"We're reeling through the midnight streets..."
She knew the all too familiar singer blasting a song through her headphones was too loud for her ears. But that's the thing about wandering around the city all alone at night, watching not only the stars shining across the horizon, but also the flashing lights from the skyscraper building that seemed to be fighting against the stars themselves. Her hands were knee-deep inside the conveniently placed pocket of her coat, blocking the light breeze that seeped through each time she took a step.
The sidewalk was bustling with people coming out of the office, busy and alive as ever be for a young girl trying to live out the crazy corporate lifestyle in the big city. As she passed by the stairs leading towards the subway, she stopped for a moment to stare as more people walked by her, even throwing her side glares for getting in the way of their very own hustling hours. Hustling hours that involved with everyone walking in a quick pace as their heels hit the concrete ground, sometimes with their BlueTooth glued to their ears talking to someone on the other line... perfected with a scrunch forming over their forehead followed by what seemed like an autopilot that's hand gesture as if trying to make a point, even if the person on the other end couldn't even see it. Just another day of rush hour.
She took a vape out of her pocket and inhaled some as she put them between her lips. Only then did she start to walk again. Away from the subway. It wasn't that she didn't love her apartment, in fact, it was a better situation than the one over at her childhood house, where she'd feel so suffocated that she couldn't even get out of the house to do something she liked, without dread clouding over her from within. She had felt like this before, like the first time she was going to stay at the apartment. Loneliness; it was a feeling that sometimes sucked the life out of her, ending with her chug down a bottle right before her internal alarm clocked out for the night. She knew it was bad, but how else was she supposed to drown out the feelings, eating away as if she was a meal that they oh-so-deliciously savored?
"I love that song, Lorde, is it? Also, think the volume is a little too high, isn't it? Or is that really your intention all along?"
That bass voice loomed over from behind her. Her shoulders tensed. During the very short time she had in the morning, she managed to squeeze in for some morning news between doing her hair for her overbearing manager who thought they could tell a woman what or how to dress for her own body, and making a simple yet fulfilling breakfast that's usually consisted of oatmeal or cereals. Those weren't fulfilling to say the least, she'd have to stop by at the overpriced coffee shop right next door her office building, just to get some fresh bakery and her much-needed caffeine intake. The morning news would talk about a girl who was tragically wounded and dumped on the side of a highway from the night before. That was enough to send chills sprung all over her because now not only did she wish that she'd ditch the headphones, but she questioned the tight-fitted skirt that her work forced her into wearing. She adjusted and readjusted her skirt, before her hands slid up to take off her headphones and rest them around her shoulders.
She turned and managed a small smile at the corner of her lips, though she could feel her heart accelerate quicker in pace through her blouse. The guy in front of her didn't feel like someone who would do something as brutal as stabbing a girl ten times before throwing her away for ants to feed. He was wearing a white hoodie along with cargo pants, that seemed to be too large for his lanky figure, and hair so smooth that he'd be mistaken for a K-Pop star.
"What? Yeah, I love this song, too. Really tell how we feel without even saying it out loud."
Then again, someone who bonded over music should be trustworthy enough, especially if their taste was surprisingly as good as mine. Ryan and Marissa should be the judge of that as they carried that kind of trope.
"I know," The guy grinned, and suddenly his whole face disappeared as he did so. His smile took up his whole face. Some hair out of the bowl cut he had, fell over his eyes, as he swept them away by throwing his head back in such a cool way. "You're working from around here or something? I feel like I've seen you somewhere."
"I don't know, I mean, it's a big city. There are plenty of people around, they even look alike sometimes if you blur them out enough from all the blinding lights."
He stepped away to the side, brushing his hand against her arm to do the same when people started hissing at them. "You're right about that." He looked down on his checkered sneakers that most of these young programmers working for the big startup corporate, seemed to share similar liking to it. "Going to a party? You seem like you party." He added.
While still living with her parents, they had restrictions about everything. She never got to live the life that any teenagers should at least experience if she didn't want to miss out on anything. She knew they were just doing a good job on raising her to be a "good" daughter, but there were nights she wished they'd just loosen the leash a little and let her be a teenager. On her first day that she dropped her suitcase on her apartment, she didn't start unpacking right away. Something that her parents would probably have a heart attack for. She'd heard stories about people from this city going out to clubs or just home parties every night, living their wildest fantasy. With all that excitement rushed through her, she went out of the room and checked out the first party happening in a club that she saw on a billboard sign on the way earlier.
"What gives?" She dangled the vape before her, waving it around in front of him. "Is it the vape?"
He chuckled, "Pretty girl who's funny too, just my luck." Her cheeks flushed as she hid them away by inhaling through her vape, looking into the sidewalk in front of her where people were still milling around. "I'm Julian, thought it's weird that we talked without knowing each other's names."
She nodded. "Arielle, but you can call me Elle. That's what people call me, anyway." Her vape was back hiding in the depth of her pocket, she bit her bottom lip and curled strands of hair around her index finger. The chilly night air that she'd complain about after sitting in a cold, air-conditioner room all day, was suddenly nothing compared to the heat radiating from within. She didn't sweat much considering the only exercised she did was walking to and from office, and with her overly packed schedules, she couldn't find the time. "Why, are you inviting me to one?"
"I think that was the idea. . ."
There it was again, the sheepish grin plastered across his features. All her woes about meeting strangers in a big city that could turn deadly, disappeared into thin air. How was she supposed to say no to such a creature?
"You know." She began, pulling up a smirk. "Usually, I'm pretty updated with parties around here. So much so that I wouldn't miss one and the bouncer would probably save me a seat if I happened to walk by. So this is definitely a surprising offer, because from all that I know. . . there's none planned tonight."
He scratched the back of his neck, she swore she saw him hiding another grin underneath. "It's actually some kind of underground party, invite-only. You don't get invited unless you have the password."
She narrowed her eyes at him as she could feel her forehead working harder to grow the three lines and nailing down her brain. Her vape was back in front of her lips, "I've heard of those. Sounds tempting."
"Well, alright. Come on, come on, come on."
He then dragged and pulled her away by the hand. The action stumbled her on the three-inch boots that she wore at first, but she got back on her feet seconds after to run alongside him. She could feel the eyes thrown at her once again, but all she felt at the moment was the cold gust of wind blowing over her face. At the same time, her heartbeat quickened, as she looked up at the bridge above her followed by loud thumping against the metal floors from the pedestrians just coming off of the other side.
Once again, it was another rush hour in the city.
Yet another night she wouldn't have to let the intrusive thoughts win and take over.
Because in the city, you were never lonely alone.
