Chapter 1
“This is the last call”, the bartender said as he passed the beer to me with a tired frown on his face. I placed my finger at the edge of the cup instinctively, and played with the bubble that formed above the beer.
“You are not going to drink that, are you?” Said a voice beside me. It was bold, thick and assertive and made me turn my head to the side. There, an older man sat in his business suit and had perfect grey hair. He had a smirk on his round face with an eyeball so dark, it almost sparkled.
I know men like this. I've dated one in the past, and it definitely didn't end well. I was not ready to entertain another one again.
“I'll drink it when I want to,” I replied dismissively.
“Nah,” he protested. “I know that reaction. You're not trying to get drunk. You're just stalling,” there was a conclusive tone to his speech that made me curious.
“And why would I do that?”
“Because you have nowhere to go,” I was shocked. I have never felt so bare before a man before. It was almost like he could reach into my soul.
The truth is that this was my first night in New York City. I ran away from home because of my family issues and I thought I could seek asylum with my childhood friend who lived there.
But since I've traveled down here, I've been trying to reach out to her, but her number was not going through.
I don't know anyone or anywhere. I have nowhere to sleep. That was why I went into the bar, hoping that she would call me soon, and I would be out of the bar before it got too dark. But now, the bar is closing, and she is nowhere to be found. I can't help but think that I have been ghosted.
“How would you know that?” I asked him. I was now, more intrigued than ever, to hear his explanation.
“I used to hang around bars when I was young. I had just got to the city and I didn't have anywhere else to go. I could only afford the motels at night, so when I go looking around for jobs during the day, I always come down here to wait it out,” he explained.
“Well, that's nice, but I'm waiting for a friend.”
“You sure that friend is going to show up?” He kept on barging. I turned towards him with disdain. I really just wanted him to leave me alone at that point.
“Look, I'm just trying to help,” he said. “I know a pretty good hotel you can stay around here for the night,"
“Oh! So that was what he was getting at”, I thought, and almost like he could read my mind, he replied.
“No. Not like that. I just want to help. You know, I was once like you, so I don't want to leave you stranded here like people did to me in the past,” he clarified. Suddenly, he caught his own tone and just stood up.
“You know what? Never mind,” he said. ”Forget I asked.”
And so he turned to leave. I pondered on it for a second. This was the only chance I was ever going to get if Arianna didn't show up. I can't just let it slide.
“Wait,” I said. “Where is this hotel?”
**********************************************
The streets of New York were cold tonight and the armless blouse I wore betrayed my skin as the cold rapidly got to me.
“Are you alright?” He asked as we waited for a cab just outside the bar.
“Yeah. Just a little cold,” I replied. Then, he took off his suit and placed them on my shoulders with his hands free.
“Thank you,” I muttered. He merely smiled. Maybe I had read him wrong the first time. Now that he is without the suit, his muscles feel more defined in the white shirt. His well sculpted face shines in the late night and his shoulders…
“No” I cautioned myself. I've promised myself that I wasn't going to do this again. I came to New York on a mission. I needed to focus.
He finally found a cab and hailed it. We entered inside and he gave the direction of the hotel to the driver. It wasn't long before we got to the hotel and he fulfilled his promise. He got a room just for me in one of the luxury suites and handed the key to me.
“I guess my work here is done,” he said. But I didn't want him to leave. I didn't want to be alone just yet.
“Can you just walk me to the suites?” I asked.
“Sure. Lead the way,” he replied. And so we walked down the luxurious corridors in silence. I noticed that for most of the night, we haven't had much discussion. I don't know anything about this strange samaritan.
“What's your name?” I asked.
“I'd rather we don't exchange names,” he said.
“Why?”
“Because… Think about it. It's just for tonight. New York is a big city. We may never cross paths again. What's the need for all that? Let's just enjoy each other's company and call it a night,” he replied and I smiled.
“I must confess,” I said. ”I wasn't sure of your intentions when I first saw you. I have a problem with men in suits,”
“Heartbreaks?” He asked.
“Heartbreaks,” I responded.
“Well, I hope I've done my part in renewing your hope,” he said. We were finally by the door to my room so he stopped.
“So, this is where I say goodbye,” he said but he didn't leave. We both stood there for a second, silent again. Then, out of nowhere, I drew myself closer and kissed him passionately on the lips. I pushed myself back almost immediately, but the deed was done.
I couldn't resist it any longer, so when he moved forward and kissed me deeper, I submitted into his wide shoulders. I wrapped my hands around his neck, fiddling through his wide neck and his hands played around my waist.
I swiped my room card on the door and didn't bother to look as the door opened. He carried me in his wide
arms and invited himself inside.
“Oh! God,” I thought.”What am I doing?”
