Chapter 56: Night Out V

Chapter 56: Night Out V "Where did you find her?" Athena asked Sandro as she and Ewan arrived at the parking lot. Her eyes widened in incredulity when she saw her friend in the arms of a subdued Zane. What the hell had happened? She looked at Sandro for an explanation, aware that she wasn’t the only one in this perplexing mix. The reactions of Ewan and Sandro back at the club, when Zane insulted Gianna, made it clear that they too weren’t in the loop about the history between Zane and her best friend. "Right there." Sandro pointed to a shadowy corner of the parking lot. "It turns out that before she came out here, she collected more bottles of alcohol from the bar. She’s really out cold now. The only stroke of luck we had is that none of these ridiculous men followed her or spotted her. It would have made for an entirely different story." Didn’t she know? Athena looked at her friend pitifully. What had Zane done to wreck her this way? Worse yet, what was Gianna doing in his arms? She scowled at Zane. Zane, looking almost innocent—if he didn’t have that "I-just-gobbled-a-box-of-chocolates" expression—lifted his hand in defense. "She wouldn’t let Sandro touch her. I had no choice but to step in." "And why is that? Aren’t you her attacker?" Athena shot back, raising her eyebrows so high she might as well have launched them into orbit. Zane opened his mouth, then shut it as if he was suddenly at a loss for words. "It got me surprised too. She lashed out when I touched her, but when he did, she was calm as crystal. What’s the history between you two? Tell us..." Sando inquired, folding his arms across his chest. Ewan too was curious about his friend’s relationship with Athena’s best friend. Although, he was happy to see Zane strung up by another woman, he couldn’t help but wonder why his friend, a playboy, had suddenly lost his cool. It just never happened! But Zane remained tight-lipped, apparently unfazed by being the center of attention. "Just take her home,"He said after a few beats, causing Athena to scowl in disbelief. A thick pause. "You know what... I don’t have time for this. I’m leaving." Pulling out her phone, she was about to call Aiden for a rescue, but Ewan stopped her. "Don’t worry about that. I’ll drop you both home. I came with my car." Athena furrowed her brows, unsure what to make of this Ewan, who seemed determined to invade her personal space at every turn. Yet she needed a ride, and it was a bit too late to disturb Aiden, even though the latter wouldn’t complain. "Alright, then. Where’s your car?" Ewan pointed to his vehicle a few feet away from them. He hurried over to it, and just as he peered into the window, he noticed his driver was blasting music like it was the last day of summer. Ewan knocked on the window, and the driver instantly jerked, scrambling to roll it down. "Good evening, sir. Are you ready to go home?" He asked, as he stepped out of the car. "Don’t bother yourself..." Ewan pulled out a wad of cash from his pocket. "Take this and go home. I’ll be driving my friends." The driver hesitated for a moment, weighing his options like a game of poker, but seeing that Ewan was serious, he humbly accepted the cash and waved goodbye after greeting the people with his boss. "I’ve never seen you drive. Are you sure I and my friend will be safe with you?" Athena queried, checking out the car. Ewan chuckled at her snide jab. "Well, we will have to find out now, won’t we?" He opened the door, letting Zane gently place a still-passed-out Gianna in the back seat. Zane stood erect, watching Athena, after completing his mission, but Athena ignored him entirely. She wished Sandro a goodnight, and hurried into the back seat—to Ewan’s chagrin. He had assumed she would be sharing the front seat with him... When Sandro shut the door after Athena, he turned to Ewan and laughed. "Chop chop, driver! Make sure the ladies get home safe and sound." Ewan cussed under his breath before shooting Sandro a glare. He then turned to Zane, who looked lost in thought, as if he was deciphering the meaning of life itself. "Are you okay?" Ewan asked, trying to pry into Zane’s complicated psyche. Zane shrugged. "I will be fine. I’ll just miss the twins." He started walking away from them, which left Sandro waving goodbye and a bewildered Ewan wondering what ’twins’ Zane could possibly be talking about. Was Zane drunk? Or had he just inadvertently joined a secret club of two-headed beings? The drive from the club to Athena’s place took less than fifteen minutes. Coming down from the car, Ewan rushed over to help Athena with Gianna, who was still passed out. But when he touched her, Gianna screamed and lashed out again—as if he were merely a fly buzzing irritatingly near her face. Ewan stood stupefied, looking at Athena, who wore a similar expression of confusion. "Can you try talking to her, like whispering into her ear that she’s safe?" Athena nodded and leaned closer to Gianna, whispering sweet nothings into her ear like she was auditioning for the role of a sleep fairy. This time, when Ewan tried lifting Gianna up, she made no sound. If anything, she threw her arms around Ewan’s neck and settled comfortably, as if he were her personal teddy bear. Athena and Ewan exchanged relieved glances before walking into the building. "Which floor do you stay on?" Ewan asked, glancing at the impressive structure as though he were mapping out a vacation itinerary. Athena chewed her lip, considering. "The first floor." Ewan furrowed his eyebrows. "You’re staying on the first floor of the most expensive building in the city? Athena Caddell, you are really something. Your husband must be rolling in it!" Athena coughed, taken aback by his assumption. He thought she was married?