Consequences

Go With Me Tonight

Go With Me Tonight

“Hey, Rae!,” followed by endless knocks at her door, “Rae! Wake up!” Avery was always overly excited about something when she was in a rush to wake up Rae. “Go away! I'm trying to sleep!” she mustered from beneath the pillow. Thinking that those words were enough to stop Avery and her annoying excitement, but she would be wrong when Avery burst into her room. Flinging herself onto Rae's bed she had started to shake her awake. “Rae, damnit!”, she walked over and opened up Rae's curtains wider bringing in more light, cutting all ties from her trying to fall back to sleep. “Avery, when someone tells you to go away, it actually means that they want you to go away!” As Rae shot evil eyes at Avery, she showed no hesitation. She plopped back down on the bed, laying next to her, “We are going out tonight.” Rae sat up trying to wipe what sleep was left in her eyes, “Why?” Rae started to wiggle from under the comforter, “Xander's band is playing at a venue in town tonight. He wanted me to go... and I want you to go,” she smiled with a s**t eating grin, and batted her lashes. Rae just shook her head and headed to the bathroom. Rae knew that it was going to be complex on keeping her distance from Xander, since he was dating her best friend, and best friends tend to always do things together, it was going to become harder and harder to come up with excuses of why she didn't want to hang out with them. “Do I have to?” she didn't realize that she had said those words out loud. Avery pushed open the bathroom door, and gawked at Rae sitting on the toilet. “Of course! He's going to be on stage and I need my best friend at my side. Why wouldn't you want to come? Do you not like Xander? When you guys are together, you both seem fine. So, what's the deal Rae?” Avery was shooting off questions like a firing squad. Rae just took a deep breath, and exhaled. This is exactly what she was afraid of, the moment she didn't want to do something Avery would immediately think it was because of the most recent flavor she had acquired that month. “I have work though Avery,” Rae shot back, flushing and making her way back to her bedroom. Avery started doing her swaying dancing thing again, “Already worked that one out girl. Duke and Roma! Duh!” To not start an additional argument between them, Rae gave in and just agreed.

After going over a long list of rules and directions for Roma and Duke, Rae was still dreading this evening. She hadn't been out to see a band play in about five years, stopping for the simple fact that the flashing lights and the volume of the music made her nauseous. Avery had taken it upon herself to dress Rae up in something gothic punk. Avery stepped out of her room with a black and white checkered tank top with a super mini skirt to expose her thigh high fish net stockings. A collection of decorative chains hung from the loops of the skirt, but Rae laughed because it sounded like bells ringing as she walked. Her make up was dark and her skin was pale, which was outside of her normal attire and style. But Avery was like a chameleon, she was always able to blend into any and every style that was popular. Avery was nice enough to keep Rae's comfort level substantial. She had black and gray plaid pair of tight pants, and a white t-shirt top. The special accessories of black suspenders and black wedged heel boots made the outfit all more complete. Avery had also paled Rae's skin and darkened her eye and lip shades. “I am totally out of place in this Avery,” Rae stated while looking at herself in the mirror. Avery squeezed her shoulders, and whispered in her ear, “You got this, and you look great Rae. Now lets beat feet and get on our f*****g way!”

The punk/metal scene was never really one of her favorites. The overwhelming crowds of people, on top of the mosh pits of tossing, throwing, punching, kicking, and stomping still didn't make things sound appealing. The Vortex, was a bar on the out edge of town. San Clemente tried it's best to cater to all walks of the world, and the Vortex was a place where all the rejects fit in. The interior of the bar smelled of skunked beer and stale cigarettes. The walls were adorned with faded band posters, stickers, dollar bills, phone numbers, and the festive display of bras hanging from the ceiling. It made a woman feel like she truly was at home. Every corner of the place had a different group of “freak” or outsider. There were of course the long haired, t-shirt wearing metal heads, who worshiped every hard core heavy metal band from Devil Driver to Cannibal Corpse. Then the spiked hair anarchists who despised order and promoted individual freedom especially in expression. The spiked red and black mo hawks, leather pants, studded collars and wristbands gave them their individuality. Which left the goths looking so pale and tragic sitting in the corner of the bar. Usually dressed in solid black or different shades of the color in whatever period style clothing that called to them, whether in their actual lives or their vampire personas.

