Melody

3

Vincent sat up in bed the next morning having barely slept. He stared at the chalky white pill on his bedside table, where he'd left it the night before. He hesitated a moment, then, as if without thinking, he popped it into his mouth.
The day proceeded like any other, busying himself with mindless tasks at the factory as the hours ticked away. He shoveled coal into the furnace for what seemed to be hours. It wasn't until Jefferson began calling his name that Vincent noticed his shift had already ended.
-Who are you trying to impress Vince? You're fifteen minutes over. Jefferson chuckled. Vincent shrugged, with genuine confusion in his expression.
-I must've lost track of time. Vincent put his shovel away and grabbed the jacket from his locker.
In many ways he felt no differently, but there was a notable emptiness clouding his mind where there were once so many spiraling thoughts. He'd only noticed now in retrospect that he worked right through his coffee break. Most days he counted the minutes leading up to it.
That night at the Dianigian, Vincent hardly touched his scotch, sipping on occasion. He lacked his usual tired indiscretion. It was not as though he felt energized, but the weight of his sobriety had dissipated somewhat. Melody was not in the pub that night. Vincent had wondered if he would see her again. Last night he'd had fatuous dreams of her face, but tonight it brought only vague curiosity.

***

The next day proceeded like the last. Vincent worked through his coffee break again, not noticing the time pass. Jefferson invited him out to a pub downtown after work with some of the guys and Vincent agreed, despite feeling quite content to go straight back home. It was not often that Vincent went downtown. The pubs were always populated with young, pretty people Vincent stood no chance of relating to. Voyaging out to this part of the city had always felt like such a chore, but Vincent could not think of any good reason to deny the request. Jefferson insisted they visit a nightclub called The Phoebus. It's the only place in the city with a decent selection of music, he'd insisted.
The club was crowded with people. Loud music and shouting filled the air, but Vincent found a fairly remote corner with some stools and settled down with a drink. It wasn't until he was sitting that he'd noticed her again. Melody stood by the bar, gently swaying to the rhythm of the music. She was alone, just like she had been the first time, and her expression remained confidently unemotive. After a moment she'd noticed him there too, and came to take a seat beside him.
-You again, she remarked, without much surprise in her tone, as if she had been expecting him.
-I didn't see you at the Dianigian yesterday, Vincent said. Melody shrugged.
-I was growing tired of that place, there's so much more to see downtown, so many more people to watch. Vincent smirked in agreement.
-You took the pill, Melody accused. "I can see it in your body language." Vincent felt suddenly self-conscious, staring down at himself as if to assess what she had meant by it. "What do you think?" She asked. Vincent shrugged.
-I slept quite well, he admitted. Melody smiled.
-You might not notice the effects all at once, but you will.
-It's quiet, he admitted. "My mind is almost never this quiet." Melody nodded.
-Come with me, she said. "I'm tired of this place." She grabbed him by the hand and led him toward the door. Vincent followed, leaving his drink behind, he didn't care much to finish it anyway. She led him onto a train heading south.
-Where are we going? He asked. She shrugged.
-Does it really matter? Vincent found he had no response to that. In truth, he didn't care. He shook his head.
They arrived in front of an old brick building before long, and Melody led him inside, up to the third floor. It was by no means luxurious, in fact, it didn't appear much different than Vincent's studio apartment. Melody flipped on a light, and walked across the room toward her dresser.
-Make yourself at home, she said. Melody shuffled her fingers along a shelf of records and pulled one out seemingly at random. Vincent took a seat on a couch across from the bed. Melody pulled the disc out of its jacket and set it down on her record player. Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake filled the small room all at once. Melody took a deep breath. She began working her fingers down the buttons of her dress, letting them fall open and off around her shoulders. Her naked body was pale white. She was exceptionally thin with narrow hips and a shallow collar bone.
Vincent watched as she turned to face him, unashamed by her bare chest, hidden in a mass of red hair that fell over her shoulders. Vincent stared at the miscellaneous purpled scars across her torso. Most of them looked like they'd been there for years, but there was a precision to the pattern of them that didn't quite seem random. Vincent wondered how something so horrible could happen to such a beautiful person. Melody walked toward him, grabbing Vincent by the hand to pull him to his feet. She let his hands fall around her waist, holding his body in close. Her touch was so soft, he thought. Vincent could hardly remember the last time he'd been so close to a woman, close enough to smell her hair, or put his hand onto the small of her back. He felt the blood rush to his groin again.
-I'm sorry... Vincent muttered under his breath, realizing he'd become erect. Melody smiled at him.
-it's only natural, the effects are wearing off of you. You should take another, she said. Vincent nodded in agreement, feeling embarrassed with himself. She stepped back toward her dresser, pulling a pill bottle from off its surface. Her hand fell down the length of his arm and their fingers became intertwined. Melody pulled Vincent's hand in toward herself holding his palm up in front of her. She folded the bottle in between his finger tips. "Keep them," she said. "I have more." Vincent nodded again.
-Why are you being so kind to me? He asked. Melody let out a breath.
-We're in this together now, she said, leaning in to kiss him on the forehead. Vincent closed his eyes, savoring the feeling of her lips against his face. "It's late, you can stay the night if you'd like," she said. Vincent felt his heart begin racing. In truth, he wanted nothing more than to share her company for the night, but he knew it wouldn't fulfill the intimate cravings he'd been trying all this time to suppress. She had none of the shameful desires that had only just begun to creep back into his mind again.
-No, that's alright, I won't disturb your peace any longer tonight. Melody sighed and nodded.
-I understand, she said. "You'll at least have a drink with me before you go?"
Melody clothed herself in a nightgown and they shared a glass of wine. Before long, Vincent excused himself, thanking her for her hospitality, and made his way back to the train station. As he rode home, Vincent felt a longing in his heart, desperately clinging to the brief intimacy they had shared, and the feeling of her touch, still lingering over him. He pulled the bottle of pills out from his jacket and swallowed one on instinct, hoping to rediscover the emptiness that had existed in her absence. Before long, he was home again.