Balance (The Balance Series Book 1)

by Janelle Stalder

  Amanda came over around eight so we could get ready together. My bathroom counter was littered with hair products, irons, and make-up. I had teased my hair the best I could so it wouldn’t be flat the whole night and pulled half of it back leaving my bangs swept sideways in the front. I curled the ends a bit and decided that was the best I could do. It would probably get super-hot there, and my hair would look like crap by the end anyway. I did my make-up quickly and got into the dress.

  After observing myself in the mirror, I thought I didn’t look half bad. Did I look twenty-one? That I wasn’t sure of, but there wasn’t much I could do at this point.

  Amanda whistled at me and said I looked hot, which I doubted, but I appreciated the compliment anyway. At nine-fifty we heard a honk from outside and ran out to see a stretch limo waiting for us. My heart started to race as we both walked toward the car.

  I had no idea what was to come.

  We climbed into the back seat of the limo to the cheers and welcomes of everyone that was already in there. Kellan gave me a hug, which was surprising, as I awkwardly mumbled a Happy Birthday. Amanda was quickly introduced to everyone, and then we were on our way.

  “A toast!” said Collin, a huge grin lighting up his face. He pulled out a tray with six shot glasses.

  “So it begins,” said Ashley from beside me. We all grabbed a glass and held it up in the air.

  “To my brother on his big day,” he said, and we all clinked our tiny glasses together. We tossed the drinks down our throats in one synchronized motion.

  As the alcohol hit my tongue, I thought I was going to throw it right back up. The burning sensation as it went down was almost as bad as the taste itself. I could see my face in the reflection of the window and I looked as if someone had just shoved poison down my throat.

  “What was that?” I choked out. The two boys laughed as Collin took the empty cup from me.

  “It was liquid cocaine,” Kellan said, leaning back with his arm stretched out behind Lily.

  Alarm shot through me at his answer.

  “Don’t worry little one,” he said. “That’s just the name of the drink.”

  Everyone laughed and I felt a little embarrassed. The drink seemed to already be making me feel loosened up though, so I shrugged it off. I didn’t drink very often, and never hard liquor, so I would have to be careful.

  “Let’s have another!” shouted Amanda. Collin gave her an approving look and pulled out more glasses.

  This liquor was pink, so I figured I would probably like it better. Anything that was red or pink always tasted good in my books. I thought for a second that maybe I should sit this one out, but I reminded myself that my goal was to have fun tonight, so I grabbed one of the glasses and held it up with everyone else.

  By the time we arrived at the club, all my nerves were gone, and I was ready to go in and have fun. Amanda and I stuck together in case anything should happen at the door. Collin broke us apart and kept one arm around each of our shoulders.

  “Don’t worry, my pets,” he said. “We are well known around town, and if you’re with us, they wouldn’t dare turn you away.” He smiled down at both of us and led the way toward the bouncer.

  He was right, of course. The man barely looked at our IDs before we were ushered into a VIP area at the back of the club. There were four white leather couches surrounding a large glass coffee table, which already had numerous bottles of alcohol and glasses sitting on it. Apparently the Banks life was a luxurious one.

  Amanda and I glanced at each other in pure excitement – this was better than I think either of us had expected. Kellan immediately started pouring glasses of whatever was there, and the amount of toasts that proceeded was more than was probably necessary. They even made one for me, in celebration of putting my foot in my mouth in front of my new boss. I just laughed along with it, and cheered.

  Eventually Amanda and I decided to leave the VIP area and head down to the dance floor.

  “Collin is so hot,” she yelled at me over the music. I nodded my head in agreement. From the attention he had been giving her since we’d arrived, I was pretty sure he felt the same way.

  “I’m definitely going to be all over that,” she said, laughing.

  I rolled my eyes and laughed with her. That was so Amanda. I had to agree however, he was very hot, and seemed to be the nicest one of the three, so she had my full support for her newest conquest.