As they made their way over to the bar, Rae focused on the smudged stamp on her wrist. It resembled a pentagram in a blood red color. Avery had ordered themselves beers, and as the bottles caps were popped off, she was excusing herself to go see if she could find Xander. Rae was never surprised to be left alone, Avery had a tendency of disappearing to do something she knew that Rae would never approve of. Rae took it upon herself to send Roma and Duke a group text, checking in to make sure the four walls of the restaurant were still standing, and that neither of them had killed one another. The delayed response was starting to concern her, and almost as though Roma and Duke could feel it, they both responded back at the same time, “All is well”, is the response she received from Duke, and “Everything is under control, is the response she received from Roma. This did settle the uneasy feeling that had been growing inside of her. As she reached for her bottle of beer and taking a swig, Rae felt an arm snake around her waist which caused her to tense up once again. Fearing that she had acquired the attention from an unknown stranger, that is until she heard that deep raspy voice whisper in her ear, “I didn't think you were going to make it here tonight.” He was so close, his warm breath sent a shiver throughout her body as it tickled the hair on her neck. She felt a small smile creep up on her face, “She didn't really give me a choice.” Rae finally turned to face him, pushing his arms and hands off of her body, again having to face the fact that it was going to be hard not to drool over his appearance, as much as she hated to admit it. Seeing more of his body now had started to thrust a warm feeling between her legs, but also the naughty things they could do together behind closed doors. His leather pants were low enough in the front that outlined the “A” shape contouring his sides, his bare chest was practically hairless but sculpted an indication that he had been working out over the last few years. His eyes were outlined in the blackest liner she had ever seen, and the devilish smile he was sporting was proof that he knew she was checking him out. “What dirty thoughts are you thinking?”, he said with an evil smile. As he took a step closer to her, an overly excited scream echoed through the place, Avery had found him. She immediately wrapped her arms around him and showered him with kisses, cutting in through the small space between where Xander and Rae were standing.

“You found him, I was looking for him everywhere,” she continued to thrust her tongue into his mouth, practically cutting off his air supply. There was an uncomfortable silence that had emerged, and Rae was smart enough to grab her beer and make her way to a dark corner of the room. It was her best bet if she stayed hidden in the shadows, because as she watched Avery lead him backstage, she saw that Xander was still looking around attempting to find her throughout the crowd. Rae had thought she was alone, “I've never seen you here before...” His voice was deep and animalistic which scared Rae, but at the same time it turned her on. Afraid to turn around and look at him, she stood her ground and never moved at all. “I have an empty seat next to me...” At that moment she glanced over her shoulder, staring at one of the hottest men she had ever laid eyes on. That was the very first thing that she looked at were his eyes. The lightest shade of grey with a dark blue outline hidden beneath his thick dark eye brows, which tended to be the only thing distracting from his chiseled jawline, pointed chin, and thin lips. His hair was dark, almost black in color, strands of it just dangling in those light hypnotic eyes. He was mysterious and sexy, something that Rae needed to keep her mind off of Xander. “Well, are you going to sit and keep me company?”, she heard that deep voice said again.

She turned and faced him with a wicked side smile. She felt his eyes creeping up and down her torso, as though he was calculating what she looked like beneath her clothes, and whether or not she was worth the time and effort into trying to do anything with her. She slowly approached him, and watched as he patted the empty cushion at his side, staring at the silvery rings that adorned his fingers and the silver bracelets that dangled from his wrist. Smell of old worn leather, tobacco and the whiskey swirling in his glass filled her nose as she slowly lowered herself next to him. There was silence between them, an awkward silence, but she felt him glancing over her once again from head to toe. Rae kept her eyes focused on the stage, hoping that the band would start their show, and break the tension of an almost floundering conversation she may have with this man. Everything about him, made her nervous. She felt the weight of the cushion shift closer to her, “Are you... just here for the band? Because I've never seen you here before, and I would not forget a beautiful creature such as yourself.” Rae felt redness filling in her cheeks when she heard him say the word beautiful. He moved a little closer, “Well, are you going to just ignore me?” Rae worked up all the courage to finally turn to face him, and smile. “Your right, I've never been here before,” She managed to say without stuttering through, and took a long swig of her beer. He tilted his head towards her, “So, your not going to answer any of my other questions?” His arm brushed against her thigh, and she felt herself get excited with warmth that shook throughout her body. Rae just looked at him and shook her head “no” and smiled sheepishly. As he lowered his head, she could see him smile.

The lights started to dim, and the band spilled out onto the stage. Rae saw Avery standing on the side scanning the crowd looking for her. Rae hadn't decided if she wanted to be found at all, especially if she had to be any where close to Xander. She looked up and saw Xander making his way out on stage, also scanning the crowd looking for her. When their eyes met, he smiled, and the mysterious man noticed as well. “Boyfriend?,” he asked drinking off the last of the whiskey in his glass. “No, he's my friends... boyfriend,” glancing back at Xander and sharing a brief smile, she returned her attention back to the mystery man. “I doubt that you are here by yourself?,” he leaned back and laughed, “I'm not” He looked around, making sure all of his friends were hidden and kept their distance. He offered to buy her another beer, and she obliged but under the condition that he keep the cap on the bottle. He looked confused but did as she requested, watching her open the bottle in front of him. “I never leave my drink unattended, nor do I usually let strangers buy drinks for me, at least open or uncovered drinks. You can never be too careful these days.” As though there was a light bulb that switched on in his brain, he knew what she was insinuating. “Has that happened to you before?,” a general look of concern in his eyes. She shook her head no, but motioned over towards Avery, “It happened to my friend, even though I gave her plenty of warning.” He followed her finger up towards the stage, and saw Avery standing on the edge, as she was still scanning the crowd looking for Rae. Without hesitation, the band began to play at a volume that would halt all further communication between the two of them. Initially the music was fine, as well as the lights, but once they hit a chorus of one of their songs, the volume went up and the lights flashed intensely. Rae could feel herself getting a little dizzy, and she needed to excuse herself for some fresh air.

