After spending some time with Rodrigo, he left for work and Ariana went to a hotel. Though Rodrigo asked her to stay over at his house, Ariana insisted she stays at a hotel instead.
Yvonne would be coming to see her so she'd rather have her meet up in a hotel than her fiancé's house. Besides, she wasn't planning on going back to her family's house. Not yet.
The pang of pain still occupied her chest and she wasn't ready to see them.
Arriving at the hotel, she texted Yvonne the address.
Night descended on the city and Ariana received a text from Yvonne.
"I'm on my way. We're going to party and forget all our sorrows, at least for the night. Dress up okay?".
Ariana bit her lips after reading the text. She wasn't a party person. She preferred solitude.
She'd been so engrossed in the Sterling company that she barely knew how to have fun. She never attended parties unless they were business related. She never went on spontaneous outings or rendezvous.
Her entire life followed a routine. Work,work and work.
A boring life some would say. But Ariana was used to it.
She quickly dashed out of the hotel to a nearby mall to shop for some clothes. She knew if she didn't dress up, Yvonne would tease her.
Returning to the hotel, she clad herself in a gown she got from the mall. It was a black knee length gown that was decorated with rhinestones. It hugged her curves so well it looked like it was made just for her.
Ariana had a mix of emotions. Anger, Sadness and Betrayal and a bit of expectancy. This was the first time she was going to a party that wasn't business related. She didn't know what to expect but she hoped that indeed it would help her get her mind off what her family did.
Yvonne finally arrived. She was dressed in a blue body con gown. Seeing Ariana, she quickly wrapped her in her arms for an embrace. Pulling away, she said "I'm so sorry for what you had to go through earlier today. But now, the sulking ends. A friend of mine invited me to her party at a club. She told me to bring a plus one so you're coming with me. No arguments, no questions. I just want you to have fun tonight okay?".
"Yvonne, I don't know. You know I'm not really great with these parties. I don't want to embarrass myself there" Ariana explained.
"Ughhh... C'mon Ari. You're not going to embarrass yourself. I'd be with you all the way okay?" The girl tried her best to convince Ariana.
"Fine. Let's go" Ariana said making her friend shriek before they exited the hotel.
Loud music was bursting through the speakers making Ariana cup both her ears when she entered the building. "Stay close to me alright?" Yvonne said, feeling like a mother leading her little one through a crowded amusement park.
"What did you say? I can barely hear you" Ariana said taking her hands off her ear.
Yvonne sighed and took hold of Ariana's hand, leading her through the crowd. They finally reached a part of the club that the music didn't threaten to burst their eardrums and had less people.
It was a bachelorette party and it was yet to begin. As they made their way through, Ariana spotted an empty seat and she tugged at Yvonne's arm. "I saw an empty seat. We can sit there quickly before someone occupies it" she whispered in her friend's ear.
"You're such a cute puppy. You can sit there if you are tired. I'd be back, I want to see the bride to be first okay?".
"Don't leave me here" Ariana felt her nerves kick in.
"Don't worry love, I'd be back in a giffy" Yvonne said before slipping away.
"Oh Lord" Ariana said under her breath.
She watched as Yvonne walked away.
"I would've just stayed back."
"Ariana you could have gone with Yvonne" she face palmed.
"What is wrong with me? Calm down".
She inwardly said to herself. Her emotions were a wreck. But she tried to mask it all.
Biting her lips she turned around for what would take her mind off her nerves. She then realized she was sitting close to the bar. "Good evening beautiful. It seems you're at war with yourself and a drink might help. What will you like to have?" The bar tender asked and Ariana's eyes fell on him. He was tall and good looking and surprisingly, it seems he read her emotions like a book.
"Uhmm...a Martini would do" Ariana said trying to mask how uneven her emotions were. She was usually skilled at it but today, she was struggling.
"A martini coming up for the pretty lady" the bar tender said with a smile making Ariana giggle.
Somehow, his presence made her a bit calm.
She chatted with the bartender for a while before asking "Do you know where the bathroom is please?".
"Ohh it's downstairs. Back with the ear bursting music. It's obvious you're not used to a place like this. You're sure you want to go down there alone?" His asked raising a brow.
"I'm a bit drunk now so I think I'd live" Ariana giggled before standing up.
The bartender watched her swaying hips in awe before saying to himself. "The boss is certainly going to like her if she sees her".