Life can be so rude. Snatch us from the known and familiar and without preface hurl us into a place that isn't any of those things. Like an unsuspecting pet shop mouse being plucked from the only home it's known, taken away to be pampered, spoiled, and treated like a King of Mice... or fed to a snake.
I was that mouse.
I was growing bored with this town, the same faces, and the same conversations. Perhaps it was time to move on, to continue searching...for what, the meaning of my life? It remained out of my reach, beyond my field of vision and I sank into an inescapable funk.
I had planned a two week vacation to England, to visit with family, catch up with friends, but my car died leaving me with a massive repair bill and two weeks of nothing but time. Could I mope around for that long? Hmm, I think I could. I was already off to a good start.
Moping or not, I could not stay in and listen to my roommate's chatter - I showered, dressed in my favorite shredded jeans and silk top and bunched my hair on my head with a clip. A little make up and... I couldn't be bothered. I flopped on my bed and watched the ceiling fan's wobbly rotations.
My phone rang. I reached for it without breaking my stare. "Hello?"
"Hey." A long draw and stunted cough " Whacha doin'?" It was my cute, stoner neighbor.
I'm actually
staring
at a fan, pitiful. "...I'm just heading out".
"Come by later?"
I wasn't interested. "Yeah, maybe...see ya later."
This just wouldn't do. I
had
to get out. I grabbed some music and headed for our 'Cheers' where everybody knows your name and every other little detail.
I was greeted at the door by our bouncer come cover charge collector. I never saw the need for either here.
"Hey" I gave him a little smile.
"Hey Katie" he popped the clip from the top of my head and dropped it into my hand. "Better."
"Thanks Mom." My dark hair fell heavily down my back and was swept up by the warm air pushing its way from the bar.
The air swirled around me, sizzling with sensuality, caressed my arms and tickled the small of my back. Every cell in my body synchronized their vibrations with the one moving around me. I felt alive...
really
alive, as though the meaning of my life lay here. In a....
bar
. The overwhelming sensation left no room for disappointment.
I looked up and my eyes locked with a stranger's across the room. I couldn't look away and he held my stare. Eternity passed within a few moments.
I felt disoriented and flushed and quickly turned to the bar to hide my reaction and recover.
Ken popped the top off my favorite beer and pushed it across the counter. "Hey," he threw a curious look over my shoulder, "what the fuck was that all about?"
I gave him my 'I dunno' shrug avoiding eye contact and raised the bottle "Thanks". I took a long swallow and was grateful for the sobering chill it brought to my throat and chest.
I was picking at the beer label attempting to gather my composure when Aiden slipped his arm around my waist. He was a doctor on my floor and had a 'thing' for me but never let it get in the way of our friendship.
"Bitch," he gave me an overly lingering hug.
"Whore," I kissed his cheek and loosened his grasp.
"Flying solo tonight?... Come on, my cousin wants to meet you." He spun me around on the bar stool.
Our eyes met again. He smiled. He was Aiden's cousin. My freshly gathered composure scattered beyond my reach. It wouldn't have mattered that Aiden was aiming me towards him, steering me with a possessive arm. I had to be near him,
needed
to be near him. We extended hands towards each other as Aiden introduced us. It seemed a ridiculously formal gesture, perhaps just an excuse for physical contact.
The moment our hands touched I had a hundred flashes of him kissing me, touching me, licking me... Every cell in my body was singing like Vitas' il dolce suomo. I was losing my balance. I blinked hard. My hand was still in his, my face was on fire, my hair was sticking to the back of my neck. What the fuck indeed.
"I'm sorry... I must be coming down with something" a weak and breathless attempt at explaining my behavior.
His brow crinkled over intensely green eyes, "You look feverish." He smiled and bent to speak against my ear as he turned me towards the door, "breathe." His voice was deep and mellow and sounded like home, like London. He held my arm as though I were about to collapse. Vitas was reaching his crescendo, I was shattering into a million shards of crystal.
The girls that had encircled him glared as he abandoned their group. If looks could kill I would have suffered a long and painful death.
"Why'd you have to bring her over here Aiden?"... "I'm a masochist". Their voices blended with the music as we stepped outside.
His hand rested lightly on my lower back as we walked into the parking lot. I was quite a bit shorter than he and he altered his stride to walk with me.
His touch was distracting me, clouding my mind. What was I doing with this stranger? I stopped abruptly. "I'm sorry, I didn't catch your name"
He had the most delicious, disarming smile. "Ian. Feeling better?"
I nodded, "I don't know what..."
"You just needed a bit of fresh air. Thank you for rescuing me from that lot", he looked back towards the bar "...they're all yours Aid."
"Aiden is in his element."
"Hmmm, I'd rather thought he was after you"
"Me?.. Um... I don't know... we're just friends." Was I trying to reassure him? Why?
"...and the bartender? He seemed to be a little more than chummy."
"Ken? My 'therapist'?"
"Do you always peel the labels off of your therapy?"
I nodded and laughed.
"So, why did you come out here with me?" his eyes twinkled in the moonlight.
"I... you kind of pushed me" I accused.
A smile tickled the corner of Ian's mouth, "You didn't want to get out of there?"
"I didn't say that".
