(unedited)
As soon as Mark and Will were done shooting everything that was needed, they had with amazing speed, packed away their equipment and pretty much slipped into party mode. Richard had promised them; well, all of them a night out before heading back tomorrow and they boys were so excited. On the drive back to the hotel they were going on and on about 'partying with the rich and famous'.
"Farrah, you coming with us yeah," Mark asked with his trademark grin and Farrah couldn't help the small smile in reply on her lips. Mark was generally such a happy person, and it was truly infectious.
"No, you lot go ahead and enjoy yourselves. I'll pass this time 'round," Farrah said simply.
"Aww, come on Farrah. I wanted to do the bhangra with you," Mark said with a little shoulder shimmy. Farrah couldn't stop the laughter that bubbled out of her. She knew that she could do with a night out with her colleagues who have really become her friends after this trip.
"Nah, you guys head out. We'll get together after this segment gets aired and promise that I'll do the bhangra with you," she smiled as both boys cheered and started bopping to the pop music in the car. Farrah smiled as she watched Rachel, Mark, and Will be silly in the car without a care in the world. She rolled her eyes and joined in on the chorus of Ed Sheeran's 'Shape of You' as they sang and danced in the car headed back to the hotel. In that moment Farrah was relieved of the dread that was coiled in pits of her stomach.
***
It was 13 minutes pass one in the morning when her phone rang. Farrah had just gone to sleep something like an hour ago and answered her phone still groggy.
"Hello?" she rasped out.
"Farrah, you need to come over here right now," she heard a male voice say as the bass thumped in the background.
"What? No, I'm sleeping," she murmured her eyes still glued shut with sleep.
"Farrah...please," the voice continued. "It's Richard."
"Uhummm...,"she slurred sleepily.
"For fuck's sake, Farrah. WAKE UP!" and Farrah's eyes snapped open. She looked at her phone and realized it was Ben calling her.
"Ben?" Farrah cleared her throat and continued, "what happened? Where are you guys?"
"Farrah you need to come here. I'll send you the location, but you need to come here. Right now, okay?" Ben repeated firmly, desperation tinging his voice. "I can't find Richard."
Getting off the bed, she quickly looked for her jeans, as she mumbled a quick 'okay' to Ben. Knowing that she was most probably going to walk into a club, she put on her black skinny jeans paired with her oversized white t-shirt. Quickly putting on her heeled boots, she slipped on her hooded black leather jacket and slung her bag across her body. Not bothering with any makeup, she left clutching her phone tightly as she waited for her Uber to arrive.
She was right, she was heading to a club; La Machine Du Moulin Rouge, it was something like a 13 minutes' drive from where they were staying. As she got into her Uber ride her heart beating wildly in her chest, she calmly told the driver that if he could get her to the club in under 10 minutes, not only will she tip him generously â she'll also leave him a 5-star review. That was all the push that the driver needed as he sped towards the club.
***
Shit, where the fuck can he be? Farrah thought anxiously running her hand through her hair multiple times. The loud music coupled with the jostling of bodies fed into her anxiety. She kept checking her phone to see if either Ben or Rich had texted her but nothing so far.
Fuck this shit! I hate this, I don't want to be here, Farrah thought venomously. She hated the fact that even though she knew he wasn't fine earlier in the evening, she had still left him alone on his request. She should have ignored him and listened to her gut to not leave him alone. And now Richard was hiding out somewhere in this club and it was twisting her insides into something nasty, she felt sick and nauseous.
She walked around a bit more as she hugged her jacket to her body and finally spotted Ben at the VIP area and he didn't look okay. She scowled as she walked up to him, "You found him, didn't you?"
She walked passed Ben and into the lounge. There seemed to be a private party going on in a corner and Farrah knew that was where she would find Rich. She tried to avoid looking over, but she couldn't help herself. She scrunched her eyes closed and tried to even out her breath, she focused on the song that was playing in the club. Oh wait, I know this song, she smiled to herself.
As her breathing relaxed, she opened her eyes and like a moth to a flame; she found what she was looking for. Before she was feeling sick, nauseous even but now it felt like some had lit a match in the pit of her stomach. She felt the sting of the fire all over her abdomen and was suffocating on the fumes as her chest tightened with every inhale.
"He's in bad shape."
That was all she got from Ben and a grimace. That was it, no further explanation of any sort and that sickening feeling in her gut slowly morphed into anger.
