Something was missing in my life. I had been spending too much time listening to Marissa’s uninteresting stories, and I felt restless. I was bored, bored out of my mind, and I needed a little excitement to balance out my frustratingly mindless days. Amy was great, but Amy wasn’t available. That Rex guy was stuck in my head, and I couldn’t stop thinking about the feeling of his ripped muscles as I ran into him that night. I hadn’t been with a guy since I had moved to Philly, and I found myself imagining his sweating body pressed against mine. I knew I probably wouldn’t do anything, but I resolved to go down to Drake’s that night, and to see if I could find him. I didn’t normally go to bars alone, let alone strange bars in strange cities, but I was at that point. Maybe it was a new low, or maybe it was a new, exciting chapter in my life. Either way, at least I’d get some drinks out of it.
It was a Wednesday night. He probably wouldn’t even be working. Actually, he never said what he did there. I suddenly felt nervous, and realized how crazy my plan was. I wanted to go to the workplace of some guy who ran away from me in the streets in the hopes of stalking him down. It was nuts, absolutely insane. But as Marissa launched into another story about how she found a fantastic top on sale, I resolved to go through with it anyway. I needed something. And maybe Rex could be that something, at least for the night.
Chapter Three
I got home as fast as I could after work, intent on my plan. I ran up my stoop, unlocked my front door, and threw myself into my tiny studio apartment. My bedroom was my living room, which was also my kitchen, and the only separate space I had was my bathroom and shower. Still, it was in a fantastic neighborhood, and so close to work. I kept the place clear of clutter and very neat, mostly because I had no extra room for garbage. I dropped my keys in a small bowl and made my way into my living room slash bedroom space to get changed.
After debating on my outfit for way too long, I finally settled on a black slinky top that showed off my body and high waisted black shorts. I didn’t want to dress up too much, because I had no clue what that place was going to be like, but my guess was not super classy. I put on dark eyeliner and dark eye shadow and pretended like the makeup was a kind of shield, protecting the real me from whoever had taken over my body. I took a shot for confidence, and ran back out into the street.
I flagged a cab, rode it down toward the address I had, and walked the last few blocks. It was a comfortable summer night, but I felt like I was sweating already. My heart was hammering in my chest as I made my way down the dark sidewalk. When I got closer to the block, I kept wondering what I was getting myself into. I had no idea what the neighborhood was like, let alone how friendly the bar would be. The area looked fine, as far as I could tell, and the streets were pretty clean. I felt like someone had taken control of my legs though, and I was only along for the ride. Just to be safe, I pulled my phone out and typed a text to Amy.
Hey girl, I’m at that bar Drake’s tonight. I hit send, and hoped she wouldn’t take it as an invitation to join me. I needed to force myself to do something outside my comfort zone; otherwise, I’d sink deeper into the rut, and fester. But I realized nobody knew where I was, and thought at least someone should have an idea in case I disappeared. Sane people would take that as a sign to turn around and go home, but I was so beyond sanity that I was ignoring my own instincts.
I turned the corner and saw it. Halfway down the block was a green sign with the word “Drake’s” in script. It looked exactly like what I expected. The front door was dirty and peeling, the windows were fogged over from years of smoke and trash, and the sign was yellowing from age. Sketchy dudes hung around outside the front door smoking cigarettes. It was the definition of a dive.
I felt a deep pang of fear hit me hard. I really didn’t know what I was doing. It was probably a safe neighborhood, but who knew what kind of people were inside that bar. If I had to judge based on the guys hanging around outside, it was probably full of thieves and bikers, or worse. My pulse quickening, I forced myself to keep walking toward the door. As I got closer, the guys looked up.