  The music was great, and by the time four songs went by we already had beads of sweat on our foreheads and backs. We didn’t care though, we were having a blast, and for once I was completely living in the moment. Collin came by after a while and grabbed Amanda for a dance. I was in desperate need of a drink, so I went over to the bar that was right next to the dance floor.

  Due to either the heat or the alcohol, suddenly I was very woozy and unsteady on my feet. A young guy that was the closet to me grabbed my arm to steady me when he saw I was slowly tilting to the side.

  “Are you okay?” he asked smiling.

  I tried to shake my head yes. No, wait, I was supposed to nod. Was I smiling back? I should probably sit down.

  “I think you’re just overheated,” he said. Had I said something to him in return? “Let me get you something to drink.”

  A drink sounded good. I agreed and followed him down the bar to where the bartender was. He ordered for me and passed me the glass. I drank it down quickly and realized afterwards that there had been alcohol in it. That definitely wasn’t what I need. I thanked him anyway.

  As I went to walk away, the boy grabbed my arm and asked where I was going. I looked at him confused, pointing back to where the VIP room was.

  “Aren’t you going to stay here with me?” he asked pulling me close to him.

  The wooziness increased and I tried to push myself off of him.

  A firm arm wrapped around my waist suddenly and pulled me away. I went up in the air easily, finding myself positioned behind a broad back that was becoming frustratingly familiar.

  “I’ll take her from here,” he said. I looked up into his blue eyes, and for once felt relief rather than annoyance. “I think you’ve had a little too much to drink,” he said staring down at me, his eyes flashing with amusement. I felt so horrible I didn’t even bother to ask what he was doing there.

  “I need to go to the washroom,” I blurted out. He took hold of my hand, immediately leading the way.

  Afterwards, sitting in the stall, I felt a million times better. I clearly could not handle my alcohol very well. The coldness of the tiles made me feel a bit recovered, even though they were likely covered in worse things than alcohol.

  I couldn’t believe that Caleb had come after all. Of course I had to be sick, I thought, letting my head fall back against the stall with a groan. Had I really just told him I needed to go to the washroom? I hadn’t even thanked him for saving me from Mr. Grabby Hands.

  I was a complete train wreck.

  Getting up, I tried to fix myself the best I could in the bathroom mirror. Thankfully my hair didn’t look too bad, and my face seemed to have regained some colour after emptying half my stomach. I put on some fresh lip gloss and headed out the door. Caleb was waiting right outside for me, which made me stop in surprise. I had assumed he would have just gone back to the table.

  “Feeling better?” he asked, clearly amused.

  I managed to nod, properly this time.

  “Good. Let’s have you sit down then.” He put his hand on the small of my back and led the way through the crowd.

  I couldn’t help but take notice of the heat on my back where his hand was. My stomach did summersaults again, but this time it wasn’t because of the alcohol.

  “Aw, there she is,” shouted Kellan as we walked up to the others. “How are we feeling, little one?” he asked throwing his arm around my shoulders. Why did he always know every embarrassing thing about me?

  “I feel fine now,” I said, rolling my eyes.

  “Excellent, then y
ou are ready for another drink,” he exclaimed happily, handing me a glass.

  “I don’t think that is such a good idea,” said Caleb, grabbing the glass out of my hand. I looked up at him in shock. Who did he think he was, my father? I grabbed the glass back from him.

  “I said I feel fine, Caleb.” It was the first time I think I had said his name, and it made my stomach jittery. His usual scowl was back, but he held up his hands in defeat.

  “It’s your stomach,” he said, walking away.

  There were two more guys there that I didn’t know, but Ashley seemed to be quite interested in one of them. I figured this must be Liam. He was tall, and broad shouldered with wavy blonde hair. It was as if he had stepped right out of an American Eagle advertisement. His nose was long and narrow, and he had high cheekbones that made his face look very angular. His look wasn’t really my type, but I could see why Ashley liked him.

