Chapter 1 - who's that?

“And this is Ethan,” muttered one of the girls, drunkenly pointing out someone from a crowd of twenty-somethings who had just walked over.

Everything and everyone fell into the background. Mel had never seen a man so handsome in her whole life; toned as could be, with perfect blonde hair styled into a loose knot at the top of his head. The man smiled and shook her hand, making Mel’s stomach flutter and then shatter into a thousand pieces.

“Hey,” Ethan smiled charmingly, before turning towards another girl at his side, as if for Mel’s benefit. “This is my girlfriend Heather,” he announced, trying to be heard over the club’s loud music.

Of course he was taken, Mel huffed, unheard above the noisy surroundings. Men like Ethan were always taken! But as she watched the man’s girlfriend step forwards, Mel’s mind began to suspect that maybe Ethan was playing some sort of trick on her, for surely this could not be his girlfriend? She was too sullen and grumpy looking, awkwardly shaped and dressed in clothes that were way too small for her. Under an impressively large chest, protruded a very definite pot belly, and although she tried to dress smartly, there was no denying that the girl was kidding herself about her weight; still trying to squeeze into a dress that was at least two sizes too small for her.

Ethan smiled proudly and placed his strong hand on the bulbous rear of his supposed girlfriend, as if incredibly proud of her. But his girlfriend, Heather, simply nodded, seemingly only vaguely interested in being here by Ethan’s side. Then she whispered something into Ethan’s ear before the sexy man had to make some weak excuse for why they both had to leave once again.

“Is that really Ethan’s girlfriend?” Mel asked Jenny, one of the girls she was with that night.

Jenny looked amused by the question. “For now,” she nodded, as if holding something back.

“What do you mean by that?” Mel pressed.

“Oh…” Jenny sighed, rolling her eyes. “You just need to sit back and watch with Ethan, really. He lives his life very different to the rest of us.”

Mel couldn’t hide the confusion from her face. “But I don’t get it. He’s so good looking!”

Jenny was taking a sip from her cocktail when she did a double take. “You think Ethan is hot?” she asked, as if shocked. Then she drunkenly patted the other girls they were with. “Girls! Girls” she called out, as if they were back in high school. “Mel thinks Ethan is hot!”

Mel watched as the others started laughing and looking at her sympathetically.

“Oh dear!” chuckled Sally, one of the less drunken of the crowd. “Trust us, you really don’t want to fall for Ethan,” she cautioned, with a sly grin on her face. “The man may be handsome, but…” she looked to the other girls. “Ethan is poison.”

The other girls nodded in agreement. Mel tried to press for more information, but the crowd seemed to find it more amusing to keep her in the dark.

“Just trust us,” was the final word on the matter, before they all headed off to dance.