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abusive; calling me a bitch and saying I wasn’t
good enough for him. He obviously didn’t enjoy being turned down.
     
    We
dance for a few more songs before Hannah and I head back for a drink leaving
Sasha dancing with some friends of hers. Matt is standing close by to our table
talking to an older dark haired man and beautiful girl, her blonde hair pulled
back into a neat bun, her makeup done to perfection which makes it a little too
obvious that the look was completed by a professional makeup artist and an
elegant neck line on show with her halter neck dress. She’s  flirting with Matt
and makes it too obvious, unnecessarily laughing and touching his forearm, her
eyes never leaving his face, even when the other man seems to be talking.
Irrational annoyance begins welling up inside of me.
    I
sit and finish off my glass of champagne before looking at Hannah who is
watching me. She signals the waiter and gets him to top our glasses up with
wine. We both thank him at the same time as he walks away.
    “Tonight
has been so much fun,” Hannah smiles at me and I nod in agreement. It was fun
until the blonde bombshell appeared, I wish that she would just disappear and
leave Matt alone. I have my back to them so I can’t see if she is still
flirting with him which is driving me crazy but at the same time I’m glad I
can’t see because the thought alone makes me feel sick.
    As
if Hannah can read my mind she moves closer to me and whispers; “You are so
much better than her, Case.” With a little wink she sits back and takes a sip
of her wine.
    “There
is no comparison.” I shrug my shoulders.
    “Have
you seen the way that Matt looks at you? He looks like he is going to pounce at
any minute.” Hannah states.
    “I’m
sure that he is looking at her the exact same way, Han.”
    “Can
I sense a little bit of jealousy here, Casey Phoenix?” Hannah asks, her voice
is high pitched like she is struggling to believe what she is saying. “You
never get jealous.”
    “Jealous?
Me?” Is that really what I am feeling, jealousy?
    Hannah
doesn’t say anything, she just laughs. She knows me too well, that I don’t get
too involved with men to let myself have the opportunity to ever consider being
jealous. It’s just a no go for me.
    Before
I know it Matt is sitting beside me and I glance over my shoulder to see if
Blondie is still around and she is nowhere to be seen. Bonus, Hannah excuses
herself and heads back over to the dance floor.
    “You
okay, babe?” Matt’s eyes wonder down my body, to the slit in my dress and back
up to my face.“Yes I am fine, thank you.” I hate that name, Darren used to call
me and every other girl ‘babe’. Probably so he didn’t get our names muddled.
Prat.
    A
wide smile takes over his face and butterflies start going crazy in my stomach.
    “Are
you sure?” He asks knowingly.
    “Yes
I’m sure. Where’s your date gone?” I ask sarcastically and he starts to laugh
and shakes his head.
    He
finishes his whiskey with one mouthful before placing the glass back on the
table. Not once does he take his eyes from my face and it intimidates me a
little.
    “My
date? You mean Laura?” And I nod repeating her name in my head. ‘Laura and
Matt’ doesn’t have a nice ring to it, but ‘Casey and Matt’ sounds promising.
    He
playfully raises an eyebrow at me. “I didn’t think you would be the jealous
type.” He laughs.
    “I’m
not jealous. I’m just curious where she went, that’s all.” I act unbothered and
knot my fingers
    together
in my lap, watching a group of people over from us, I avoid making eye contact
with Matt.
    “She
is the daughter of Peter Kirby. Do you know who he is?” Matt asks.
    “Yes
I know of him.” Peter is a well-known retired sportsman who now has a large
business empire; he normally attends functions like this but obviously sent his
daughter along in his absence. I have only met him once or twice but he seemed
friendly enough.
    “She
came across to