"I left the station straight up midnight
Feelin' lonely, lost and blue
In a trail of blue smoke with my heart broke
I said good-bye to you."
Blue Smoke by Dolly Parton

______

*Hey! What are you doing tonight?*

It's ironic that I receive a text from Melody the exact moment I plan to call her, ready to show her how despiteful I can be with my words. On top of the things I loathe, comes being treated like a fool, and out of all the people I know, she's the one who pulled that stunt.

*Nothing, why?* I text back, stripping of my clothes, ready to wash the lake's water off my body.

*I'm actually considering going to NIGHTS to hang out for a bit. Wanna join me?*

The text leaves me to ruminate over what I could do if I went there. I contemplate giving her the cold shoulder, the way I used to act in the past. But then again, I'm not the same girl anymore. *Sure. When should I meet you there?*

____________

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" Melody's arms immediately engulf me in a tight hug the moment I arrive, injecting a dose of warmth into my glacial, cold-blooded body. I tense even more than I was before, her sudden act of affection taking me by surprise. If she notices how detached I am, she doesn't mention it, withdrawing to pull a shopping bag from the bar. "I know you like to draw, thought I'd give you something that has more room." She beams, hugging me once more.

I feel my emotions being turned upside down, my spleen being rectified to contrition. I came here to affront her, while she was planning to celebrate a late birthday with me. I feel my arms moving on their own, hugging her back, my throat closing up. "Thanks." I smile, pulling back. "You really didn't have to do that."

She shrugs. "That's what friends are for! Not only Dylan can make you feel happy." She winks, and upon her mention of his name, I feel my guard confecting again. "The drinks are on me too! Choose whatever you want." She waves at the bartender to come over.

I let out a titter, feeling unease and guilt inundating me once more. "Whatever you're ordering."

She takes it as her cue to control the night, initiating it with a pair of tequila shots, which we down straightaway, and with the burn, my verdicts and emotions turn to ashes, the cold liquor chilling and warming my stomach at the same time.

With my clashing chords berthed in the back of my mind, I lean back against the stool, and choose to enjoy the night.

After all, we're all flawed.

We're all blue.

I choose to slow down after another shot of tequila, ordering vermouth and soda. Its bittersweet savor mitigates the nauseating burn of the tequila. Not an hour passes, before she starts to beg me to dance with her, but I decline, telling her that I hate dancing. Little does she know about how I love to dance, but only if it's with some specific individual. She hits the dance floor alone, leaving me to sip on my drink as I watch her as she swiftly shoves her way into the crowd, merging in. With her charisma, and adroit, feminine moves, it doesn't take long before the guys trample the air for her.

"Wanna dance?" A gruff voice interrupts.

I don't even bother to look at the intruder, waving him away. "No, thanks."

But he doesn't leave, begetting me to give him my attention, and oh boy, does her seize every single bit of it.

It's him again.

Why do I keep seeing him in every night club?

He meets my astounded, uncomfortable reaction with a smirk, his thick lips curling in a way that makes my stomach queasy, and not in a good way. "I should introduce myself properly then." Chavez says, his eyes dragging down my figure, and even though I'm only dressed in a shirt and a pair of jeans, his eyes still darken, giving away the way he's undressing me in his sick head. He extends one gigantic hand. "Roger Chavez."

I stare at his hand for what seems like a blue moon, before I look up to meet his baleful eyes.

I will not lie and act like a dauntless paragon, because even though I can be free-swinging sometimes, I'm still human, and that guy looks like he's capable of doing innumerous inhuman things.

I eventually put my hand in his, realizing that he won't yield. He sounds like a guy who would lay inimical waste if someone disregards his intentions. His large hand tightens around my small one, and as soon as he shakes it, I pull it back, unable to bear the contact with him. "Candice."

He sits in Melody's place, and I begin to tell him that it's already occupied, but he waves Sam over, piercing him with a gaze that makes Sam's body tense all over. "A Gin Negroni, And see what the lady wants."

My hand immediately goes around my drink. "No, I'm fine."

He eyes my drink with disdain, before he waves Sam away, his eyes staring into mine once more. "Don't be scared, Kitten. I don't bite, un-"

"Unless I want you to? Cliché." I say, feeling insolent all of a sudden. "It's Candice, not kitten."

