Selfless (Sequel to "Left and Right in The Dark") - A Julian Casablancas Fanfic

Chapter 6: Jackets are the Eyes to the Soul

Sophie's POV:

We soon get to the bowling alley, and I immediately become surprised by the vibe of it. The whole place is really dark, except for the alleys, which have white panel lights above them, but the lighting isn't necessarily pleasant. On the other side of the venue is a fully-stocked bar with a bunch of pictures and frames covering the walls, a huge sign that reads "Stroh's Beer," along with some dark brown pool tables. I look around the bar area, and my eyes capture a group of big guys sitting around at one table, probably a biker gang or something.

"Is this creeping you out?" Julian turns to me with his arm around my shoulder.

"Just a teeny bit," I chuckle.

"Don't worry, it's not that bad."

"I don't know why I feel kind of iffy about it. Maybe it's because the area looks more manly or something?"

"Maybe I should request the owner to decorate the place with pink wallpaper and princess stickers instead," Jules laughs, to which I laugh with him and give him a friendly push to the chest.

We wait around near some tables for the rest of the guys. First Albert and Nick enter, and they are immediately taken aback, as they weren't expecting to see me here.

"Wait... is that who I think it is?" Nick asks, his eyes slightly squinting in thought.

"The same girl who gave you the 12:51 melody six years ago," I wittingly respond.

"Hey, Sophie! Wow, I can't believe it!" he smiles excitedly as he gives me a hug. I hug him back and give him a few pats on the back.

"Hey Nick, Albert," I respond, hugging Albert as well. "How are you both?"

"Enjoying life," Albert responds.

"Same here. It's been pretty fun for me at the moment," Nick chimes in.

As we continue to converse with each other, Nikolai soon enters, giving a similar reaction of surprise as the other two guys.

"Sophie?"

"Hi, Nikolai!" I give him a big smile and hug him. "How are you?"

"Good, good. Wow, this is such a surprise!"

I have a short conversation with the three guys before we get pleasantly interrupted again.

"Holy shit!" we all hear suddenly and turn towards the direction the sound came from. A facial-haired Fab is standing there; my face immediately blooms in extreme happiness. Besides Jules, Fab is my favorite out of the guys.

"Sophie!" he exclaims.

"Little Fabrizio!" I yell in excitement as both of us run towards each other. We give each other a tight hug and both laugh as he lifts me up and puts me back down.

"My god, it's been ages! How are you?" he smiles brightly. I enjoy his enthusiasm.

"I'm great, Fab. Enjoying my life. How about you?"

"It's great as well. God, I have soooo many questions to ask you now!"

After he says that, we hear a quick clear of the throat from a staff member, who is walking towards us. He looks very big and tough; he seems pretty mean and stern as well.

"Hey guys, sorry to interrupt your little fun-fest, but if you guys aren't gonna bowl, you have to leave," he says before walking away in a grouchy manner.

"Geez, I wonder what's up with him," I quickly raise and lower my eyebrows as I turn to all of the guys.

"We probably shouldn't make him kick us out. Come on, let's get our bowling shoes," Nikolai advises before all of us go over to the shoe counter.