"If you knew where he was and how to find him, why the fuck did you drag me all out of my fucking bed to find him?" she raged.
"He's not listening to me, Farrah."
"What the fuck does that even mean? You're his bodyguard Ben; fucking guard his body." She seethed as she turned to leave.
"Please, Farrah. You're his..."Ben trailed off unsure of what to say.
"I'm nothing Ben," Farrah said her voice breaking. "I'm his nothing. Not his colleague, not his friend, not his girlfriend. Absolutely nothing." She continued steeling her voice. "I am absolutely nothing to him."
"He listens to you," Ben added as Farrah scoffed at his proclamation. She kept shaking her head, not wanting to go back in there but she knew she had to. Ben was desperate, and they had a flight to catch later that day. She should just go and get this farce over and done with.
She gritted her teeth and clenched her jaw. Hating herself for being in this position, for being unable to walk away.
Farrah walked back into the lounge and right up to the corner where Rich was. There were empty champagne bottles, rolled up dollar bills and little flecks of white littered all over the table. Although that wasn't what had her in knots, it was the very sight of Richard who looked like he had given up. He had his head tossed back against the couch with his shirt unbuttoned to his chest. It was the two very young, very sexy, women flanking him. One was massaging his crotch and the other had her hand in his shirt. They were both nuzzling into him and he was just sitting there, seemingly unfazed. His eyes were shut and his face was blank of any expression.
It there ever needed to be a depiction of self-destruction, of the spiral into darkness and abandon, or failures of coping, or desolation; this would be it.
You just want attention, you don't want my heart.
How apt it was for Farrah to see him like this with those words resounding through the club, her body, her mind, her heart, her every fiber. She breathed again, trying to calm herself down when she spied a bottle of water next to her. She picked it up, smelled it to confirm it was water and then proceeded to splash it all over Rich and the two young ladies who were with him.
"Leave," she ground out while keeping eye contact with Rich.
The young women seemed like they were about to throw a fuss when Ben quickly swooped in and removed them from the standoff that was brewing between Farrah and Richard.
"Are you done? Have you made your point? Are you satisfied?" she continued in a dangerously low and calm voice.
Richard stared at her, not knowing what to say. Even in jeans, t-shirt, leather jacket and sans makeup; she was still the most beautiful person in the room and rendered him speechless. Every time he looked at her, his heart took a beating.
"If you are done, let's go. There's still work to be done tomorrow before we leave." She said as she turned around and marched out. Not bothering to wait up for him.
By then someone had already alerted the paparazzi and the flashes of the bulb was blinding. Back tracking into the club, Farrah quickly hatched to divert the attention of the paparazzi. Mark was almost the same height and built as Richard; with Richard's hoodie, Richard's beanie, and Richard's huge sunglasses covering half his face, they quickly got Mark into Richard's car. As they sped off, the paparazzi sped off after them. Farrah couldn't believe it herself that the plan had worked. The paparazzi had sped off after the car like mice after the pied piper.
As she looked over at Richard dressed in Mark's Topshop tweed jacket, and her ladies sunglasses, she felt an overwhelming urge to laugh at the ridiculous picture he made. But every time she wanted to say a kind word to him, the image of him in the club flashed in her mind.
She had ordered another Uber car for them, and in silence they headed to the hotel. Once there, under instructions from Ben to not leave Richard alone, she followed him up to his suite â in silence. They walked into the suite with silent footfalls. It wasn't until Farrah sat on the couch that there came a loud crash from Richard's room that she jumped with start.
***
I'm baaaaaaccckkk!!
Happy New Year Guys!!
Sorry, but I took some much needed time but guys...January is seriously kicking my butt already. With so many things piling up one after another, I am just like....'whaaat? this year just started and all this is happening already?
And since most of it is health issues: my lovely friends, send me all your positive vibes. I could honestly use it.
Anyways, before I pass out due to tiredness...how did you find the chapter? Parts of it were pre-written, as in before i even posted the story on Wattpad. Let me know what you think. The chapter is largely unedited as i rewrote most parts of it.
It's pretty amazing honestly to see how your own writing differs the more you write especially if you write everyday, rather than occasionally - when i feel like it.
Also, whenever I picture this scene it always has Charlie Puth's 'Attention' playing in the background. Love it!
Please do share your thoughts on this chapter. Please share, vote and comment! Any and all kinds of support are welcome.
And believe me when I say, that I could really use some kindness today.
Peace, Love and Goodnight guys. xx