  The other boy was a stocky, rounder boy with short dark hair and thick eyebrows. His cheeks made him look almost like an English bulldog. Caleb went to sit with both boys, so I figured they must have arrived with him. He didn’t really come off as someone who would even have friends, I thought to myself. He looked at me then, and I realized I had been staring at him. Idiot.

  I let myself get carried away again, and by about one in the morning I was sufficiently wasted. As I stumbled through the crowd alone, I realized I had no idea where anyone else was. I was a mess. Finally I made my way back into the VIP area and noticed that everyone else was gone. I squinted down at the dance floor and saw Amanda and Collin, and Lily and Kellan not too far away from them. Then I happened to notice Ashley by one of the bars with Liam by her side.

  At least they hadn’t left without me. I considered going down to the dance floor, but I didn’t want to bother the two couples, and I was already stumbling enough. A crowded dance floor probably wasn’t the best idea.

  In my drunken state the best idea I came up with was to lie down on the couch.

  Not the best idea.

  As soon as I lay down and shut my eyes the whole world spun. I wanted to get up, and yet my body wouldn’t move. I heard the rustling of fabric as someone knelt beside me. A cold hand landed on my forehead. It felt good. I moaned, squeezing my eyes shut.

  “You need to go home.”

  My eyes opened and looked up at the beautiful blue ones that were staring back, an unreadable emotion in them.

  “Spinning?” he asked, the corner of his lips twitching. I had never seen him fully smile. It was probably breathtaking. My hand reached out as I clumsily traced his lips with a finger. What the hell was I doing?

  I nodded in answer to his question, and to my utter surprise he laughed. He laughed. I jumped at the sound. I smiled like an idiot as I watched him, and then tried to sit up.

  “I’ll drive you,” he said, taking my arm. “My friends can hitch a ride with Kellan. I don’t think any of them are ready to leave anyway.”

  I felt bad leaving without saying goodbye to the girls, but at that point I doubted they would even notice. I sent all three a quick text to let them know I wasn’t feeling well, and that Caleb was going to take me home, so not worry.

  Caleb led the way toward the door as I stumbled behind him. He reached back and grabbed my hand as we squeezed through the other bodies. My heart felt close to bursting right out of my chest.

  We left the club and walked out into the fresh night air. It made me feel a million times better to get out of the stuffy club and take a deep breath. As we walked towards the car, Caleb kept a firm hold on my hand. I didn’t know what to make of this, but my mind wasn’t quite what it usually was. My heart felt as if it would never be able to slow down again.

  When we reached the car he helped me in and got into the driver’s seat. Caleb Banks was actually driving me home, just the two of us. The reality of it all hit me as we pulled away. As the car picked up speed, I could feel my eyes growing heavier. I highly doubted that I would be able to stay awake the whole way home. It didn’t help that he offered no conversation, so the stillness of the car made me even more tired.

  “So did you have fun tonight?” I asked casually. He looked over at me, his mouth doing that twitching thing again. It was as though he wanted to smile but didn’t know how to.

  “Yes I did, and you?”

  “Yeah, but I’m going to hazard a guess and say I won’t feel the same way tomorrow morning.” I tried to stifle a big yawn, and felt my eyes closing slowly.

  “You can go to sleep you know, I’ll watch over you.” He kept his eyes on the road as I bore mine into him.

  Why was he doing this? He didn’t even like me. I wanted to ask him so many questions, but I knew sleep was only a minute away.

  “Why are you so miserable all the time?” I asked, yawning again.

  An actual smile spread across his face.

  I was right – it was breathtaking.

  The air in my lungs lodged in my throat as I soaked him in. He looked almost human when he smiled like that. I couldn’t understand why he didn’t do that more often. He was gorgeous.

  “You act like you hate everyone,” I said. Hello, filter?

  His smile grew wider, but I got the distinct impression he wasn’t planning on answering me. His silence irritated me, but I must have fallen asleep shortly after that, because the rest of the ride was a complete blank.