Making her way passed all the smokers, she found a spot away from the crowd. The outdoor deck was made of wood, but it had become warped and worn out from the sea salt air and weather over the years. Plastic lawn tables were scattered about, leaving ample amount of space for patrons to move about without interference with one another. The fresh air was invigorating and helped calm the intensity of the overwhelming madness from the show indoors. As she was finishing up the bottle of beer, that familiar voice was nearing her once again, “You didn't think you could slip away that easy , did you?” There was something about this guy that made his mysteriousness alarming but non threatening. “Are you stalking me now?,” she said, trying not to lead him on and play hard to get. He pulled out a cigarette and lit one up, blowing the smoke away from her. “Well, let's just say that I was enjoying the company I was keeping before the band started playing.” He took off his jacket, and laid in on the railing of the deck. The deck was dimly lit up from the array of white lights that were intertwined on wire above the entire length and width of the old wooden deck. Rae could still hear the band playing, although seriously muffled by the concrete blocks in the design of the building. “So, let me guess, your friends drug you out here too,” Rae thought it would be nice to continue conversation. He pulled out a small bottle of whiskey from his jacket pocket, and took a long swig himself, “You could say that. I never turn down a night out. If I did, I wouldn't meet someone like... you,” he drank a large amount of his drink, and tucked the bottle back into his pocket. “You're not going to rat me out are you?,” for a moment she thought he was winking at her, but his eyes were trying to tolerate the smoke from getting into his eyes. As he rummaged in his pockets a little more, he revealed that he had brought her another beer, with the cap still tightly fixed to the bottle. “Snitches get stitches, I'm not that kind of girl,” Rae opened the bottle and took a few swigs. “My kind of girl,” this time she definitely caught a wink in her direction.

They spent an hour conversing with one another, and Rae found herself being reminded of the afternoon she had with Xander when they first met. Innocent flirting and vague answers to each other questions, keeping themselves guessing about one another. Even though she didn't know his name, she found out that he was new to San Clemente, was from Seattle, wasn't close to his family, and may or may not have just gotten out of prison. She was delicate about the information she gave him, but what she did allow him to know was that she was an artist, she was a chef, and that she lived in San Clemente with a roommate. If this guy turned out to be a stalker, he would have his work cut out for him to dig up all he could find out about her. Not even her co-workers knew that she worked at both Ink Kink and the Jade Court, nor that she was roommates with Avery. The music had stopped, and she knew that Xander would be the first to try to locate her, Avery was most likely flirting with the rest of his band mates. “So, are you going to tell me your name? Or are you going to keep me guessing?,” Rae shook her head no. “Why ruin the mystery we've created for one another?,” and that's when she saw Xander, as he entered onto the deck, he was shaking hands and greeting all of his adoring fans, and slowly making his way over to Rae. The closer he got, she was in sheer awe of the sweat glistening from his torso, and the heat emanating from his skin, as he touched her arm. “What happened to you? There one minute, gone the next,” he glanced over the the mystery man briefly, lifting his head to him to at least acknowledge his presence. The mystery man stood up, and they both towered over her, and the fact that she felt so tiny beside both of these strong stubborn gentlemen. Hoping this wouldn't be a tug of war between them, Rae rose to her feet, “So your leaving me?” the mystery man questioned, and Rae nodded in agreement. She motioned for the mystery man to lean down as she whispered into his ear, “Maybe our paths will cross again,” as the words left her mouth, she had hoped that Xander hadn't overheard. He was the last one that she had said those words to before tonight, and look where they all were now. She turned back one last time, watching the mystery man light another cigarette before slowly waving good bye watching her slip back into the crowd. “She's going to be a lot of fun...”

Before Xander and Rae made it back inside he wanted to talk with her briefly, “Look, I'm sorry she drug you out tonight. I knew this wasn't you thing. Kind of sad that you were out here, you missed a good show, but maybe I could play you something later on in a private concert?,” his cocky walk and gaze lulled when he walked into the window of the door. “No one saw that, right?,” he rubbed his forehead, trying to regain his confidence before making another appearance in front of his fans. Rae reached up and rubbed off a little bit of blood, “No stitches, but we could just say that you stood up for me, and that everyone should see the other guy.” There still was a bit of virtue when he gazed at her, showing that his feelings had never changed towards her, and that he reminisced about that afternoon together often.