Two weeks before my birthday, my friends surprised me with what is possibly the best birthday present I've ever received. I've been a fan of Disturbed (David Draiman to be more specific) for as long as I can remember, and they were doing a show in Chicago the day of my birthday. When my friends Marie and Cait told me we were going, I was slightly confused, considering I live in a tiny town in Connecticut, and it's nearly impossible to get time off from work. However, the girls had gone to great lengths to buy tickets to the show, airline tickets to get to Illinois, and hotel reservations for the week. Not to mention the fact that they talked to my boss, Karen, about it, and managed to get one of my weeks of paid vacation that week for me. I was going to see Disturbed in their hometown, and I couldn't have been happier.
The week and a half that stood between me and Chicago went by incredibly too slow. Finally the day before I was to leave, my boss let me leave halfway through my shift so I could go home to pack and get ready. As I was packing, I had my music blaring and I was dancing around my apartment…my neighbors must have thought I'd gone crazy. My friends and I caught the early morning flight, and we were off. When we landed in Chicago, all three of us were excited to be there.
"Nicole, can you believe we're here?" Marie shrieked next to me.
"Of course not," I replied back. "But you're the one who put all of this together, and I couldn't be more grateful. Thank you so much!" I gave her a hug as we exited the airport.
We hopped into a cab and went to our hotel to shower and relax before dinner. Even though it was a short flight, the time difference hit us after a little while. We went to a small restaurant near the hotel to get something quick to eat, then went back to the hotel to rest up for the rest of our vacation.
We got up the following day ready to explore the city and have the time of our lives. When we stepped out of the hotel doors, we were more than a little surprised to find it sweltering outside, almost 90 degrees. We decided to overlook the heat and ventured out to explore the city. We went shopping at a few trendy, upscale shops, picking out some cute outfits to wear while in the Windy City. We headed back to the hotel, showered, and grabbed a bite to eat in the hotel restaurant before making our way to the clubs to explore Chicago's nightlife. We immediately found a nightclub that seemed like a lot of fun. We went inside, and the first thing that caught my eye was a very attractive man in the corner talking to two of his friends. He had a clean-shaven head, dark eyes, and talon-labret piercings. Typically, that's not the type of guy I'm attracted to, but there was something about him that I was drawn to. He seemed familiar, but I couldn't put my finger on just why. He looked up to see who had walked into the club, and our eyes locked for only seconds, but it felt like years. In those few seconds I felt a passion in me that I'd never felt before.
'Who is this man, and why is he having this effect on me?' I thought to myself. I pushed those thoughts out of my mind for the time being, and danced my way over to the bar with Marie and Cait. After a few drinks, we found our way to the dance floor. We were having a blast, enjoying the music, just dancing amongst ourselves, when I felt someone come up behind me and wrap their arms around my waist. Marie and Cait looked behind me, gave me a little smile, and continued dancing as two men came up to them, also. Normally I would have pushed this person away, but something told me not to walk away from those arms. When I turned around, I knew why. It was the same man I'd locked eyes with not 15 minutes ago.
As soon as I started to speak, to find out who this intriguing man was, the DJ played a slow song, and I was pulled into an embrace that made my heart race. While we danced in each others arms, I kept getting the feeling I knew him from somewhere, but I still couldn't figure out why. Deja-vu in the worst way!
"So do you have a name, mystery man?" I questioned him.
"Mike. My name is Mike." The words seemed to float out of his mouth, and as soon as I heard that voice, I realized why I thought I knew him. He was very soft spoken, yet very eloquent with his words. When I realized who he was, I wondered if I'd died and gone to heaven.
'Could I really be dancing with David Draiman? Why did he just tell me his name is Mike?' I thought to myself. I figured he had a good reason, so I left it alone.
"Nice to meet you Mike, my name is Nicole," I replied.
"Pleased to make your acquaintance," he said as he kissed the back of my hand. That one moment was more than enough to make my vacation the best experience of my life…little did I know there was so much more to come.
We talked as we danced, learning bits and pieces about each other.