Directions

I knew she was drunk. She had rarely spoken to me in the two months we'd been apart and she'd hooked up with a bigger and better version of myself. But tonight, we stood outside the club and she was pressed against me and I wasn't going to object.

I wasn't the one that wanted us to split and I'd spent the passed two months wanting her back so badly and it was all going to happen right now. She had sticky lips from her lip gloss and they left a mess on my neck. She still used the same shampoo and her fingers held onto my waist. This felt better then before. I'd waited two months for her to be back and I was ready for her taste to be back on my tongue.

"What are you doing?" She squealed.

I took a step back to stop myself from falling and Charlotte had backed away. Her eyes were wide open and her new boyfriend ran to the side of her.

"I said no, Ian." She took another step back and looked at Stuart who was moving in on me. "He dragged me out here, I didn't want him to. I did say no!"

I took a few more steps backwards. "What? I was out here and - "

"Are you saying she's lying?" He stood, several inches over me. I looked up at him, making my legs hold tight. I wanted to turn around and run in the other direction and keep running until I reached the ocean, but he'd catch up with me. He could drive.

A sharp pain shot through my shoulders as I was shoved backwards. I didn't fall down, much to Stuart's disappointed. He wanted me on the floor. His hard knuckles caught my jaw and I felt my teeth rip through my lips as I landed on the tarmac, tearing the skin on my elbows. Another blow to my ribs as he swung his hard trainers towards me.

"Stand the fuck up, Watkins." His words muffled in my ears and I tried. Taking too long, I was grabbed by my t-shirt and lifted off the ground. Placed back on my feet, I struggled to find my balance but once I had, I was knocked straight back down by the fist that had struck me the first time. This time, my cheek caught the ground and took the skin off. Blood dripped from me and people began to move away.

Stuart knelt down beside me. "You go near her again and I'll finish you off." He patted my cheek and went back into the club, Charlotte clutching onto him like I didn't even exist.

After ten minutes, I was still on the cold floor. Night was in full swing and the air was getting colder and colder. I sat upright, holding onto my side that I suspected to have a couple of broken ribs.

This was just the beginning of the worst week of my life and this was only the first encounter with Stuart Richardson.