I expect him to pull out a dagger and cut my smart tongue off, but instead, he throws his head back, letting out a booming laugh. "Very brave." He merely says. "It's a turn on, if you ask me. No wonder why that Trent boy likes you." He says, leaning forward. "But let me tell you a secret. Girls like you don't need boys. They need men who can protect them, not let them hit night clubs alone, among perverts."

Perverts like you?

My hands grip the ends of the stool, fear starting to acutely surface, my skin crawling, and I down the rest of my drink in response. Sam interrupts my agony, bringing the felon's drink, and I take the opportunity to text Logan, pretending to be searching for something in my bag as I type.

*I need you at NIGHTS. Chavez is here.*

Not a minute passes, before I feel the phone vibrating in my bag, and I open it to peek inside.

*Be there in five. Take care and act surprised when u see me.*

I let out a sigh of relief, though my discomposure is not fully ameliorated. Five minutes is a lot to spend with that specimen sitting in front of me, and if there's someone that I need right now, it's Dylan, but since I can't be seen with him in front of Chavez for some occult reason, I'll have to go with Logan.

Chavez motions to my empty glass for a refill, and Sam hastily takes it, looking warily at Chavez, who gives me his revolting attention back. "Why don't you tell me how you met your boyfriend?" He asks, taking a sip of his drink, his eyes trained on me.

I shift nervously in my seat, clearing my throat. "Campus."

He laughs, his crooked teeth showing. "School, huh?"

"Why do you say it like an insult?"

He cocks his head to the side. "It's where kids study shit they don't need."

I choose not to argue with him, changing the subject to something more interesting. "How do you know Dylan?"

His eyes turn to nightmares, his lips curling into a sneer. "He's my sister's boyfriend."

What?

Now I remember why Claire mentioned something about Linda and her brother!

Chavez is Linda's brother!

Wait. Did he just put the sentence in the present?

I choose to play dumb, making my face look neutral. "I didn't know he had a girlfriend."

"She's dead, but he would never dare to date another." He growls.

I nearly fall off my chair. Is that the reason why Dylan has been keeping me low-key?

Suddenly, I feel my cluttered, panicked heartbeats modifying to a sinfonietta. Thinking of Dylan under pressure is something, and being concerned about my well-being is another.

That revelation is supposed to make me evacuate Seattle of any trace of myself; however, it makes me feel more things toward Dylan than I've ever felt before. Things that I've been fighting so hard to conceal, that I almost thought that I won the battle, only for that disclosure to rub out any effort, and make me fall all over again.

Fall?

No no. Absolutely not the right word.

"You okay?" Chavez asks, and I don't notice how close he nighed until he speaks, causing my eyes to widen in alarm.

I open my mouth to speak, but then my rescuer comes in the right time. "Candice?"

My face whips so fast to look at Logan, ready to escape the deadly gaze of the spine-chilling crook in front of me. "Hey!" I squeak, attempting to look taken aback.

"Are you with Trent?" He asks.

"No! I was about to leave though." I hastily say, grabbing my bag.

He looks at Chavez, acting surprised to see him. "Chavez." He nods.

Chavez nods back, fixing Logan with a hard look, which doesn't affect Logan one bit. Logan turns back to me. "I'll drive you then."

I don't care if I look suspicious, I still quickly jump off the stool, eager to leave Chavez behind. "Sure! I'll say goodbye to my friend." I say, striding toward Melody.

I do my best to fabricate a lie to convince Melody that I have to go, without leaving any rancor between us to grow.

The moment I abscond the place by Logan's side, I emit an exhale, finally feeling relieved. "I can't believe that guy." I say as I climb into Logan's car. "Thank you for coming. I can't even contemplate what would've happened if you didn't come."

His grave expression doesn't alter one tad. "Tell me what happened."

And I do just that, not leaving a particle out. He doesn't say anything, not as I speak, and not after I finish. Minutes later, he stops, and I don't notice where we are until I step out of the car. "Why did you bring me here?" I query, looking at Dylan's building with a lower.

He doesn't answer, pulling open the elevator door for me. We climb in silence, and I don't ask him again, sensing bad vibes approaching. He's the one who knocks on Dylan's apartment door, his gray eyes astute. It doesn't take long before Dylan opens the door, and he doesn't get the chance to react before Logan's fist flies, colliding with his jaw.

