Impress Me Not: Neon Underground

Chapter 14

The week went calmly for once. He got a car, which excited him. It wasn't big or fancy. That didn't matter. What mattered was that he didn't have to make any payments on it. All he had to worry about now was insurance and maintenance.

Mateo had plenty of cars before. But they weren't that useful when he was having to use company cars, or rental ones, in order to get around wherever he was traveling to. That was why he sold them a long while ago. They were just extra payments that he was losing money on every month. The only thing he had was a storage unit with his belongings in it. And he was already getting that canceled and his things were being moved there instead. It cost extra for the moving fee, but it would save him money in the end when the payments for the unit would stop.

Mateo had been very minimalistic ever since hew as an adult. His parents always had the largest houses and the most expensive things. While he wanted those things too, he didn't want to be in debt like they were. His father said that credit cards were another form of wealth, but he learned enough about finances in school to know that was a lie.

The fresh air hit him right when he got out of the beach house. It felt like he had finally gotten on good footing again. That calmed him down almost as much as the ocean breeze did. It would be a nice few years that he could just sit by the beach and relax. Mateo was even thinking of canceling his phone and enjoying not having to deal with anyone trying to contact him. His family didn't really talk to him much, but they enjoyed tracking him down every few years.

Everything had gone so smoothly, and now he was going to treat himself. Mateo hadn't been to a bar in a while, and he was thirsty and ready to see what this one had in store for him. Gay bars were notorious for being dramatic, and that was the best part of them. Mateo had been to a few, and while he enjoyed women, he could always find someone to hook up with at a gay bar. It was great.

He was hoping that would help him with one dilemma he was having. He needed something new, and it wasn't going to be whatever was in that horrible club that he had gone to before. Mateo was surprised that he had gone there for so many nights in a row. He had stopped while he had gotten his house and his car, but he didn't plan on going back.

It was a quick drive to the downtown area. Mateo was starting to have more bad memories of the place, but he didn't hate it. It was gorgeous at night, with all the lights done up. He wished he could truly be able to look around. It might be a fun idea to do sometime if he actually had someone to do it with.

The bar was called the Rainbow Dolphin. It was in the back streets of the area, much like most of the bars were. Mateo thought it was interesting just how many stores were hidden in that area alone. The nightlife here was crazy and packed. Mateo couldn't wait to see just what craziness was going on inside.

The sign was rainbow, looking glittery when it was lit up. It was a building made of bricks and stone. The outside was painted a dark grey, which made the sign stand out even more. There were tons of people standing outside of it too, most of them talking loudly. Some of them wore regular club outfits, but most of them had outlandish clothes on. The more glitter the better. Mateo didn't quite like glitter, but he wasn't going to complain. He had all the time in the world to wash whatever stuff got on him afterwards.

"Mateo!" Mr. White waved him over as soon as he got inside. He was wearing what Mateo could guess was his normal attire. It was just a polo shirt and some slacks. What really stuck out was the glitter lipstick stains that he had on both of his cheeks. Both of them looked like kisses. "I'm glad you could come! Have a seat!"

"I didn't realize I was late to the party," Mateo laughed. "What's with the stains on your cheeks? Are you that popular?"

"Some people still like to flirt with me," the old man laughed. "It makes me feel young again, though. So, I'll take what I can get."