline racing through her veins. She wanted to laugh, smile, and dance around like a crazy person.
“Let’s rock,” she yelled and pulled Danish to the dance floor.
Danish was on cloud nine. He was super excited. Tonight, he would have the chance to reveal his feelings.
Loud music overwhelmed them the moment they entered the dance hall. The laser lightning dazzled their eyes. Their bodies automatically started bouncing with the beat, hands in the air.
Danish stood close to her, observing her every move. Her smile made him smile. Her dance made him sway even harder. He put his hand on her waist, inching a bit closer to her.
Danish was so engrossed in her that he failed to notice three men surrounding them. The next thing he knew, one of them had grabbed his arm and was pulling him back.
The smile on his face vanished instantly.
“Hey…” He exclaimed but got a punch on his nose before he could say further.
Danish bent down, holding his mouth. When he looked up, he saw those men encircle Olivia. His hair sprang on his back as he sensed danger.
“Olivia…” He called her. However, she couldn’t hear him because of the loud music.
A red-haired man stood close to her, squeezing her bump. Olivia flinched. She scrunched her face, anger mounting within her.
“How dare you, Danish?” She whirled and slapped him.
A stranger grabbed her hand before it hit him on the cheek.
Olivia was taken aback. Her stomach tightened when she saw his vile smile. She tried to pull her hand off but couldn't.
“Let go of me,” she struggled harder.
“Huh…” she gasped when a strong arm enveloped around her waist from behind.
“Dance with us, baby,” someone whispered in her ear, running his hand on her thigh.
“Get off me,” she squirmed. “Vincent… mm…” she yelled at the top of her lungs, but the man behind her pressed her mouth with his big palm.
“Shh… don’t shout, love. Let’s enjoy the night with us.”
“Why don’t you drink with us?” Another man with curly hair came forward with a bottle of beer.
“Yes… drink with us, sweetheart,” the red-haired man spoke, eyeing her boobs with the same vile smile on his face.
The man behind her squeezed her jaws, forcing her to open her mouth. The curly-haired man poured the beer into her mouth.
Despite trying harder not to swallow, she did swallow a lot of alcohol. Tears gushed out in her eyes. She was dizzy from the loud music and the smell of booze. Her vision became hazy as well.
The man behind her kissed her fiercely, squeezing her body.