  When I woke up, it felt as though I was floating, and then suddenly I felt my bed underneath me and my soft pillow on my face. Someone was taking my shoes off. I looked down to see Caleb dropping them on the floor. I sat up. He was in my room. I looked around and realized he must have carried me in here.

  “How in the…?”

  He looked up, surprised to see me awake. “Just go to sleep, Vivian, you’re home now.”

  “I know where I am, how did I get here? How did you get by my parents?”

  He chuckled and pushed me back down on my pillow. “Not to worry, I’m very good at being sneaky. They’ll never know I was here.” He took my covers and tucked them around me, making me feel five years old again. I was still so tired, so I couldn’t muster up the energy to be angry at the whole situation.

  My staircase was quite possibly the squeakiest stairs ever built. There was no way my parents wouldn’t have heard us coming up them. When I was younger, I would use my window to sneak in and out. The roof of the garage was conveniently at the perfect height to lift myself up and through it.

  Caleb wouldn’t have known this, nor would he have been able to lift us both through the opening. The only explanation was the ‘normal’ way of entering one’s home, but I didn’t understand how my parents wouldn’t have heard him. They would have heard the door too, which also creaked – as usual in an older home. I was so confused, and so tired, and so ready for bed. I promised myself I would obsess over it in the morning.

  “Thank you,” was all I got out. He stared down at me for a minute then abruptly got up to leave.

  “Have a good sleep, Vivian,” he said quietly, and left my room, shutting the door silently behind him.

  I tried to listen for him going down the stairs, but I couldn’t hear anything. That, or I was already half asleep and not coherent enough. I was out in less than a minute and slept like a log for the entire night.

  Caleb flexed his hand as he got back into his car. He stared up at the darkened windows of the tiny house Vivian lived in, his mind stuck on the image of her in her bed. Every instinct in his body was urging him to go back in there. Even if it were just to watch over her.

  He gripped the steering wheel, taking a deep breath.

  This was exactly what he had been afraid of. Not only had he touched her, felt her warmth beneath his palm, her small hand tucked in his, but he’d had her completely in his arms as he’d carried her to her room. She’d fitted perfectly against his chest, her quiet breaths easing something inside him.

  The darkness that had filled him his entire life somehow seemed to retreat whenever she
was close by. Having her against him though had practically erased it completely. He’d never felt so light, never breathed so easily.

  The ringtone of his cell filled the small space of his car, bringing him back down to earth. What happened tonight had changed the game – that was certain. But he still had his part to play, no matter. Whether Vivian knew it or not, things were going to be very different from now on. Because, just as he’d suspected, having touching her once had lit a fire inside him that would not be appeased without having more.

  Taking a breath, he grabbed his phone, glancing at the screen before answering it.

  “Father?”

  “Caleb,” Dermot said, his voice drowned out by the noise behind him. His father was at some community event this night, smiling and dazzling the ignorant mortals of this city. “Are you still out with your brothers?”

  “No, I’ve left,” he answered. Whatever had possessed him to actually go out with Kellan and Collin, he didn’t know. His eyes wandered up to the window above the garage. Okay, maybe he did. Obviously his self-control wasn’t as strong as he’d thought it was.

  “Good. I need you to take care of something for me.”

  “Of course. What is it?”

  “I need you to head over to the warehouse and help Cillian with a situation,” he said, the sounds behind him disappearing as he likely walked away from where he could be overheard. “I’d have Cain do it, but he’s busy with something else.”

  “I’m on my way,” he told him. Caleb didn’t need to ask what the situation was. This was what he did. When his father needed him, he was there. He cast one last look at Vivian’s window, a strange unease now slithering into his gut.

  He wasn’t good enough for her, he knew that. He was dark, his soul rotten and black. Vivian was the complete opposite. She exuded light and life. With a shake of his head, he took off, he eyes focused on the night around him.