I gasp, falling a few steps back, my eyes flying to Dylan, whose face is drained of any signs of pain. Instead, there's a lethal look on his face, one that I've never seen before. He tries to deliver a punch back, but then Logan dodges it, bringing his face closer to Dylan. "Why don't you land that fucking punch on Chavez's face, who's been harassing Candice for God knows how long at Nights?" He slurs through gritted teeth, watching Dylan's face as it.contorts in horror. "Oh! You can't. You don't want to disobey your kong, like the little pathetic puppy you are."

Dylan doesn't even retort, his face looking so white, as if he just saw a ghost. Logan goes on. "If you can't protect her, let her go, but not before you fix the shit she's nose deep into." He turns to me, his face softening. "Call me whenever you need help." He finally offers, before he strides out of the door, slamming it shut behind him.

Tick, tock.

Tick, tock.

Two seconds are all that pass, before a maelstrom strikes.

He moves so fast, grabbing a vase, before he hurls it against the wall. The piercing sound makes me recoil, even though it's far from where I'm standing. The vase follows another, before he runs out of them, picking the empty beer bottles that bosom the couch, shooting them around like a madman.

I watch the angry scene unfold, my heart beating so fast, not in fear, but in concern.

He has always been unshakable, and now I'm watching him as he loses every bit of control.

He eventually stops, before he turns to look at me, his face red with ineffable lividity. One moment he's meters away from me, and the next he's stalking toward me. I'm not scared of him, but I instinctively move back, my back hitting the wall. He halts, his chest heaving. "Why didn't you call me instead of him?" He asks, his voice barely audible.

I struggle for words at first, swallowing hard. "I'm not an idiot. I didn't want to put you in trouble with him."

I don't know how he manages to do it, but he goes from zero to ten in a split second. "You think I care?" He yells, and if it weren't for the wall behind me, I would've fallen back from the impact of his loud voice. "You think I fucking care if he hurts me?" He slams his fist against the wall next to my head, causing me to flinch. "You think I'm protecting myself by avoiding you? Is that what you think, Candice?" He lets out a harsh laugh. "No, Candice. You're an idiot if you think so."

He tries to withdraw, but I grab his hand, my eyes fixated on his angry, bleeding knuckles. "You've hurt yourself."

"I don't care about that either." He slurs. "I don't fucking care about pain and danger, as long as it's directed at me."

"What do you care about then?" I cross my arms.

He doesn't answer my question. "Out of all the people you could've called, you called Logan. Fucking priorities." He slaps the wall this time, but I don't flinch, expecting anything from him now. "Do you like him, Candice? Is that why you called him? Does he make you feel safe?" The way his face is contorted in anger and hurt at the same time tears at my heart.

I shake my head. "Stop with the jealousy act! It's nothing like that!"

"I'm not jealous!" He yells.

"You're not?" I challenge.

"Fuck no!"

"Fine! I'll admit it then! I like him. He makes me feel sa-"

"Shut the fuck up, Candice! Shut the fuck up!" He grabs my arm, shaking me repeatedly.

"See?" I say, a victorious smile taking over my face. He steps back, falling silent. I watch as he tries to catch his breath, before I advance closer to him, looking into his hazel eyes. I don't know what drives me to do it. Maybe it's the need to assure him that he's the only one I want. Maybe it's because I need to do it, but the moment I close the gap separating is, I step onto my toes and brush my lips against his, my hands cupping his red face.

He doesn't react at first, as if conflicted, before he becomes fervent, his hands immediately pulling me against him. His hands move all over my body, as if not sure where to position them, like he wants them everywhere. The kiss become urgent, like we're fighting for the next breath. He hooks my legs around his waist, pinning me against the wall, his mouth so desperate. "I'm so bad for you." He gasps between kisses.

Just as he starts to move his raging erection against me, I pull back, panting. "We need to talk first." I say, and he wheezes in disappointment, helping me to my feet.

"He's her brother." I state, as if he isn't already aware of that.

He nods, not caring to ask who provided me with that piece of information.

"Why can't you be with anyone else? I mean, it's not your fault she committed suicide! Why are you letting him control you like that?"

He frowns for a second, looking at with an amused smile. "Not my fault, huh?" He asks, before he bursts into laughter.

"What?" I ask, my heart picking up speed anew.

He looks at me, his eyes suddenly devoid of any emotion. "No, Candice. It's all my fault. I'm the reason why she's dead."