I backed up slightly, as the guy leaned in to me again. I could smell the alcohol from here, so I knew that he was completely off his face without even looking at the gigantic dopey smile on his face, or listening to the crap he was spouting.
"You really do have a pretty chin", he slurred, placing his hand on my arm.
"Yeah…Thanks…" I gave a smile that was probably closer to a grimace and wished that the queue for the cloakroom would hurry up so I could get out of this club and forget this awful night. Men had been hitting on me all night, grabbing my hands and trying to dance with me, 'accidentally' grazing my ass. One guy followed me around the dancefloor trying to grind on me, before I hid in the bathroom and lost him.
This guy leaned in closer and whispered in my ear, "I'm Mike." I stepped back again, while nodding and trying to avoid his gaze. Why couldn't some guys take a hint? I sighed, disappointed by the entire night. I had come with my best friend for her birthday, but she was the only person I knew there, and clubs weren't really my scene anyway. To make matters worse, all of her guests were paired up, and I was the seventh wheel. I felt lonely and in the way, but I couldn't leave for fear of hurting her feelings. And now this guy – Mike – couldn't even let me get my coat in peace.
I leaned against the wall and closed my eyes. I should have just gone and talked to someone else. I should have made some new friends, and then maybe I would have enjoyed the night. But I'm painfully shy, and can't seem to shake the impression that I'll only be bothering people if I go up and introduce myself…People never seem to stick around me for long, I can't help but think that they're better off if they're not my friend.
I jumped, and my eyes shot open, when I felt an arm slide across my back and wrap around my shoulder.
"Why don't you and I go somewhere and get to know each other better?" Mike winked suggestively, and I shuddered.
"Um…I don't think my boyfriend would be too happy with that so –" I was interrupted as Mike pushed me up against the wall.
"Listen honey, I've been watching you all night and I know you're not here with a boyfriend. So don't try any of that crap on me."
My eyes widened and I shrank back against the wall. Before he had been annoying, but this was getting creepy. He had been watching me? I was very uncomfortable with the position he had me in and I looked around frantically for some way out.
Just then, a flash of bronze caught my eye. I looked to my right and saw a tall, fairly built guy walking in our direction. A glance at Mike's angry face, which was far too close to my own, made me swallow my nerves and my shyness. I wriggled out from Mike's grasp and reached out of this guy as he passed. I tried to convey all my apologies on my face, while I pleaded with him with my eyes to just go along with what I was about to try.
"There you are! I haven't seen you all night!" I slipped an arm around his waist, pulling him into the queue beside me. I stood up on tiptoe to kiss him on the cheek, whispering to him as I did so.
"I'm so sorry. Please help me."
I looked at him as I stepped back, and he gave me an almost imperceptible nod. I smiled in relief and turned back to face the front of the queue. But after a few seconds I felt hands on my ass, and I knew they belonged to Mike. I jumped and turned around, glaring at him, preparing to give him a piece of my mind. But the bronze-haired boy stepped in front of me, arms crossed.
"I suggest you keep your hands to yourself, unless you want me to hurt you," he said in a quiet musical voice.
"Dude, it's a free country! I don't know what you have to do with it, but, look, I got here first. So why don't you just back off and let me get back to my piece of ass!"
I barely had time to feel shocked at this before Mike was on the ground, clutching his nose and groaning. The crowd around us gasped and backed up, but the boy who had just stepped in to protect me, the boy who had just punched a stranger to defend me simply turned me around and brought me to the front of the cloakroom queue. We got our coats and went out the door together.
"Thank you, you didn't have to…thank you. I'm Bella."
I smiled up at him, looking into his very green eyes. He gave me a crooked smile back, and my heart fluttered.
"I'm Edward. It's a pleasure to meet you."